Procrastination Redux

What a boring blog, writing about procrastination.  Again.  Au contraire, this is the conclusion to my Eat That Frog! post.  Despite my procrastination tendencies, I actually finished the book.

Brian Tracy, the author of Eat That Frog! gives us 21 techniques for overcoming procrastination, but because you may be a procrastinator too and never actually get around to reading it, let me share some of what I gleaned.

• Write down your goals.
• In the evening, plan for the next day and write down what you need to accomplish.

• Prioritize your tasks.
• Determine the three most important tasks and do those before any of the rest.
• Do the most difficult and most important task first. 
• Stick with that task until it's completed before moving on to the next.
• Clean and organize your work environment and keep materials you need to do the job accessible.
• Make a list of all the steps needed to complete the job and do the first step now.

• Continually upgrade your skills and knowledge, don't let your lack of ability hold you back from achieving your goals.
• Identify what you do well (at your job) and put all of your energy into doing that thing the best you can.
• Identify what it is that holds you back and determine how to change it.
• Put pressure on yourself and set deadlines, make task completion a kind of game.  
• Working long hours doesn't produce more results, productivity diminishes after eight or nine hours, so don't pull all-nighters.
• To stay motivated, keep a good mental attitude.
• Look for solutions rather than spending time complaining.
• Don't become a slave to technology.  Turn off all of your electronics sometimes.
• Arrange your day so you have large chunks of uninterrupted time to complete tasks.
• After planning and prioritizing begin working quickly and try to avoid interruptions.

Tracy indicates this is a book that teaches you to overcome procrastination, but really, it is also a book about time management and improving your productivity at work.

Like any good advice, it only works if you use it.  I have a lot of frogs in my life that I need to eat so it's time for me to put all of this information to work.

The letter for today's Blogging A to Z Challenge is P

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