Introduction
We’ve all done it at some time or other. We put off our exercise routine until tomorrow; we continually delay finishing that project or starting that business.
Procrastination is the mother of all demons and can literally stop you in your tracks from achieving all that you desire.
Here are 4 effective processes you can use to slay this giant.
Do it now
Hold your breath and jump right in! Putting things off until the last minute is a bad habit and like all habits is ingrained in our subconscious mind and hard to break. It feels like the normal thing to do and we simply continue along our path. To complete a task immediately may even feel strange or like a forced action.
Take baby steps
Sometimes we procrastinate because the task may be intimidating to us. Perhaps we have no possible inkling on where to start. In these cases, it is quite fine to take it one step at a time. Say you are preparing a business plan and for the 5th time this week, you’ve turned on the PC and looked at the blank screen. Or you’ve just remembered you need to do some more research before you begin…you’re still not ready. You simply need to break down the project into smaller pieces and tackle each bit separately. Make each task an individual project and after completion of each one, celebrate and acknowledge your achievement.
Forget it
Why force the issue? If you have been ‘dragging your feet’ on something for a very long time, it may all be for the best. Something, somewhere is trying to tell you something. That something is your intuition and it is usually right! Think about something that you have been putting off again and again and again. What are the reasons that you need to complete this task in the first place? Does someone want you to do this? What is THEIR agenda? What are YOUR reasons for this lengthy delay? I find it amazing that 99% of the time I put off doing something, I am thankful that I did! Disregarding a project after a long period of procrastination is however usually a last resort.
Support Team
Do you put off tasks because you feel that they are too big and complex for you to handle alone? Or because you need assistance? Be honest with yourself. “No man is an island”. Ask for help! There are many resources out there that can provide you with all you need to carry out your job. If you’re a solo-professional and you put off answering emails, then don’t answer them yourself. Hire an assistant, find some college students that want experience, get a family member to help. Procrastinating on life changing activities could be as a result of fear of the unknown. Get a mastermind group together, find a mentor, join a support group. You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Just ensure that to kick this habit; you do what feels good to you in whatever method you choose. You’ll surely postpone procrastination for a very long time.
Action Plans Defeats Procrastination
If you have ever set goals before, but failed to achieve them, it may have been because you did not create a specific plan of action to accomplish those goals.
Taking the time to set goals is only part of the process of goal setting, and many people often overlook the other part, creating a plan!
Without a plan your goals remain incomplete. It’s like having a destination but without a map. Your goals tell you where you want to go in life, and your plan tells you how to get there.
In your plan you should therefore create a series of steps, you think you need in order to accomplish that goal. So think of it like baking a cake. Your ultimate goal is to make a cake (and eat it!), but the ingredients and the things you do with those ingredients are your plan. Once you complete the plan, you complete your goal.
Creating a goal plan is frequently overlooked, and many people discipline themselves to write their goals every day but create no plan! So make sure you take the time to decide where you want to go (your goals) and then create a plan that will tell you how to get there!
Closing
Do you agree with the phrase "don't put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow"? Well "congratulations", if this is a normal behavior in you then you are a procrastinator.
Procrastination can be caused by different reasons that go beyond efficient time management: one must look at the individual factors that may be undermining that person's productivity. The reasons for this behavior may be many: distractions, insecurity, laziness, anxiety, perfectionism, apathy, lack of motivation, etc. Whatever the reason, procrastination is one of the most widespread habits and is gaining new followers very easily.
If you are willing to put off that means your goals will be put off, if you’re willing to see the work done, then setting the steps to see it come true is a must-do. In the end procrastination ca be derived from many and various factors, but it will eventually breed results and if you want those to be that which you want, then you got to be willing to put in the work.
What have you put off and avoid doing that you know you must do if you want to be who you want to be and live life the way you want to ?
Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
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