Best New Anti-Procrastination Technique of 2011

Today I want to introduce you to my best new anti-procastination technique of the whole year. It’s called the little green box (although yours may be a different color), and it was conceived by my daughter Jenny.

 Here’s how it works:

1. Get a little box or a jar. 
2. Write all your jobs on little squares of paper. 
3. Fold up the little squares and put them in the box. 
4. Shake up the box, and draw your first job. Complete it. 
5. Go back to the box and draw another job. Complete it. 
6. Keep going until there are no more squares in the box.

Here are a few advantages to the system:

1. It’s fun. Even if the jobs are crummy, at least you get the thrill of drawing them from the box. 
2. It’s not as overwhelming as a job list. Because you can only see one job at a time, you lose that tendency to look at the whole list and get discouraged. 
3. It’s relatively easy. When I have a big list, I look at a few jobs on that list and automatically dismiss them because they’re too hard. When I see that same job on a little piece of paper, I think Well, it’s just one job. I guess I can do it. 
4. It’s motivating. Because you want to see what the next job is, you’re more inclined to finish your first job. 
5. It’s satisfying. As I see the little slips of paper disappear from my box, I think Wow, maybe I can finish my list after all today. I’ve had much more success in emptying my job box than I've ever had in finishing a physical list. 

In my next post, I’ll share a few more ideas about this box system. But for now, it's time to draw another job from the job box!