When you plan, you will be better at procrastinating
You can watch the 84 sec. video or read the content below. Also, don’t miss the Managing Tricky People webinar information toward the bottom of this post. And here’s to more procrastination. Happy Friday!!
I procrastinated doing the full write of this post. The idea came to me, I jotted down its essence, then deferred the completion to this week.
The word procrastinate is made up of two words: pro = ‘forward’ + crastinus = ‘belonging to tomorrow’. To procrastinate, then, means to put off till another time; to delay; to defer action. And while the word is most often used to describe delaying activities we don’t want to do, the process of procrastinating on tasks that aren’t required today, holds extreme value for a clearer mind, a calmer demeanour, and the prevention of burnout.
One of reasons we leave work, with work to take home, (or at least take it home in whirring minds), and then feel shattered when we climb into bed, is because we don’t procrastinate well: using the definition above. We feel like we must do it all today, forgetting there is tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. And the longer this goes on, the more we live in that red zone that progressively strips us of energy and enjoyment in our work. Sometimes, the reason for our stressed condition is simply derived from unplanned and unprioritised to-do-lists that always appear to be urgent and remain yet-to-be-done.
Many of those I work with at an executive coaching/senior leadership development level, are those with more tasks than daylight hours, perhaps like you. My first question is always: do you head into a well-planned day, or do you just run in the general direction? For many it’s the latter. Effective diary management and planning then shape part of our initial work.
I have seen time and time again, that the better one is at planned procrastination, the faster they get their life back and increase their enjoyment and work effectiveness.
Ray
PS. If you could do with some assistance in this area, I would love to help. Feel free to reply to this email or call me on +61 403 341 105.
A Ray rave…
My time management was hopeless when I first started with Ray. I was working all over the place and right around the clock with no family life. In five weeks I decreased my working hours from 80 hours to 65 hours per week, with more progress being made. I have learned how to plan my days while increasing productivity, along with, most importantly, spending more time with my family. Ben from Victoria.
For more information and to register, click here.
Here is a related video (in case you missed it) that appeared here a few weeks back: Planning. 10 Thoughts to Boost Productivity and Reduce Overwhelm
+61 403 341 105; ray@rayhodge.com.au; www.rayhodge.com.au
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