Freedom Breeds Procrastination

I have to say that my single biggest struggle at this point in my life is probably procrastination. I put things off for far too long before ultimately deciding it must be done so I can get on with my life, or before it decides that it must be done before the world unravels around me due to my lack of action.

• Voicemail… I’ll check it later.
• Letter to send… I’ll send it tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.
• That email doesn’t need to be dealt with now… I’m going to have a coffee now, I’ll deal with it after.

With Great Freedom Comes Great Responsibility

Unfortunately it is very easy for me to put off the things I need to do, even the things I want to do, because I have the ultimate freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want. I don’t have a rigid schedule at work each day, I have tasks that I must complete and fit into my day, but how and when I complete them is up to me. At home, no one else decides when I need to eat or clean or sleep or read or write or play guitar or… you get the point. I have all the freedom in the world.

The problem is, with any freedom you need to manage it properly. Just because I am free to complete a report tomorrow doesn’t mean I should leave it until then.

Just Do It!

Might as well do it now…

That is what I have been learning in recent years, that completing a task as soon as it comes to mind rather than putting it off until later means that the task gets completed, before it needs to be (and the world threatens to unravel). I can then focus on other tasks, new tasks, tasks that I want to complete. I am no longer focused on the growing inbox, the full voicemail box, the dirty dishes.

Get it done now and it doesn’t need to be done later. You will never “want to do it” or “feel like doing it”. That’s the thing about tasks and things we need to do, sometimes they suck, are monotonous and boring. But they still need to get done.

Limit Freedom, Create a Routine

Sometimes tasks can’t be done right away. There are often times where I feel like writing new music in the middle of the night, but my work will suffer in the morning if I do that. So I try to create routines where I can place the tasks that I need or want to do. If I have a (semi) rigid schedule to work within, there is less chance that I will procrastinate or become absorbed in some meaningless task like playing video games for 12 hours. 

Create a routine for when you get home, after you finish cooking, before you go to work, after you get home from work. Having short, simple, practiced routines will really help you get the tasks done that you would otherwise put off or forget.

 

Whatever you do, don’t let freedom kill your productivity.

Do you have a productivity tip for when you REALLY don’t feel like doing something?

Tags: Personal Growth, Productivity

This entry was posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 7:00 am and is filed under Personal Growth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.