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By Giang Tran November 26, 2016 Growth, Productivity

Deb Lee Growth Aug 19, 2016

Do you procrastinate? A little bit? A lot? There are some who say procrastination can be helpful
and others who say that it is so bad that you really should kick the habit pronto.

No matter what side of the fence youre on, there will be times when you simply must start
working on your MIPs or MITsyour most important projects or tasks. The due date is looming
and you have to get your butt in gear. Or, perhaps you just dont like the massive adrenaline rush
your feel when youre up against a tight deadline.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, keep reading to learn about seven super simple
ways you can force, er, encourage yourself to take even the smallest of baby steps to just get
started.

Procrastination x: 7 ways to get started

1. Map it out

Are you overwhelmed and not sure where to start? Begin by looking at all the moving parts and
the specic things youre responsible for.

Then, create a plan. Though you may not be actively working on your tasks (yet), by mapping out
a plan, you can:

Reduce feelings of overwhelm

Gain a sense of control
Set a productive mindset in motion
Pick the ONE thing youll start with

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If you still feel a little uncertain, jump down to number ve to help you get on track and closer to
getting things done or at least started.

2. Pick ONE thing

In order to pick your one thing, it will help if you look at your project as a series of mini-projects
smaller tasks that, when completed, help you cross the nish line. So, as you look at your project,
cut it down to size so that its more manageable and less daunting.

Now, dont be tempted to go down multitasking lane. Once you pick your one thing, stick with it.
Resist the urge to work on another part of the project at the same time. If you get a brain spark
about something related to what youre working on, write it down and follow up on it later.

Oh, and dont allow any perfectionist tendencies to sneak up on you either. The perfectionist
voice in your head can stall your progress with your one thing and make you second guess
yourself.

Go with your beta version (tech companies do it all the time) and then refresh it later.

3. Put it on your calendar

OK friend, its time to get serious about not letting procrastination get the best of you. When
something is important to you, you make time for it, right? You schedule it which means you put it
on your calendar.

Block out that time to focus on your important tasks and do not use that scheduled time for
anything else.

Be realistic about how much time you have to work on your tasks. Youll set yourself up for failure
if you overestimate how much you can actually accomplish each day.

4. Work in micro-bursts

Just because you put it on your calendar doesnt mean that you have to work for hours and hours
at a time. Sometimes you can be very productive when you work for short periods of time. Ten
minutes here, 15 minutes thereit all adds up.

Use the Pomodoro Technique (there are several apps, too) to help you work for short blocks of
time25 minutes to be exact.

Its a rigid strategy that doesnt allow for any interruptions (or else you will have to start over), but
it can work extremely well. I like to use the Pomodoro technique when I need to write blog posts.
It works like a charm. Give it a try to see how it might help you.

5. Do something every day

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So, remember when I told you to block out time on your calendar for the project youve been
putting off? Well, I should have claried that you need to put it on your calendar every day. Yes,
every day. On one day, you might work on your project for ve minutes and perhaps 60 minutes
on another day.

But, one thing is for sure, if you work on it every day, you will get it done. And, thats the end result
you want.

6. Phone a friend (or your accountability partner)

Stuck? Fallen off track? Phone a friend to help push that urge to procrastinate aside. Try calling
someone who tends to motivate you or maybe someone whos great at breaking things down.

Maybe call someone who asks great questions to help you think things through. Another helpful
person to call is someone who understands your project and your role. That could be a colleague
or project lead.

Or, try meeting with someone who asks great questions to help you think things through. A great
person to call is someone who understands your project and your role. That could be a colleague
or project lead.

7. Get over yourself

Yeah, so when all else fails, it will become painfully clear that its time to get over yourself and
just start. Yes, I said it. Get over yourself. Stop making excuses and doing everything except what
you should be doing.

No whining. No complaining. Just prepare yourself to get on with it. Roll up your sleeves. Put on
your favorite tunes. Grab a cup of java (or tea or water) and a healthy, energizing snack.

You know that once you start, youre likely to be motivated and get into a groove. The rst hurdle
is starting. So, jump in. Head rst. Just start.

This article originally appeared in D. Allison Lee.

This article was written by Deb Lee from Business2Community and was legally licensed through
the NewsCred publisher network.

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