Job Success

Productivity pitfall: Procrastination

Scenario:

The project is due tomorrow. You've had two weeks to complete it, yet you've waited until the last minute—again. Now, you're faced with spending the next several hours working late into the night.

Whether out of carelessness or laziness, we've all put off doing something that needed to be done. Habitual procrastinators get into this pattern early and practice it through adulthood.

In the workplace, procrastination doesn't get the job done. You may never know when your manager or supervisor will drop by your desk to check your progress on a particular project.

Solutions:

• Create a to-do list and stick to it.
• Complete unpleasant tasks first.
• Decide which project-related tasks you can accomplish in the short-term, and set yourself a deadline for them.
• Decide which project-related tasks you can accomplish in the long-term, and set yourself a later deadline for them.