The Most Effective Use Of Time Right Now Part 2

Proactive vs. Reactive Work

Proactive work - concentrates on making things happen

• Developing plans and schedules
• Focusing on key tasks
• Achieving deadlines & targets
• Managing projects

Reactive work is based on dealing with the immediate and urgent issues that arrive usually in an uncontrolled manner.  The short-term focus leads to a perpetuation of the requirement for reactive work.

Procrastination

Why do we put things off instead of doing them?

• A response to stress that accompanies difficult or challenging tasks
• A habit that has formed over time
• Poor or no prioritization
• Poor or no planning 

The results of procrastination can be stated as:

• Stress
• Pressure
• Crises
• Continuous fire-fighting
• Reduction in quality  

These are all excellent reasons for stopping procrastination, so when faced with a task, decide to deal with it according to one of the following actions:

• Do it
• Delegate it
• Dump it
• Deadline it
• Dissect it  

If procrastination is having a negative impact on your personal productivity - take the following action points:

• Take ownership of your own procrastination
• Do something to get things moving
• Remove the fear of failure from standing in the way of your effectiveness
• Start today - right now!

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

The "Trap" of Procrastination

Many people claim they work best under pressure. Others sigh, resigned to their fate: "It's just the way I am; I've always been like this."

Procrastination does work for some people, often because others are always there to cover up, pitch in, pick up the slack, and do whatever it takes to get the project completed on time.  However, procrastination is devastating in terms of its overall effect on productivity in the workplace.  Weighing the consequences of procrastination against the benefits of good self-management may encourage you to incorporate more self-discipline into your work habits.

Have you ever put something off until the last minute because it seemed difficult, overwhelming, or just not something you wanted to do?  When you finally got it done, most likely it turned out to be not as bad as you thought!  When you just can't get started on a project, tell yourself that by just jumping in and beginning, you'll make some progress and won't feel so overwhelmed at the last minute.  Break a large project down into small, manageable tasks.  Make a list of those tasks and begin the first one right away.


Until next time...







Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/