Everyone has experienced procrastination in one way or another. Whether it is you or someone you know that is seemingly always has a “reason” why they have not accomplished a specific task in a timely manner. “Something came up,” “I meant to start/finish that project,” “I have just been so busy lately” are all sentiments we have heard muttered from either ourselves or people we know, and usually are not entirely true of why obligations are not getting finished. This is certainly closely related to another supervisor pet peeve: constantly being tardy/late – especially no shows. Teachers and bosses alike, have heard every excuse in the book of why employees/students are late, can’t come in that day, or why they did not make the prior commitment. This is a serious problem that should be nipped in the bud as soon as possible because it will eventually lead to termination of employment or failure of a course.
Some people master barely getting by using these short cuts and can sometimes circumnavigate being fired and find other ways to pass classes, but this is only a temporary fix to a deeper problem. Though this may allow you to plateau in a simple class or basic job but will not lead to a meaningful, successful career and grow through your industry. The first steps to being successful in your field are always showing respect for not only yourself but your peers and supervisors by never being late and always having your responsibilities accomplished in a timely manner – early if possible. Knowing this key is only have the battle, training yourself to execute this principle is a lot harder; especially when you are feeling burned out, tired, or easily distracted with more fun and attractive alternatives.
To assist you with becoming more successful and changing the bad habits of being unpunctual and procrastinating, you will have to start by changing your mind-set. You will have to be cognizant of time management especially if you have a really busy schedule. Having alarms, reminders, notes and any other prompts to get you going on a task or get you leaving for a prior commitment on time are all great tools to help get you on a solid routine. As of right now, these bad habits are routine, which may be hard to break but using these tools can make it much easier. Eventually, these good habits will become as automatic as the originally formed bad habits with conscious work being done.
10 Tips to think about when creating the new routine:
- Always give yourself a pad of time when doing anything to give room for error, especially when having to travel.
- Shoot for being 15 minutes early for any meetup, job, interview etc., as this is a sure sign of respect consideration and preparedness
- Set alarms/reminders or even written notes/post-its for anything/everything; There is nothing wrong with scheduling even the smallest tasks so as to not have to remember them constantly which may lead to unnecessary stress. Plus, it does not cost anything to do!
- Always communicate transparently and make sure if you are ever going to be late or not accomplish an obligation/task in the time promised or scheduled
- Prioritize what is needed most, whether it is a project that is needed first or most importantly, then plan and schedule accordingly
- Get on a task right away; Do not wait until a project is due as this will leave room for any errors corrections that may come up
- Follow your routines and do not let yourself get distracted by activities that are not helpful in completing your priorities first
- If you get knocked off track, be cognizant to not let it keep off schedule for too long; do not let this be momentum killer or make you feel like you can no longer keep up the pace
- Do not let obstacles, setbacks or mistakes keep you down or depress you
- Try as much as you can to have fun and find fulfillment in what you do; this will keep you from burning out and give you a sense of purpose and happiness
If you can keep these tips in your mind throughout the day you will eventually form positive and productive routines that will lead you to never procrastinating or being late again. Being on time and getting tasks done promptly is certainly a precursor to success with the opposite also being true. Talking with many supervisors and teachers have stated regularly that from their experiences, success always seems to allude those who cannot follow these simple concepts and end up repeating being unpunctual and procrastinating.
Hope these tips help you break those unbecoming habits and get you on the road to successful routines!
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