Discussion Forum > Precrastination
Oliver Burkeman wrote about this in his column: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jul/05/this-column-will-change-your-life-precrastination
Burkeman's punchline: "The best solution I've discovered is to stick to a simple rule: don't clear the decks first, clear them second. If your job permits it, schedule a daily deck-clearing hour – but at 4.30pm, not 9am. Switch your weekends around so that chores get done last (but assign a specific time, otherwise they won't get done at all). And whenever you catch yourself thinking, "Let me just get these little things out of the way first", consider the possibility that you'd be better off not bothering. Some don't need doing at all, while others can wait. "
Burkeman's solution depends on you being mindful in the moment, which may be problematic if you're tired, hungry, distracted, etc.
Burkeman's punchline: "The best solution I've discovered is to stick to a simple rule: don't clear the decks first, clear them second. If your job permits it, schedule a daily deck-clearing hour – but at 4.30pm, not 9am. Switch your weekends around so that chores get done last (but assign a specific time, otherwise they won't get done at all). And whenever you catch yourself thinking, "Let me just get these little things out of the way first", consider the possibility that you'd be better off not bothering. Some don't need doing at all, while others can wait. "
Burkeman's solution depends on you being mindful in the moment, which may be problematic if you're tired, hungry, distracted, etc.
September 30, 2014 at 21:15 |
Mike Brown
Mike Brown
Mike - I've been following something like that for the last several months and it's been great. The little stuff, required maintenance, inbox clearing, etc. still gets done, but I get a lot more of the important focus work done. I also find that 90+% of the little stuff that seems so important in the moment is already stale by the time I get around to dealing with it at the end of the day - which means it never really needed my attention anyway.
October 1, 2014 at 6:06 |
Seraphim
Seraphim
http://www.govexec.com/excellence/promising-practices/2014/09/precrastination-worse-procrastination/95036/