Procrastination Breaker: Trick Yourself

January 15th, 2010

As I’ve mentioned before, I have 27 different projects large and small going on in my life at any given time (building businesses, writing books, holding down a job, shepherding a toddler). (If you believe in astrology, you will smile and say, ”of course,” when I tell you I was born under the sign of Gemini.) These tasks and toddlers are all vying for my attention. I have no time for procrastination and yet there are some things I need to do which sit on my to-do list for way longer than they should.

A few years ago, I came up with a trick I use to get those pesky things off my list or get started with anything I am stalled on. I make a deal with myself to do only the first step or even a pre-step. “Let me just write the first paragraph of Chapter Four” or even “Let me find the phone number for the potential baby sitter and put it by the phone for later” or “Let me just fill out one page of the nine-page form in the binder of seventy forms to fill out to complete an international adoption.”

It doesn’t always work, but often I find myself getting some momentum and without even thinking, I have completed Chapter Four, called the potential babysitter or have a baby ready to be picked up in Taiwan (which is how I ended up shepherding the toddler in the first place!).

Be careful. It’s a powerful tip.

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Filed under: personal stuff

Tags: procrastination