Beat the Procrastination Blues

Ever find yourself delaying and delaying on something until it becomes a crisis? That’s when Procrastination has taken charge of your life -- instead of YOU being in charge of your life.

Procrastination is as natural to human beings as eating. It’s easy to do things we want to do, but the things we find difficult or unpleasant are what we put off And sometimes delaying a little bit here and there is not a big deal. But if procrastination is habitual for you, and is causing things to happen in your life that you don’t want to happen, it’s time for a new sheriff in town.

Simply, procrastination is just a habit of making the wrong choices. It’s choosing to take a nap instead of mowing the lawn It’s deciding to watch “Friends” instead of working out. It’s opting to socialize with a co-worker instead of working on a project. It’s cleaning off your desk instead of getting prepared for a meeting. It’s “I’ll do it later”.

Now there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these choices. As an adult you have the luxury of choosing how you behave, and choosing your own responsibilities. And we all have responsibilities that we don’t particularly care for. But if you allow Procrastination to make choices that aren’t good for you, or that you don’t really want to make, then it’s time to put your Procrastination Buddy on a leash.

“Just Do It” may be a great marketing slogan, but in real life we often need a little bit more to work with. To conquer Procrastination, you will need to change the behavior that works against you achieving the desired results. Remember that you are changing a habit, and it will feel uncomfortable and unnatural at first. But with practice, you can teach Procrastination that it is not welcome in your life. Here are three ways to do this.

1. When you recognize a particular task is difficult for you and that you continually put it off until the last minute, try designing a system to handle it, instead of just “putting out the fire” when it becomes a problem. For example, if you’re always putting off or talking yourself out of your gym time, consider setting up a buddy system, so that you know you’re going to meet someone. Or make a date with someone to come over to your house to work out with you – a trainer, or a friend. By doing this, you have set up a system that will pull you forward when you’re willpower is low.

2. Determine if Procrastination is signaling you that you have made a mistake in your choice. If you find it difficult to go to work in the morning, perhaps you are in the wrong job. If you find that you don’t want to go home in the evening after work, it may be that you are living in a place that is not healthy for you. Don’t continue a mistake. Admit the mistake to yourself first and others (if necessary), and make the necessary arrangements to make it right. One of my clients was a senior in college receiving a degree in Electrical Engineering. He was having difficulty finishing projects, doing homework, studying for tests. His parents believed that he was afraid to go out into the “real world”. But as we talked, it became apparent that he had never wanted to be an engineer and had allowed others to make those choices for him. He was spending all his time working in a restaurant where they were teaching him how to cook. As soon as he recognized that he had made a mistake, he was able to tell his parents how he really felt, and make the change to get the training to be a chef.

3. We all have things we’re good at and things we prefer to do, and Procrastination can also signal that it is task that you really don’t like to do. Ask first, does it have to be done at all, and second, does it have to be done by you. Consider delegating the task to someone who would enjoy it, so that you can concentrate on things that you would devote more creativity and energy to. Personally, I struggle with keeping exercise in my life. So instead of learning things I didn’t find interesting, I hired a trainer who shows me what to do and helps me move forward consistently. I delegated that job to him, and now, I don’t have to think about it anymore.

Finally, REWARD yourself for a job well done. This is very important and a step that a lot of people ignore. A reward can come in any form you choose, from a simple affirmation to yourself, to buying yourself a treat. Realize that the ultimate reward for taming Procrastination is that by being in control of what you do, and finding ways to do it efficiently, you have given yourself more time to enjoy your life.

Beat the Post-Vacation Blues Before They Begin Strategies for Getting Back to Work After Going Away

Summer vacations -- or vacations taken at any time of year -- are good for business. Workers get to recharge their batteries with rest and relaxation, and their employers usually reap the benefits. But no matter how much you love your job and how much you unwind on your vacation, you still may feel anxious about your initial return to work.

Why? Blame it on a backlog. According to a new survey from The Creative Group, one third of respondents claimed to dread getting back to the daily grind because of "the work awaiting their return." However, half of those surveyed admitted that vacations made them feel happy and refreshed. So how can you keep your post-vacation afterglow upon re-entry to the professional world? Use the tips below to reduce the work that will accumulate in your absence and enjoy the lasting effects of your time away.

Help Someone Else Step Up

Do you know someone who's waiting for an opportunity to spread her wings? Maybe a junior team member or an assistant has been chomping at the bit for a chance to move up. Megan Slabinski, executive director of The Creative Group, reveals, "High-potential employees who are being considered for management roles may welcome the chance to prove themselves while their supervisors are away."

To help your new protege be most effective, she advises professionals to "ensure their second-in-command understands the resources available and has a good framework for making decisions." Take time to bring your charge up to speed so she will succeed in your stead.

Spread the Word

You can put out fires and lessen your load while you're out of town with the push of a button (or two). Says Slabinski, "Leave outgoing messages on your email and voicemail to let others know you are away and whom to contact in your absence." Not only will this immediately direct people to connect with your newly named second-in-command, but, adds Slabinski, it "will reduce the number of calls and messages you must attend to on your return."

(Enabling an auto-response with Yahoo! Mail takes only a few moments and a couple of clicks. Learn how here.)

In Case of Emergency

If there's a pressing issue or pending deal that you need to be involved with even if you're away, say so. Addressing a problem as it arises could save you time and heartache when you're back at work. However, warns Slabinski, "Clearly communicate if and when you want to be contacted about business matters while you're away to help minimize disruptions and ensure a peaceful break." Setting boundaries ahead of time will make sure you're not being bothered unnecessarily.

Hire Extra Help

You're probably not the only person in your department or even on your team who's taking a vacation this summer. So why not make life easier for everyone by bringing in some hired guns on a temporary basis?

"Hiring freelancers to augment your team during staff vacations can prevent remaining employees from becoming overburdened," says Slabinski. It will also keep the work that awaits you to a minimum.

Five Ways to Beat Workplace Stress

"After all the highways, and the trains, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive," said Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman."

Do you no longer feel that you are getting satisfaction from your job, or are you questioning whether you are in the right job? Are you contemplating looking for a new position? If so, you are probably suffering from burn-out and not necessarily from a bad job.

It is caused by the way that you react to both positive and negative stress in your job. Stress is part and parcel of any job, so it is important to be able to identify the stress -- causing factors and turn them into positive experiences.

Here are some suggestions on ways to eliminate burn-out and stress.

1. Remember the good times
Think of the times when you felt a sense of professional achievement and identify the factors that contributed to that success, such as selling the big deal you had been working on for so long, winning promotion or creating new ideas.

2. Avoid negativity
Henry Ford said: 'If you think you can or you think you can't, you're probably right'. Using positive language creates an image in our minds that the subconscious soaks up. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania interviewed 350,000 executives and discovered that the top 10 per cent performers held a higher sense of optimism.

So, instead of looking at your new sales target and saying, "That's unrealistic." It is better to say, "If I break this down into manageable, smaller targets I can see how I will achieve this."

Backbiting colleagues, gossips and office politics can, given time, have a negative effect on you. Counteract negativity by focusing on the positives aspects of your work -- the "neg-heads" will soon realise that you won't entertain their bemoaning.

3. Get out more
Allow time to get out of the office and go out for lunch or coffee instead of sitting at the desk where you spend so much of your day. Turn off your phone, Blackberry and laptop and take some "me-time" away from work. These may seem like frivolous acts but you will return to work feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

4. Change your daily routine
The monotony of performing the same tasks daily can be frustrating. Take a different route to work, reorganise your desk or ask your boss for a new challenge -- perhaps taking on the responsibility of running the next team meeting or training new starters.

5. Finally, ask for help
There is no shame in asking for help, we are all human beings not human doings. All of us go through tough periods and you will earn the respect of your managers and peers if you ask for their advice and support. In my experience, what comes around goes around -- one day you may be the one that someone turns to for help.

To use a cliché, knowledge is power. Now you know what you can do when you are burnt-out and avoid letting things slip out of control like Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman. It is not the situation that you are in now that matters; it's what you do about it.