There are countless reasons why we procrastinate but one of them stands out for me personally and is relatively easy to overcome. Are you ever in the middle of doing something when suddenly you get a great idea and switch your focus over to the new and exciting project? This happens on a small scale at home for me quite often. I’m cleaning the garage when I find a tool and think, “I could use this to fix that faulty light switch.” Without any further thinking, I’m standing in front of a light switch with my garage still a mess. The issue is a form of procrastination that is terribly counterproductive and happens throughout our lives but affects web designers more than anyone else.

Almost every web designer has one characteristic in common–they are all great at thinking up new ideas for websites. This skill is one of their best and worst at the same time! A new idea for a website can be exciting and motivating but it can also be the downfall of all of the other great ideas in the past.

Which is better? Fifteen great website ideas halfway designed or one fully-functioning website that is launched for the public? Of course we’d rather have a website finished and complete so why do so many of us struggle to get there? Unfortunately there is not a magic solution to this problem but there is help.

How Do I Keep From Being Distracted By New Ideas?

Quite simply, finish just one thing in its entirety before moving on to the next one. It is such a simple solution in theory but amazingly difficult to implement. One common reason we move on to the next big idea is because of the excitement of it. Your next idea could be the next big thing on the Internet but the one you’re working on could be as well! After all, you started working on the first project because it was exciting at some point. Try and focus your attention on why the first project was exciting. Finish that website completely and launch before moving on.

We’re all going to think about our next project while working on the current one. I’ve often thought, “I’ll just sit down and make the logo for the next site and then get back to the one I’m supposed to be working on.” This doesn’t work because soon that simple logo has become a full layout and there’s no hope of returning to my first idea. Instead, I now keep a file in Microsoft Word for each of my ideas. Whenever I come up with a clever feature I could add to the next site I jot some notes down in my Word file instead of jumping in head first and designing it. This allows me some freedom to still think about the upcoming project while staying mostly committed to the one I need to finish.

The beauty of focusing on one project at a time is that once you have a finished product and you’ve launched it, reinforcement comes naturally. With this site, I love to log on and read visitor comments, check web statistics and monitor RSS subscribers. As I watch each of these figures grow, I remind myself that the enjoyment I’m getting is due to the fact that I focused and launched the site.

How Do You Stay Focussed When A New Idea Arises?

This is such a prevalent problem among web designers that I’m sure many of you have your own ways of coping. Do you have a number of unfinished projects under your belt? Tell us how you’re dealing (or not dealing) with this form of procrastination in the comments section!

Well folks, I’m off to work on my next project!