Precrastination – Does Rushing Through Things Actually Help You Get More Done?

Many of us have a tendency to come up with many ways to put off doing some things until the last minute. We are all familiar with procrastination. Some people have a tendency to rush through things as quickly as possible. This precrastination also costs us in terms of time, stress and effort simply because we are not being systematic and rational about how we work.

A recent study found that precrastination can be just as counterproductive as procrastination. How did they test this?  Well, they had students pick up and carry one of 2 buckets full of pennies across a finish line.  One bucket was closer to the student and one was closer to the finish line.  Many subjects selected the bucket closest to them, even though that meant that they had to carry the heavy load further (than if they had chosen to take one closer to the finish line).

It is great to tackle tasks head-on but if you may want to consider if you are making more work for yourself. This is a case of working smarter and not harder.

Try these suggestions for getting precrastination under control.

  1. Prioritize. Focus on high priority activities and reduce ones with a lower priority. Rushing through an activity that we don’t like doing is really common. Make sure to ask yourself if you are really doing the right thing or the smart thing. If what you are doing is meaningful, you will likely take the time to make sure it is done right.
  1. Quality vs quantity. Weed out things in your life or to-do list that are not important to you and you will become more motivated to give what is important your best efforts. do things well.
  1. Stop and think. You need to take into account all the things relevant factors around a task or a decision. When you take the time to actually consider all the options, the decisions you make will be much better. For example, you may want to put off vacuuming until after you’ve dusted and brushed the cat. Logically consider the best timing for a task or project.
  1. When doubt arises refer to long term goals. Whenever you are unsure about what you need to focus on, refer to your prioritized task list and ask yourself: “what is the most important task I can complete right now in the time I have available?” When you consider what you are doing in terms of your long term objectives you will be able to stay on track.
  1. Group similar activities. When your attention is flitting from one small relatively unimportant thing to another your attention is pulled away from more important things. Grouping similar items or tasks can help you finish minor jobs quickly. For example, instead of paying invoices as they arrive, collect your invoices and pay them all at once at the same time every week. This also applies to being more strategic about your errands and housework.

One of the reasons that people rush through things is they want to be able to cross an item off of their to do list. Unfortunately, rushing through something just so it gets done will is not necessarily the smart choice. Yes, there will be times when acting quickly to get something done will be a great choice, but working fast, without thought or planning can be a recipe for disaster. You need to establish your priorities, and keep the big picture in mind.

Now that you are aware that precrastinating can create more work for yourself, you will be able to do the ‘right’ thing, which is to do the smart thing. Follow the strategies above and you can replace both procrastination and procrastination with rational decision making that will be the greatest benefit to you.

 

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