All About Time

Procrastinator's Paralysis

Despite the barrage of advertising and constant pleas from your dentist, how many moms continue to brush your teeth only the AM? Only in the PM? How many brush both morning and night? Who brushes randomly several times daily or are you the "tooth brusher" with a determined system for when and how often?

Your input is not for my survey on dental health. Am I doing a secret expose of your personal habits? Not this month.

It's my way of emphasizing that organization is not something that is done once in the morning and briefly thought about when you're exhaustedly falling into bed at night (usually at an hour way later than you had planned!)

Do you frequently label yourself an "incurable procrastinator" and blame yourself for an accumulation of unfinished tasks? Do you consider yourself a candidate worthy of membership in "Procrastinators Anonymous"? If so, you may have to seek membership elsewhere since I heard the local chapter dissolved when no one wanted to be the first to get started.

Together, let's form our own network to enable you to formulate your own systems. Procrastinator's paralysis is usually an organizational problem -- not a psychological one.

What is the best way to eliminate this problem? Divide larger tasks into smaller more manageable ones. Try this "task analysis" experiment. write down step by step directions for tying a shoe. Now follow your directions without cheating! We're often overwhelmed by the way we perceive a project. It seems "too big" or the family room is just "too messy".,

Try incorporating some of these ideas to conquer your next "insurmountable task" -- not only cleaning out the "junk" drawer in the kitchen, but real heavy duty, like the 10 year accumulation in the garage.

Ready to mount a campaign against the garage??

1. Hire yourself as the contractor. Plan according to your rules and schedules.
   
   
2. Divide the task into "single sized portions". Don't approach this like a major holiday event for 25 people.
   
   
3. Set short and long range goals.
   
   
4. Begin with only one section of the garage, i.e.. the messiest, the part that bugs you the most or the only area in which the newspaper or books are stored.
   
   
5. Overestimate how long this task might take (don't panic!). Build in an extra time for a ten minute break every hour. Set a timer for planned breaks and again to be refocussed.
   
   Possibilities may be the following:
   • 1 hour daily for 2 weeks.
   • 3 consecutive Saturday mornings from 9am to 12noon.
     
     
   Some people find it more productive to select a consistent time.
   
   
6. Vary breaks. Do you need to read a magazine article, walk around the block or finally sit down and listen to a quieting C.D.? Put it on your calendar with the specified times you've scheduled for work/break. Try to make adjustments only when necessary.
   
   You're almost there.
   
   
7. Announce your intentions to family/friends. This may motivate you and help avoid interruptions and distractions.