Part six, and the final installment on time management deals with procrastination and habits. Procrastination is usually caused by one of these five reasons:
1. The urgency factor. Just like back in school, we never seem to be able to start a project until the night before it is due. The lack of urgency causes us to put things off until the last minute. We need to set our own deadlines and work toward them.
2. We are Overwhelmed. Another big reason is that tasks sometimes seem so great that we are overwhelmed and never get started. We need to break down these large projects into manageable steps and get them done one at a time until the large task is completed.
3. The job is Unpleasant. We all tend to do those things that we enjoy first putting off the unpleasant tasks till the end. Sometimes getting rid of the unpleasant tasks allows us to spend more time on the things that we really enjoy.
4. We think it will go away. I am always amazed by the number of young programmers who think if they put something off long enough it will disappear. It never does!
5. We never start because of a Lack of information.
Some things that we can do to overcome procrastination:
1. Make a “To Do” list.
2. Set goals and deadlines. Create artificial ones if necessary.
3. Divide tasks into manageable steps.
4. Utilize your “best energy time”. Once you know what time of the day you are most productive concentrate your work at that time.
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