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Putting work off? Tips to get busy By ANITA BRUZZESE Gannett News Service Even if you are the most efficient person in your office, you probably have a dirty little secret you hope no one discovers: you procrastinate. What will the boss think? Probably that you're normal. It's difficult to find someone who hasn't put off something at one time or another. Whatever the cause of the procrastination, it doesn't have to be a dirty word, says Patricia Hutchings, an independent consultant and trainer in Salem, Ore. "Procrastination in and of itself may not be bad. Maybe you don't get around to doing something, and it just goes away by itself it becomes a non-issue," Hutchings says. "But the biggest problem with procrastination is that it saps energy from you because it's constantly dragging on and creating chaos." Hutchings says the best way to get a handle on putting things off is by facing it, "and giving yourself permission to not do anything right then." "Usually within five minutes of confronting it, something will happen that will cause you to release the internal pressure of it," she says. "You might see that the task is really no big deal, or the phone will ring, or someone will begin talking to you." Hutchings says one of the keys to getting a handle on procrastination is knowing your personal warning signs. For example, Hutchings says she knows she's avoiding a task when "I start cleaning like mad thinking that maybe the woodwork does need scrubbing." In her book, Managing Workplace Chaos, Hutchings suggests some ways to deal with procrastination:
Hutchings, founder of Unique Perspectives UN-Limited, Inc., says that even those who want to change their procrastinating ways may have difficulty determining how to get started. One of the best ways, she says, is by prioritizing your "in" basket. For example, when you're trying to determine what to read and what to get rid of, consider questions like: Who wants me to know? Or, consider whether it's really important, or if it's something you need immediately. "I often say to people that if they could only pick one thing to do, which would it be? Often, they surprise themselves by what they pick," she says. She also suggests considering what would happen if you put off reading something, or how not reading something would affect other people or their ability to do their work. "To gain control over your reading habits, learn to distinguish between what you need to know to get your job done, what you'd like to know because of your interest, and what can be immediately discarded," she says.
Write Anita Bruzzese c/o: Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Va. 22107. For a reply, include a SASE.
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