How to Beat the Procrastination Habit_美文_双语阅读-查字典英语网

How to Beat the Procrastination Habit

Kris and I used to schedule a block of time on Saturday morning specifically to clean the house. Each week we'd tackle a different room. If we didn't do this, I'd just put it off for weeks (or months). Pick an hour a day to get things done.

If it comes to mind, then do it. Often I'll be sitting on the backporch（门廊）reading a book, and it will occur to me that some chore needs to be done — pruning thelaurel（月桂树，荣誉） hedge（树篱，障碍）,for example. "I need to write that down so I can remember it," I tell myself. Wrong! What usually happens is that I forget to write it down, and even if I do, I just look at the list and procrastinate for weeks on end. The best move is to actually do the chore when I think of it. (Assuming, of course, that I have the time at that moment. Which I usually do.)

Use a timer to bring you back to reality. Part of the reason I procrastinate is that I have a rich mental life. This is just aflowery（绚丽的，华丽的）way of saying that I'm a daydreamer. I'm always lost in thought. One way to keep on track is to use a timer. I use the Ultrak Jumbo Countdown Timer, but not as often as I should. I set it for 48 minutes. When it goes off, it serves as an instant reality check: Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing?

Do not multitask. Oh, how I love multitasking. "I'm great at doing many things at once," I told Kris once. She gave me one of those looks. "No, you're not," she said. "You're great at starting many things at once, but you never actually do any of them." Ouch! But she's right. In order for me to get something done, I need to focus my attention on it. Trying to do several thingsat once（立刻，马上）is a sure way to be sure they'll all be unfinished tomorrow.