Over the past few weeks, many of us have experienced the rush of pride as we attended a graduation ceremony of a loved one. I had the honor of attending the graduation of a family member from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.
In these moments when we celebrate accomplishments, it is important to recognize how much effort is required to finish any difficult task. Often a huge obstacle to success is procrastination. As an executive coach and professor, here is a method I teach to help people overcome procrastination:
- Set a timer for 20 minutes.
- Start working on the difficult task with the intention of not stopping until the timer goes off.
- Next, set the timer for 5 minutes. Take a break and walk away from your desk. Do not work on anything else during this 5-minute break – rather, take a walk.
- Set the timer for another 20 minutes, and continue working on whatever it is that is challenging to you.
- Keep repeating this process for the time you have allotted for the task.
When you find yourself procrastinating, try this out. Let me know how it works for you.
Please share any tips you may have for overcoming procrastination.