How to overcome procrastination in the church office

Ed. note: going into the fall, it's easy to justify procrastination when we really need to be more disciplined. Gayle has some great tips for how to overcome it.

To procrastinate, says Webster, is to “postpone or delay needlessly.” It is not having too much to do and too little time to do it. Instead, procrastination is the practice of simply putting things off. Nearly always the task is eventually done, usually at the last minute—not a satisfying work style.

What makes us procrastinate and how can we avoid or overcome this troublesome habit?

We may put off a task because we:

• don’t know where to start
• don’t like this kind of work
• are afraid the results will fall short
• feel overwhelmed by the nature of the job
• think the job is too difficult
• see the work as not challenging, or (honestly)
we just don’t feel like doing it.

Here are some workable techniques for dealing with procrastination.

• Break a big job into small pieces.
Even the biggest, least appealing task becomes less threatening when it is reduced to one- or two-hour segments.

• Set a self-imposed deadline.
Put a “finish by” date on your calendar, announce it to coworkers, put a big reminder on your desk.

• Anticipate problems and be prepared.
Rather than allowing possible roadblocks to give you an excuse for delay, identify them early and have a Plan B ready if it is needed.

• Gather the materials you need.
Put everything you need to do the job in one place. This allows you to proceed without interrupting yourself to look for a necessary report, form, or whatever.

• Look for a better way.
Maybe there is an easier way to accomplish the same results without all the steps taken last time. Could different software offer a shortcut? Can some of the process be eliminated altogether?

• Exercise discipline.
This may not be a popular notion, but discipline is essential to professionalism. Doing at least one thing a day that we don’t want to do can be good for us. Practice doing what needs to be done without waiting to feel like it.

• Do some research.
If you are unsure how a job should be tackled, ask someone who knows. Look up last year’s report and see how it was done. Talk to the person who previously did data entry and learn shortcuts. You get the idea. Learn from the experience of others.

• See success.
Motivate yourself by visualizing how good it will feel to have this job done. Identify all the benefits you will reap: personal satisfaction, professional growth, perhaps even recognition.

• Reward yourself.
Promise yourself a special treat when the job is completed. If the task required several days, give yourself a small reward as each intermediate goal is reached.

Give these ideas a try. They are working for others and can work for you too. You can put an end to putting it off!