There’s a task on your to-do list that you just can’t seem to get yourself to, well, *do*.
Maybe it’s something that doesn’t really *have* to be done. But an organized hall closet is better than a disorganized one.
Or maybe it’s a task you *do* have to do. (Like writing an essay, sending off those invitations, or doing your taxes.) You know it’s important. You know that if you wait until the last minute to do it, you’ll regret it.
But there it remains, languishing on your to-do list, ignored and neglected.
Yep, procrastination has struck again.
But, believe it or not, there’s a simple thing you can do to finally get yourself to start working on that project or task.
Just use next actions.
What Is a Next Action?
Next actions were brought to us by the time management classic *Getting Things Done* by David Allen. And here’s a quick, nutshell definition.
A next action is a concrete, physical step you can take towards completing a project or task.
Say you’re cleaning the kitchen. Some of your next actions might include:
* wiping off the counter,
* sweeping the floor
* emptying the sink
* moving the clean glasses from the dishwasher to the cabinet.
When a task that’s big, complex, or unpleasant shows up on your to-do list, procrastination usually isn’t far behind. But next actions can hold the procrastination monster at bay so that you can get those projects done.
How?
By getting you to focus on one step at a time.
With next actions, you don’t worry about all the stuff you have to do to get a project or task done. You just focus on one small step. One next action.
For example, imagine you have to write an essay. You start thinking of all the stuff you’ll have to do to get that essay done. How long it’s going to take. How challenging it’s going to be…
It’s no wonder you feel like putting it off.
But what if it didn’t say “write essay” on your to-do list? What if it said “make list of ten possible topics for my essay” instead? That sounds much more doable, doesn’t it?
This is why you’re more likely to actually do it.
Next Actions and Your To-Do List
According to David Allen, a project is any undertaking that will take more than one step to complete.
When you see “write essay” on your to-do list, your brain thinks of all of the steps required to get that essay written, and how long doing all of that will probably take. And how hard and boring it will be. And wouldn’t you rather spend a few hours over on Facebook instead?
A next action is a single step, a single action. Once you do it, it’s done. Period.
When you see “make list of ten possible topics for my essay” on your to-do list, your brain thinks, “Oh, that doesn’t sound so bad. It won’t take very long either.”
In fact, that task seems so easy, so doable, you have very little reason not to do it.
If you often end your day without completing all of the tasks on your to-do list, it’s probably because most of your “tasks” are multi-step projects, just the type of thing you’re likely to procrastinate on.
The solution? Make a next action list.
For each project or task on your to-do list, think of a next action. And put that next action on your brand new next action list.
When you complete a next action for one of your to-dos, think of another next action and add it to your next actions list.
And before long, step-by-step, the tasks and projects on your to-do list will be done.
Are Next Actions a Remedy for Procrastination?
Next actions can be great procrastination busters.
As I said before, when you think of a project as a whole, and all the stuff you have to do to complete it, you can feel overwhelmed. And you just might find yourself taking blissful refuge in inactivity…or playing computer solitaire.
You can use next actions to make any overwhelming task feel smaller and more doable. For example, “Write a novel.” Sounds pretty scary, right? So don’t worry about writing a novel. Instead, focus on a next action that’s not nearly as intimidating, like:
* make a list of titles for you r novel.
* Buy a cool notebook to jot down ideas in.
* Brainstorm names for your characters for five minutes.
Using Next Actions
Here are some ways you can use next actions to deal with procrastination.
1. If you’re having trouble coming up with a next action for one of your tasks or projects, do a brain dump. Write down every small action or step you can think of that’s related to that task. When you’re finished, go through the list and circle anything that qualifies as a next action. (It’s a single, concrete step.) Now pick one of those next actions you circled and add it to your to-do list.
2. Are you procrastinating on something *right now*? Do you keep telling yourself to get started…and keep *not* starting? A simple solution is just to pick a next action—some small, doable task you can complete in ten minutes or so—and do that task *right now*. Don’t think about it. Just do it. Once you’ve taken that small step and gotten started, you just might feel motivated to keep going.
3. When faced with a project or task you’ve never done before, you might procrastinate because you don’t know what to do or where to start. So make your next action finding a tutorial or how to article that will explain, step-by-step, what you’ll need to do to complete that project.
Next actions are a quick and easy way to finally start winning the fight against procrastination. But don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself, and I bet you’ll be surprised by the results.
Do you use next actions to get things done? Or do you have other ways of dealing with procrastination?
