Page 159 - End Procrastination Now Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach

Powerful Behavioral Techniques to Curb Procrastination 127

Spend time every day with your catch-up file and whittle it
down until it’s empty. Emphasize the keep-up file to prevent its
contents from flowing into the catch-up file. Make time every day
for your get-ahead file. This is where you work toward achieving
what you envision.
We all have short-term tasks that get put off, such as canceling
a dental appointment. If you need to cancel an appointment, do it
when you think of it. This gets your mind onto something that is
more productive to do. It also eliminates nagging self-reminders
and making excuses for the last-minute cancellation.
A slight positive change in throwing off daily details can make
a significant long-term difference. You can prevent small matters
from becoming a crisis because they have been delayed too long.
If you can’t do something when you think of it, write it in a pocket
notebook or record it. Then refer to the recording when you are
free to respond. Then, do it the first time that you can.

Pulling It All Together

So far, you’ve looked at what you can do to go it alone as you
organize and regulate your actions. Nevertheless, when you are
confronting a complex procrastination habit, you may need all
the help you can get. Who are the people in your life that you
can call upon if the going gets tough? When you enlist help on
specific procrastination issues, you may find that you have little
need to call on them because you know that you can. However, a
weekly check-in is a good rule-of-thumb approach to keep your
buddy connected to and interested in your counter-procrastination
efforts.
Get your act together and get rolling! Make a plan for how you
will gear up for the change, and start the change in motion. Pick
a start date. Publicly announce your intentions. Make a deal with
a buddy to monitor your change program periodically. Start at the
appointed date and time. Expect and accept making adjustments
to your plan. Chart your progress. Routinely remind yourself about