The Key to Overcoming Procrastination

Don't Think, Just Do

I need to write that marketing report. But first, let me clear out my inbox. I’ve got big action items I need to tackle in my inbox, so let me make headway there first…
And so it goes. Thinking, or overthinking a task, leads us quickly to procrastination, explains Stever Robbins, author of Get-It-Done Guy’s 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More (St. Martin’s Griffin, September 2010): “When you think before you act, you can talk yourself out of anything, no matter how important it might be.”

The easiest way to overcome procrastination is to make your tasks into habits. Establish a habit by making it a regularly scheduled event that’s posted on your calendar. Many writers, for example, establish a habit of writing at the same time every day, for the same length of time. Once the habit is in place, they can crank out the copy.

Next time you complete a daily, weekly or monthly task, set a reoccurring task or appointment in your calendar to schedule it and make it a habit.