Do you need a push to study, to workout, to diet, or to win at work? Then you need tips on how to stop procrastinating. When I apply for jobs, employers ask how I manage time. I don’t impress anyone when I say I color code tasks based on priority. I need to instead reveal a time management plan. After all, we all need a plan. And time management skills kill procrastination.
So, how does time stop you from achieving your goals? I need to master marketing skills: theory, design, social media, and software. Yet, I stall. I never have the time. I fear failing. I feel overwhelmed. Sounds like study excuses, right?
But time is a choice, says author Garland Coulson. What do you always make time for? Your loved ones? Your hobby? Clubbing? I always make time for fitness. In fact, I count down the minutes until the next workout. Many people say they don’t have time to train. But they’d have time if fitness marked a priority. Whatever your heart longs to achieve, you’ve always got the time (Coulson, 2019).
When it comes to learning marketing, I feel overwhelmed. So, I clean instead. Or I watch a health documentary. Or I read a health e-book. What do you do instead of your goals?
I also fear failure. I don’t have the skills needed to serve as a marketing manager for large-scale firms. And what if I get let go by the company? Yet another blow to the self-esteem. Does fear hold you back from your goals, too?
On the bright side, I do have dreams that overlap with my goals. I long to make a documentary, and I need to master YouTube for marketing. So, why not focus on that skill first? You, too, may have goals that overlap with your hobbies and interests. Tackle those straight away if they top your priority list.
But beware of dreams that lead you astray. I love studying for an MCAT I’ll never write. And I enjoy watching health documentaries or reading books on health. These tasks only take me so far toward my goals. But I justify these tasks, believing they’ll open unexpected doors. While that may be true, the door I need open now is the one on which I fail to knock.
Author Garland Coulson says when we map out our workday, we need to add time for hobbies and fun. This brings balance. Just make sure your hobbies don’t consume your day.
Coulson also says don’t multitask. Instead, focus on one task at a time. When I try to tackle marketing skills, I feel dizzy wondering where to begin. Instead, I need to focus on one task until it’s done. And then move on. So, focus on one subject at a time with your studies. Also, you can download an app for tackling projects like one called Trello.
As for timers, author Garland Coulson says study or work on task for thirty minutes and then take a five-minute break. During my undergrad program, I timed myself for thirty-minute stints followed by fifteen-minute breaks. But I did little else during the day, aside from exercising in the gym. The timer system helped me gain a GPA of 3.92 out of 4.0. But I took only three classes a semester. Whether at work or school, use a timer.
If those tips tickled your taste for anti-procrastination tools, read Garland Coulson’s book Stop Wasting Time: End Procrastination in 5 Weeks with Proven Productivity Techniques. Garland offers the best insight into procrastination management I’ve seen yet. So, if time management holds you back, Coulson’s got you covered.