I work with a group of intellectuals. They are very talented, committed
and passionate about everything they do. The group is involved in providing
solution to problems that exist within their sphere. It is a volunteering group and we are happy
contributing to community and human developments in our own little ways. As a
matter of fact, the group rocks my world.
We called for an online meeting using the whatsapp platform 10 days ago.
We had brilliant session with excellent ideas about an event coming up sometime April, 2015.
We agreed to invite notable personality to address young people. We did
our SWOT analysis and came up with technical committee for content development.
We agreed to provide all our deliverables by the third day after the meeting.
Mine responsibility was to come up with the Project Model Canvas (PMC) for the
event. It was to be delivered by Monday so as to enable the team come up with
tactical actions. We rounded off at about 11:45 pm. It was on a Sunday night.
I arrived home by 9: 30 pm on Monday, I opened my laptop and developed
the (PMC).I finished by 12:45 am and sent it to the group via mail so that they
can start work immediately. I was very tired when I woke up in the morning. I
followed up with messages and calls to avoid lapses.
I was eager to get the report of the technical committee so as to enable
me take next line of action. I did not get any information from the team for
over ten days. I did situation analysis and I was able to find out that the
delay was due to procrastination.I decided to take drastic step to prevent viral spread of this collosal disease called Procrastination.
Procrastination may shatter good dreams and may affect the outcome of a task;
we may not have enough time to perfect the pending tasks and other tasks would
have added up. However, here are few ways to stop procrastination.
Write Everything Down
No matter how brilliant you are, you are likely to forget anything,
important things while under pressure. Always endeavour to write down your To Dos
in an agenda and set a deadline for them. You can write them in a small note
and glue it to your laptop or computer. Go through them at a set interval. This
will enable you identify your pending activities.
Get Your Priority Straight
Not all tasks are expedient. Also, some tasks are of high importance
than the others. Adopt scale of preference to get your priority right. Attend
to your activities on their level of importance and necessity.
Use a
Count Down
Using a countdown will assist you stay focused and committed to
implementation. It is usually good if you adopt days Countdown. Place it on the
wall or board facing you directly. Remove the day tag at each passing day. It
will help you keep track of events and inspire you to accomplish the task before
the last day countdown.
Use “To
Do List” and Calendar on Your PC
Put the “to do list” and
calendar on your Tablet, Mobile Phone and Laptop to good use. Input your
activities and set a reminder.
Use a Base Camp
Basecamp is a
web-based
project-management tool developed by Basecamp and launched in 2004. A new version
was launched in 2012 .Basecamp makes it easy for
people in different roles with different responsibilities to communicate and
work together. It is a place to share files, have discussions, collaborate on
documents, assign tasks, and check due dates. Basecamp stores everything
securely and can be accessed at anytime from anywhere.
Do It Now.
Do not put off the activity you can do now till next day. Do not wait
till the last day of execution. Treat all activities as they come. If you put
off a job now, you will discover that your activities will increase in
geometric proportion. You become exhaustive and tired by the time you attend to
them and this may actually affect your performance.
Imbibe it as a Discipline
No matter the approach adopted to stop procrastination, what is most
important is your attitude. Make it a
standard to do the right thing at the right time for the right purpose.Photo Credit: topshelfmag.net
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