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November 14, 2016 at 11:30 PM
Tons of time management strategies have been developed over the years by hundreds of people to help you get more done in less time.
Here are 8 of my favorite task management tips to help you stop procrastinating in your work and personal life.
Think about which one of these ideas could be most helpful to you right now, in your current situation.
1. Manage and organize your tasks on paper
Prepare thoroughly if you want to get things done. List every step of the job in advance. Break the job down into its constituent parts before you begin. Simply writing out every detail and thoroughly preparing in advance will help you to stop procrastinating.
2. Fully prepare for each task
Second, come fully prepared for each task you work on.
When you sit down to work or to begin a task, make sure that you have everything on hand so that you won’t have to get up or move until the task is done. Being fully prepared is a powerful motivator for staying with the task until it is finished.
3. Take small steps to manage your tasks
The 80/20 rule says that 20 percent of the task often accounts for 80 percent of the value of that task. This is probably what Confucius meant when he said that, ‘‘A journey of 1,000 leagues begins with a single step.’’
Once you have taken even one small step to start the job, you will often find yourself continuing on with the task to completion.
4. “Salami slice’’ your tasks
Just as you would never try to eat a whole loaf of salami at once, don’t try to take on all of a job from the start. Sometimes the best way to stop procrastinating and complete a major job is to take a small slice and complete just that piece, just as you would take a single slice of salami and eat it.
When you select a small piece of the task and then discipline yourself to do it and get it behind you, it will often give you the momentum you need to counter inertia and stop procrastinating.
Break a big task down into small parts that can be accomplished in a small amount of time. (Photo: iStock)
5. Select a 5-minute task and start there
Just as a block of Swiss cheese is full of holes, you treat your task like a block of cheese and you punch holes in it.
