Workplace Calisthenics: Passion for perfection plunges into procrastination

Rewards and

working in increments helps conquer the monkey on the back

It has killed more business careers. It is never openly confessed. It is insidious because it just keeps coming back

Alcohol? Sex? Drugs? Hand in the till? Reaming-out nasal passages during staff meetings? Sorry, wrong!

Try procrastination. Have you noticed, the "burn-the-midnight-oil syndrome" has been transplanted from your college dorm room to your workplace?

We are still playing these stupid, juvenile internal games of finding anything (like reading this column) to delay starting a task.

I am convinced, with Dr. Dwayne Dyer, author of Your Erroneous Zones, that procrastination is, "the fear of the pain of being wrong." If that is correct, procrastination is birthed in perfectionism.

There is a sure way to guarantee you will never be wrong just keep delaying doing the project and other people or circumstances will make the decision and, therefore, erase it from your to-do list.

Perfectionism runs silently in my blood. From the shined shoes to the shaving cream can which must have the label facing me, I am passionate about getting it right.

That passion for perfection can also plunge me into a desperate attempt to sweep the garage floor of any foreign particle when I have a column to write.

So, for those of you afflicted with perfectionism, which has grown into procrastination, I offer my 10 best solutions for this dreaded professional malady.

First, consider yourself too mature to keep playing these games. At your age should you still be trying to "trick yourself?"

Hello! Do you really believe you don't know what is going on while you are sharpening the pencils in your entire office?

Second, ask yourself this question, "What is the worst thing that could happen if I just started this task?" You know what, there is no "worst thing." You may say, "I'll get tired." Have you ever looked at yourself after coming in the office at 3:30 a.m. to meet a deadline? It is not a pretty picture.

Third, just sit down and work on the delayed project for just eight minutes. Why eight minutes?

We have been suckled by the television age that suggests nothing should go on for more than eight minutes without a commercial break. So, go with the flow. Work for just eight minutes then go to another project for eight minutes. Watch what happens you will immediately come back to the first, dreaded task and stay with it for even hours.

Fourth, plan a reward after working on the project for a certain amount of time. How about snacking on that Twinkie in your lower desk drawer you have been saving since 1986, a bathroom break, or a run around the parking lot? We all work harder when there is same carrot.

Fifth, write a contract with someone you trust. This "contract" gives this person the right to regularly ask you how the project is coming without you coming unglued.

Most of us are great at making promises but not as great at arranging for an accountability person. The contract idea may seem contrived and condescending, but it sure is better than beating up yourself for missing a deadline.

Sixth, ask yourself the question, "Would I be playing these kinds of games if I knew I only had six months to live?" Whenever I am around people who have terminal illness or have had near-death experiences, none of them has time for game-playing.

Seventh, keep a journal. In your journal you will discover that procrastination always goes up when whining increases. If your attitudes are critical and complaining, watch productivity go down.

Eighth, do not take any phone calls, appointments or receive e-mail messages in the first two hours of every work day. Research suggests we are best able to produce quality work at the beginning of the day. If anyone complains about your absence, have him or her call me (after 10 a.m.).

Ninth, keep "sticky notes" nearby when you finally start your work. Your resistance to doing this job will result in you thinking of the 9,000 other things you should be doing. Just write them down and go back to work.

Tenth, think of how good you will feel when you have "this monkey (column) off your back."

(Dr. Cal LeMon solves organizational problems with customized training and consulting. His company, The Executive Edge, can be contacted via the Business Journal at sbj@sbj.net.)