The beginner’s guide to procrastination
Published on Wed, Feb 8, 2012Read More Spandrio
As a productive and effective person, you probably are sick and tired of watching others “get away with” not pulling their weight around the home or office. If you have decided that it is time for you to become a procrastinator, this guide will help you get started:
1. Stop writing things down. Whether you have been keeping track of your appointments and projects on paper or you use a virtual system, it has to stop. Procrastinators don’t really know how much they have to do — and they don’t want to.
2. Say yes to everything. Over-promise and under-deliver.
3. Become passive. You have to stop proactively checking up on things and following through on action items. This should be easier because you are no longer writing things down.
4. Develop a victim mentality. This goes hand-in-hand with becoming passive. You constantly will be waiting on someone else’s action before you can get started.
5. Discover distractions. As a productive person, you probably did not realize that your computer came equipped with games like Solitaire and Hearts. By pinning links to these on your task bar, you can access them quickly and easily to waste large blocks of time.
6. Learn the “fresh start” days. Mondays, the first of the month, the beginning of next quarter and Jan. 2 are all “better” days to get going on projects than right now.
7. Get ready for an emotional impact. Some new and overwhelming feelings you will need to adjust to include:
• Guilt — due to broken promises
• Embarrassment — your pride will take a beating
• Resentment — others get assigned great projects
• Envy — as you see “go-getters” get ahead in work and life
• Depression — because you know you are capable of doing better
These seven steps will have you less productive in no time!
Brenda Spandrio, aka The Declutter Lady, of Ambiance Solutions, is an organizing and productivity consultant. If you need help starting your declutter project, she can be contacted at brenda@thedeclutterlady.com or by calling 360-504-2520.
