Procrastination

I’m thinking about procrastination and it’s relation to burnout. Are they the same thing? I’d like to talk about procrastination but I’m not sure I’ve experienced it in my work. I’ve definitely experienced it around the house for home maintenance type tasks like cleaning up the garage, fixing light fixtures, or cleaning the bathroom. I can put those types of tasks off for months.

In my work I think I maybe procrastinated earlier in my career and quickly figured out how to prevent it with the simple trick of always having a prioritized list of what needs to get done next. At work when you’re being paid to do a job it’s easier to keep making progress.

My trick for getting past procrastination outside of work is to set a timer and convince myself to work on the task for a very small amount of time. It can be as little as five minutes, or even less. Anything that will get over the hump of just starting.

I use a similar approach for exercise. Just get into your exercise clothes and jump on the bike, and if you really aren’t into it after 10 or 15 minutes, just stop. Creating a habit is helpful, as well as lowering the barrier to get started. My bike is always set up and ready to go. It happens to be sitting in the middle of the living room too, which my wife hates, but it keeps exercise top of mind.