How to Deal with Procrastination

You would not eat a whole cake in one sitting all by yourself (at least I hope you wouldn't!). You would naturally slice it up and devour each slice one at a time until it was gone. The same principle applies to any task that you have to tackle. And this is a way of making it seem less daunting. It is much easier to get started on a small piece of anything than tackle the whole thing in one go. Catherine, for example, looked at the work she had to do each day and envisaged it as one long task that she had no chance of completing. No wonder she was too scared to get started until late in the day.

Once you have worked out exactly what you need to do, you can divide each of the tasks necessary to complete a job into smaller steps. So, for checking the final draft and design, for example, you would:

- timetable a period for making the checks
- ensure that the originals are to hand
- proofread the words
- check the design elements against specification and design
- mark any final amendments to be made
- arrange for copy to be sent to the printer with final instructions.

This method can be applied to anything you have to do. Make each step small enough that you feel happy tackling it. Then go on to the next one. By doing it bit by bit you will get it all done.

This is only an example of how any task that seems overwhelming can be reduced to manageable proportions. Each separate part can then be divided into further sections. For example, when compiling a report, you might spend part of a morning writing the introduction and two afternoons writing the main body of it.

Prioritize your tasks
If a job seems overwhelming it could be because you don't know where to start. If you simply start with the first task to hand and work through, it will seem endless and you will get depressed with it. You will use that as an excuse to delay. You cannot hope to tackle anything successfully unless you know in which order e going to complete each step.

As with any task, work out what steps it can be divided into and then prioritize them. Do those that need the most research or organization first, and then the others. Alternatively, start with the easiest task to give you inspiration and then tackle a more difficult one once you are in the mood. You will find that once you have begun working on the task, it will seem easier and less daunting.

Set an alarm to go off five minutes after you sit down at your desk. When it goes, start work straight away.