Overcoming procrastination: A Practical Approach Do you find that you often begin correspondence with a phrase like, 'I'm sorry it's taken me long to get back to you,' or, 'My apologies for the delay in responding'? This may be an indication that you' re in the habit of purring things off. Similarly, a desk of files filled with projects which you have yet to begin or which are partially completed but inactive, is another sure sign that there's problem, ff you are one of those people who insists on cleaning up all the little projects awaiting you, in order to remove those 'bothersome little things' before you begin a major project, you are actually engaging in procrastination by allowing yourself to fall victim to the 'tyranny of the trivial'. Reasons for procrastination Like many issues involving time management, procrastination is a behavioral problem, and like all such problems it can, with sufficient motivation, be changed. In order to change a behavioral parrem, however, it is necessary to understand the reasons for that behavior. Don't know where to start If you think about it, the tasks which you tend to postpone will generally fall into two categories. The firstof these is the fairly large or complex task. Such tasks are generally important in their outcome, which only adds to the pressure to do a good job, and yet their very complesity makes it diffcult to know just where or how to begin. The result is that the task is put off until it simply has to be dealt with. An unplesant task The second category of task commonly postponed is that which is either unpleasant to do or may have unpleasant consequences. This may be some aspect of your work that you simply don't enjoy, or it may be something like a negative job appraisal for an employee, for which you know there will be repercussions. Again, the task is put off until other pressures make it necesary for it to be tackled. Fear of failure On a hit more 'psychological' note, there are those who put off tasks because they have a subconscious fear that they will not be able to perform. them satisfactorily. Related to this arc those who hold themselves to the standard of perfection for all work they do. If you suspect that their work will be less than perfect they may be inclined to put it off. Excusing sub-standard performance At the opposite end of the spectrum are those who use procrastination (generally not on a conscious level) as a means of excusing work which they know is of poor quality. 'I could have done better if I'd had more time,' is the general refrain of such people, though on closer examination it may be found that they didn't have time because they chose to procrastinate. Keep in mind, of course, that there are some projects which do come up as emergencies and for which you really don't have sufficient time, so don't assume that this refrain is always a sign of a procrastination problem. Overcoming Procrastination It is important that you take the time to recognize which reasons apply most to you or to your staff members. By doing so you will be able to select from the solutions that follow, the one or more that will best help you to overcome procrastination. Use the SWAP approach. If you analyze an overwhelming task that is currently facing you, you will probably find that it can be broken down into a number of smaller, more manageable pieces. A logical order will emerge for compliting each part, or you may have to impose such an order on the component parts. You can then SWAP—Start With A Part. And if you've listed the various parts in writing—which is recommended—you can have the pleasure of crossing them off step by step, and seeing a visual representa