Overcoming procrastination

(upbeat music) - [Jim] I hate procrastinating, and yet I'm incredibly good at it. Somethin' tells me I'm not alone. - [Brenda] 20% of the population frequently procrastinates regardless of culture, gender, career, education, age, or marital status. That's one in five humans that find themselves stalling daily. - [Jim] Why do we do it? It sure isn't because it feels good. You can't face a task and the longer you put it off, the worse you feel, and the less time you have to do it. - [Dave] Understand that the reason behind procrastination most often has to do with some kind of emotion that you're feeling. Often it's fear of how hard it's going to be or discomfort that you don't want to do that kind of activity. - [Jim] And what if you aren't a procrastinator but you work with someone who is? That can make your job harder. - [Chris] Most thing that you need to get done involve other people doing their share as well. And if they're time management problems are affecting you, then I think you do have a right to interfere a little in what they do. - [Jim] Fighting procrastination, and procrastinators, that's what's ahead in this LinkedIn Learning highlight, you're curated collection of insights from LinkedIn Learning courses. Hi everybody, Jim Hyde here from LinkedIn Learning, the first step in breaking your procrastination habits, is to identify why you put things off. - [Brenda] Understanding your procrastination habit, is the first step in breaking free from the procrastination zone. - [Jim] That's Brenda Bailey-Hughes. She's an executive coach and senior lecturer at the Kelley School of Business and the instructor of numerous LinkedIn Learning courses, including one called Overcoming Procrastination. - [Brenda] There are five primary reasons people put things off. You despise this task, you just can't stand doing it. You lack confidence, you're easily distracted, everything but the task you set out to do captures your attention. You feel overwhelmed, the job is so monstrous, you feel weary just thinking about it. And finally, you may be creatively blocked. You can't finish a task if you can't solve the problem, or if you lack that spark of imagination that fuels your best ideas. - [Jim] Brenda also warns about the things that we procrastinators say to justify the stalling. - [Brenda] Do any of these sound familiar to you? Oh I work better under pressure. That's a huge myth. When there's a deadline, procrastinators make more mistakes and complete less of a task than non-procrastinators. The procrastinators believe they perform as well as others but they don't. Or maybe you tell yourself, oh there's still plenty of time, I'll get to it. Or this one, I'll do it when I feel more in the mood. These are your warning signs that you're trying to stall. - [Jim] In today's world, procrastination is easier than ever. After all, digital distractions are just a mouse click, or a finger tap away. Here again, Brenda Bailey-Hughes, from her course Overcoming Procrastination. - [Brenda] See if this sounds familiar. You walk into the office today, 100% intending to sit down and get right to work on that important task. Settle in, computer on, maybe I'll just quickly check email. And then, oh wow, an hour has gone by and hm, I need a little stretch break, and I think there are some snacks down the hall. When I get back, I see a file that reminds me I need to talk to Kristen, better give her a call, and so it goes. Another day passes without any progress on your priority task. Distractions can disguise our procrastination. After all, I'm still working when I check email or take care of non-priority projects. Seeing the distractions for what they are and knowing how to stop them is vital on our journey out of the procrastination zone. - [Jim] Yeah, that sounds extremely familiar. In fact, I'm tempted to check my Instagram feed right now. But no, there are ways to fight back and maintain focus. - [Brenda] First, create the ideal working environment for focus. Clear your desk, close out email and social media, put your phone at least 20 feet away from you, so it's an effort to check it. Shut the door or pop in your ear phones. Pick up your project and go some place with no interruptions. As other tasks come to mind, jot them down on a to-do list for another day, rather than interrupting your flow to do them immediately. You can also use your would be distractions as incentives to keep working. If you heard your phone beep, and you're just itching to go peek, tell yourself you have to complete a certain portion of the task, and then you get to check in. - [Jim] As Brenda points out, another reason we procrastinate is because we're facing a task so big, so daunting, that it's hard to imagine getting through it, much less even starting it. According to best-selling business author Dave Crenshaw, one way to fight this, is to focus on the first minute of the task. Here's what he says in his weekly series, Time Management Tips. - [Dave] Think about some big project that you have to do. Perhaps, creating a training program for an employee. Now that's a big, messy, hard thing to do, doesn't feel very good right? So, now, let's ask what's the first minute of activity to accomplish that thing? Typically it's going to be something very simple like opening up a file on a computer. You can do that, that's easy. There's no emotion tied to that. So, I recommend that if you have a hard time with negative procrastination, in your calendar when scheduling it, put a note about the first minute of activity. The first minute is opening up the file. That will trick yourself into focusing on just that first minute, rather than the hours worth of activity that you're going to do at some point. - [Jim] It's a variation of the old proverb, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And focusing on those single steps is a common theme in fighting procrastination. Rather than looking at the finish line, which can seem awfully far away, and a lot less fun than checking your phone, focus on the next step, and then the next one, and then the one after that. Okay, but what about the procrastinator who you work with? The one whose habit of stalling is making your life more complicated. Here are some strategies from author and trainer Chris Croft, in his course Working with Difficult People. - [Chris] So, you would start with telling them that they're putting this task off, or that they have a habit of putting things off, and that this is giving you a problem. Ideally, you wouldn't just describe this problem in logical terms like delivery dates and profit margins, but in emotional terms too. How frustrating it is, how it's giving you stress or whatever. And, you'd be able to back it up with proof, an impressively long list of all the missed delivery dates for example. And then, you would agree on a plan with them. What's the work involved, by what date will they have done the first part, when will you next meet to review progress, maybe even, what will happen if they haven't done it by then? - [Jim] Okay, let's not put this off any longer. Here are a few takeaways as we wrap up. Number one, as Brenda Bailey-Hughes says. - [Brenda] Create the ideal working environment for focus. Clear your desk. - [Jim] If you're distracted by shiny things, like your phone or your favorite social network, forget they exist during those periods when you really need to focus. Force yourself to complete a portion of your task, then reward yourself with some shiny distraction. Number two, when you're embarking on a big task, don't think about all the time it'll take. Think about the first minute, and take that first step. - [Dave] That will trick yourself into focusing on just that first minute, rather than the hours worth of activity that you're going to do at some point. - [Jim] And number three, if your work life is being complicated by procrastinators, have a talk with them. - [Chris] You would start with telling them that they're putting this task off, or that they have a habit of putting things off, and that this is giving you a problem. - [Jim] We've heard highlights from three LinkedIn Learning courses here, Overcoming Procrastination, Time Management Tips, and Working with Difficult People. You'll find more courses dealing with subjects like focus and time management in the LinkedIn Learning library.