We’ve all procrastinated at something. We put off our exercise routine until tomorrow; we continually delay finishing that project or starting that business.
Procrastination is one
of the biggest risks, if not the biggest, to stopping you from achieving your
goals, dreams and all that you desire.
To help you slay this
goal killer, here are 4 effective processes that you can use to help get you
going and push through procrastination:
1. Do it now!
Hold your breath and
jump right in! Putting things off until the last minute can be a bad habit, and
like all habits it’s ingrained in your subconscious mind and is hard to break.
It can feel like it’s just what you do and that it’s a part of who you are and you
simply continue to repeat the process whenever you have a task or action to
complete.
You may also be feeling some fear relating to working on the action.
This could be a fear of what could go wrong if you didn’t complete the task in
the correct way, or it could even be a fear of what could happen if you
completed it the way you think it should be completed. Fear is a very strong
emotion that can feed your procrastination and strengthen your habit of leaving
things until the last minute, or putting them off completely.
Completing a task
immediately may feel strange to you, or you may not feel as if you deserve to
complete the action immediately without feeling the frustration and worry that
can come with procrastination. But the sooner you complete a task or action,
the sooner you can experience the positive feelings and benefits that come with
it.
2. Take baby steps
Sometimes we
procrastinate because the task may be intimidating to us. Perhaps we don’t know
where to start. In these cases, it’s
fine to take it one step at a time. Say you’re preparing a business plan
and for the 5th time this week, you’ve turned on your computer and looked at
the blank screen. Or you’ve just remembered that you need to do some more research
before you begin and you think 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.
3. Forget it
Why force the issue?
If you’ve been ‘dragging your feet’ on something for a very long time, it may actually
have been 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've been putting off 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? Maybe it’s not important to you or necessary for you to do it. I
find it amazing that a lot of the time I put off doing something, I’m thankful
that I did as it meant that I could focus my time and attention on something
that truly mattered to me.
However,
disregarding a task or a project after a long period of procrastination should usually
be a last resort, and only when you know the consequences of dropping that task
or project.
4. Put a support team in place
Do you put off tasks
because you feel that they’re too big and complex for you to handle alone? Or
because you need assistance? Be honest with yourself. Don’t be afraid to 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 a college
student that wants experience, get a family member to help, or go online and
find a virtual assistant.
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. Other people will have gone through what you’re
facing or something very similar, and having the right people around you can
help to give you the support and direction you need to make progress.
Remember
that you don’t have to do it all by yourself.
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