Help! How do I get myself out of this procrastination rut?

Dear Aunty B,

I work in marketing and manage a team of around 20 employees. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who isn’t afraid of getting my hands dirty and someone who enjoys just getting things done.

But lately I’ve found myself procrastinating and my to-do list is getting longer each day. And I can see my procrastinating ways are affecting my team as I’m not getting back to them as fast as I used to.

Do you have any words of wisdom for breaking the cycle of procrastination?

Kristie,

Melbourne

Dear Kristie,

Let me guess – you wrote this letter while you were supposed to be doing something else, right?

We’re all familiar with procrastination in our personal lives – I can’t be the only one that puts off going to the dentist or fixing those little things around the house – but the truth is procrastination can be debilitating in business. Especially when you are the manager or business owner and you need to set the example for your team.

Business Chicks chief executives Emma Isaacs is one of many Australian entrepreneurs I admire and over on her blog, Isaacs has a fantastic blog post about the four remedies she uses to get back on track when she finds herself procrastinating.

Isaacs starts with asking herself why she is putting off particular tasks – is she under extra stress, is she tired, or is a fear of failure at play – and then gets herself in order by making a list of what needs to be done.

“Work out what’s the most important and start there. It’s so easy to tackle the little jobs first, but you’ll feel an incredible weight off your chest once that numero uno is ticked off,” Isaacs says.

But equally important is mastering “self-talk” and rewarding yourself when you do feel back on track. Speaking of which, having finally got around to answering this, I think it’s time for a G&T.

Be Smart,

Aunty B