HOW LIST MAKING HELPS AVOID PROCRASTINATION
The greatest limiting factor we all have is time which is why procrastination is to most destructive of habits for the business entrepreneur. Some people will protect their ego from this affliction by keeping busy. Busyness does not equate to productivity.
I, like most other people who inhabit the world of part self employment struggle with this condition but I have developed some strategies to help conquer this problem. These ideas are not new or groundbreaking but are easy to implement and have been tried and tested by entrepreneurs universally.
Firstly it is necessary to make a daily list of items to be achieved the following day. Once made you need to prioritise those that have deadlines and those that are most important. This list should be completed in the afternoon or early evening of the previous day. It is best if it is written by hand. Make sure you can fit the full list on one side of A4 paper and read the list five times when you go to bed.
As soon as you get up in the morning reread the list at least twice before you do anything else. You should have a rough idea how long the jobs will take and chose one or two quick ones to do on rising before you dress or have breakfast.
When you have a few items completed you can start your daily chores. Never start tomorrows list until you have achieved half of the items on todays list as you will end up being a serial list maker. If you want to make weekly or monthly lists, make sure that you break it down to a daily list but only for tomorrow. Lists that have long lead in times rarely get completed. The mind of the procrastinator is always focused on tomorrow. To get things done you need to focus on the here and now.
When you have items on the list write them in your achievements journal for reading at night just before you read tomorrows list. Don’t worry if you don’t complete all the tasks on the list as we usually overestimate how much we can achieve in a day. The completion journal will stop you getting depressed about that. Lists can also be in audio form on your phone but I have found that the written list seem to work the best for me.
Finally do not put your daily chores on your business lists. You need to weave them into your work schedule not complete your work around the activities of shopping cooking etc. Lists are mini goals and each goal achieved gives you more confidence in getting your business up and running.
If you have any comments about list making please share your thoughts for get in touch with me