I am a procrastinator. As a kid, my parents would ask me to clean my room before bedtime and I would typically put it off until just before bed or I would even try to push bedtime back so I did not have to clean my room. Unfortunately, this bad habit has followed me through junior high, high school, and all through college. I cannot tell you how many nights I would find myself staying up to complete a project that’s due the next day (which I could have easily finished long beforehand).
I try to attribute this to my “creative brain” because my dad told me creative types often work best when nobody else is around to distract and when they need to produce. I am not sure this is true. When there’s something I cannot wait to do or if I have an idea that’s burning the back of my head, I get it done and have multiple versions.
The good thing, however, is that I have finally learned what things can quickly be done and the things that require time. This is great timing, I think, as I am beginning to search for a job post-graduation and I know procrastinating on applications can mean losing the job that I really desire or losing interest entirely. Procrastinating on my life is not an option.
If you are at all like me and procrastinate terribly, start with small goals and get bigger. Know your limits by setting personal deadlines, and expect to meet them. When you meet the deadline, reward yourself in some small way and set the next goal. I have found that this system definitely helps motivate to continue a good habit into professional life where deadlines are constant and inevitable.
Need more steps to meeting a deadline? See 14 Essential Tips for Meeting Deadlines. (These are specifics for a freelancer, but can be applied to almost anything.)
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