Procrastination is the enemy of success and most of us fall victim to it everyday because, hey, why do today what you can put off till tomorrow?

Huffpost blog did a great piece on beating procrastination, which featured 72 successful people and their best productivity tips — including our very own Chris Bailey and Neen James.

Chris Bailey has been called “the most productive man you’d ever hope to meet” by TED Talks, a “productivity mastermind” by Fast Company, and “a quirky and energetic guide through the productivity thicket” by the Harvard Business Review. He is the bestselling author of The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy and his forthcoming book Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction, will be released in September 2018.

Here’s his tip on how to use procrastination as a tool of productivity:

“My number one method for overcoming procrastination is to use procrastination as a trigger to fire up the logical part of my brain. The research around procrastination shows that it is a purely visceral, emotional reaction to an aversive task you have to do, and that firing up the logical part of your brain — like by making a list of the costs of procrastinating, or thinking about what parts of the task are so aversive to you — can help more than anything.”

Neen James’ vast experience working in retail, banking, telecommunications, and the oil industries makes her an invaluable sales, leadership, and productivity expert. From steering high-profile leadership and sales teams, managing multi-million-dollar budgets, raising millions in sponsorships, and empowering customer call centers, she knows how to make teams stronger and more effective.

Here’s her tip to help you beat procrastination:

“Procrastination is a gift. It allows you an opportunity to assess if you are the right person to work on that task or strategy. Overcoming procrastination only takes 15 minutes. If you are really avoiding something you need to ask yourself: Is this something I MUST do?

If the answer is no, determine can you delete it or delegate it. If you can delete it that’s fabulous. If you can delegate it, who is the best person to outsource it to?

If the answer is yes you must do it, set the alarm on your smartphone and work on it for 15 (dedicated) minutes. Your 15 minutes might include creating a ‘to do’ list of all the items that need to be completed, making a phone call to seek additional information or help, researching more information or just getting it done.

15 minutes is the key to productivity. It is a small amount of time and when you focus on the activity or task you are procrastinating you can often feel lighter by completing it.”

Interested in learning more about Chris or Neen and what they can bring to your next event? Email us at [email protected].