There are some assignments that we have an almost impossible time starting. It might be a report that is due, or research for a customer that keeps getting put off until it forces us to pull an "all nighter" to get it done. Very often, the "disease" of procrastination is "getting ready to get ready." Here are some ideas to help you get motivated to take the first step:

Schedule the time to do it, just as if you have an appointment with someone else.
As with a client meeting, put value on the time you set aside. If you spend two hours doing research to secure a new client who is worth $50,000, then each hour is worth $25,000. Not a bad investment!

Break the task into "bite size" pieces.
Remember the line: inch by inch, it's a cinch; yard by yard, it's hard; and mile by mile, it's a trial. That's true. Look a any major assignment as the sum of small tasks which individually would be a "piece of cake." Many people buy model kits. The instructions usually tell you how to assemble various sections first, and then join the major elements together to make what appears to be a complicated "whole."

Take frequent breaks.
Even if you are forced to work straight through the day on one extensive project, then plan some breaks. You could take five minutes to walk around the block. When you do something like this, two things will happen: First, you'll feel refreshed and ready to come back to the job, and second, you'll be giving yourself some exercise.

As children, our mothers often got us to eat our vegetable with the incentive that there would be dessert afterward. As adults, we need to figue out what "sweet reward" will help us start difficult projects.

Source:
Courtesy of The Nierenberg Report

NBA boss
Jul/Aug 2000
Vol. 1, No. 3, Pg. 18