I posted this on Facebook and was quickly reminded although it may be true, I’d still never pick up my diploma. Why am I a procrastinator? There are several things that attribute to it and everyone has their own reasons. This blog Why People Procrastinate: Survey Results shows that 63% of those surveyed “Don’t feel like it”
“Procrastination is opportunity’s natural assassin.” – Victor Kiam
I can’t help but to think that there is more to it for me. Another internet search brought me to this blog on the Four main causes of procrastination. Things started to come together – could it be the fear of failure, that drive me to “not feel like it”?
Finally, this Captain Jake Sparrow quote popped up on my twitter feed and everything aligned for me. Often it is not the problem that creates so much anxiety within us, but it is our attitude toward problem. We often waste energy fighting the assignment, trying to push off working on a difficult project. If we would calm the fear in our head and tackle the problem, often we would be done before the anxiety could even set it. Having a trusted and easy to use tool to refer to can be a big help in getting unstuck from procrastination and to easing the fear of failure.
There a lot of problem solving techniques in the world. I have found that these 5 steps are helpful to me:
- Check your attitude at the door – Stay focused on the big picture, that task at hand and the group you are working with. You’ve been given this task for a reason, stay positive and press on.
- DEFINE: Seek to fully understand the project, know what the deliverables are (deadline, budget, report, presentation, etc.) and remember to define the problem, not just the symptoms.
- IDENTIFY: Consider various solutions, short term, long term etc. identify what research or data is needed to determine the solution.
- EVALUATE: Review the solutions against the project parameters (budget deadline etc.) If time is available, and when appropriate, present the in-process work to stakeholder for buy in.
- IMPLEMENT: Put together your deliverables. Start the draft early, even if it’s just an outline. It will help focus the research or on-going work. As the outline evolves, you may take the path in a new direction.
What helps you push through and tackle a difficult or overwhelming assignment?
Here are some additional sites on the topic:
http://www.addpronetwork.com/blog/category/problem-solving/
https://www.project-management-skills.com/problem-solving-techniques.html
https://sidsavara.com/procrastination-survey-results/
https://motivationgrid.com/4-main-causes-procrastination-revealed/
Deb Willems 