How to combat procrastination
It is often said that if you want to get something done, the best thing to do is just start it, whether you know exactly how or not. This simple suggestion is applicable in many areas of life. Take work for instance. Work places many demands upon us, which of course we prioritise. We will generally prioritise on the basis of ease of completion, time it takes to complete, urgency, cost of doing nothing, etc. The outcome of continuous prioritisation, is that it can create an ever-extending list of larger tasks. Of course, as time goes by these larger tasks turn themselves into Mammoths.
Even simple tasks being delayed can grow into Mammoths. Take the straightforward task of a Stores person taking a Purchase Order from a customer. They fill the order and are then supposed to file the paperwork in the correct file, this act would take less than 20 seconds. Instead of carrying out this simple task at the time, they place the Purchase Order on a small pile, to do later when things quieten down. Result, a two-foot pile of unfiled paperwork, unable to be matched with Goods Received Notes and a Mammoth job in the making, which will just get bigger as it slides down the priority list due to the time needed to undertake it.
Back to our suggestion, where you find yourself facing a growing Mammoth, just start filing. Take a few off the pile and file them, continue doing a few a day (don’t delay, nibble away at the Mammoth) until the pile has gone (then do the filing as it comes in). Progress whenever there is the opportunity to do so, plan for the opportunity, start doing.
So, don’t wait until your ISO 9001 project becomes a Mammoth – contact us now and get your ISO Management System started!
If you would like assistance to implement an ISO Management System in your organisation, such as ISO 9001:2015 and/or ISO 14001:2015, why not talk to us about your needs?.
