Breaking One Task Down Into Bite-Size Pieces
The lesson many of us never learn is that one large task can always be more easily accomplished in bite-size pieces over a long period of time. If you are given a project to complete in the next two weeks, the right time to get started is that very day. When you first receive a project, you should take out a calendar and find a way to break it into four or more evenly spaced parts. Don't just mark the final deadline date. Give yourself mini-deadline dates per segment and meet them, whatever the cost. Failing to meet one of your own mini-deadlines should be regarded as a failure to meet the final deadline.Rewarding Yourself
Some people, however, lack the self-discipline necessary to break one large task into several small ones. These people won't worry if they miss one of their own deadlines, procrastinating and pushing it back to the second, third and final deadlines. They will only panic as the last deadline approaches.A simple way to reinforce meeting your own mini-deadlines is to reward yourself. If you completed the first phase of the project ahead of time, reward yourself with a night out, a nice dinner or a gift for yourself. If necessary, pencil these in under each mini-deadline. A variation of this would be to abstain from an addiction - such as candy, beer or cigarettes - until the mini-deadline is met, with no exceptions.
If you truly lack the self-discipline necessary to pull this off, you'll need a partner - kind of like an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor - who oversees your day-to-day activities to make sure you never veer off course.
