This One Easy Tip Can Help with Procrastination

Do you struggle with procrastination? Same. Sure, you could classify me as driven, organized, responsible in one regard… But my dirty little secret? I’m a huge procrastinator!

Because I’m a perfectionist, I often let tasks intimidate me, which in turn leads to procrastination. (Please tell me I’m not alone in this, right?!) And the more unpleasant the task is, the more likely I am to procrastinate it… obviously. This has become more and more evident to me in recent years as my load of housework has increased. I very easily dread everything having to do with cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. (Which, by the way, is why I’m constantly trying to find systems to make it better!)

Procrastination Starts with Over-Estimation

Recently I came across a tip that is really changing my outlook on unpleasant work: Time how long it takes you to complete the task. It’s usually not as long as you think it is. And then once you know the amount of time it actually takes to complete that task, it’s less intimidating, and you’re way more likely to just get it out of the way and avoid the procrastination trap.

I did this recently with a few standard tasks around the house…

• Unloading dishwasher: 3.5 minutes
• Loading dishwasher: 5 minutes
• Folding a load of laundry: 6 minutes
• Change sheets of a queen bed: 7 minutes

These can obviously all vary based on the day and situation, but, for the most part, they are not that bad. I was so surprised that the load of laundry only took me 6 minutes! I’ll admit, it definitely felt longer than that… but now that I know that it doesn’t take that long, I can see myself being much more willing to fold a load right out of the dryer. After all, it only takes 6 minutes!

But Don’t Underestimate The Work

Along the same lines, it does take 6 minutes. And sometimes 6 minutes is actually much harder to come by than you would think. I mean, I remember not having a chance to brush my teeth during the newborn days with two kids under two… and that only takes 2 minutes! So I get that, and I want to take a moment to acknowledge that sometimes you truly don’t have the time.

BUT, I also think it’s helpful to know how long a task takes simply so that you can size it appropriately. It helps your mindset towards the task. If you get overwhelmed seeing a mess, but you know that cleaning it up is a 5-minute task, you can approach it in your brain more along the lines of, “I’ll do that when I have 5 minutes,” rather than, “When am I going to have time to do that?!” It’s a subtle shift, but for me it makes all the difference.

When It’s Appropriate to Procrastinate

I also want to remind you that there are times when it’s appropriate to procrastinate. If you have a screaming hungry baby and a sink full of dirty dishes, which task is more urgent? Definitely the baby. So don’t you dare feel bad for even a second that those dishes are still dirty… That’s just what we call PRIORITIZATION. And that’s just an extreme example. It’s also equally as important to prioritize rest for yourself, so there are certainly times where you should be strategically deciding to let housework go for awhile longer. That is good. And in those cases, I don’t even think you should call it procrastination. I would call it “strategic decision-making.”

Whatever your situation, the act of NAMING the task and understanding its true size and priority will likely make it easier to have a healthy relationship with your to-do list. You control your tasks, they don’t control you. And sometimes, your act of control is simply understanding exactly how long it takes to do something.

What task are you going to time?