“Procrastination is attitudes natural assassin. There is nothing so fatiguing as an uncompleted task”   William James

Many of us in our lives are guilty of being our own “assassin!”  PROCRASTINATION.  This is also the BIGGEST KILLER OF DREAMS AND GOALS.

WHAT IS PROCRASTINATION?

The definition of procrastination is to defer action, delay, to put off until an opportunity is lost. Ironically it is a verb which implies ACTION.  SO – the act of procrastinating is the action of deferring another action.   When you procrastinat you are therefore expending MORE EFFORT by the time you have completed the task than if you had just gone ahead and done the task!  Think of that for a moment!  What a waste of time AND energy!

WHY DO WE PROCRASTINATE?

Some “experts”  say that the reasons we procrastinate are:-  fear of failure, fear of success, perfectionism, boredom, anger, lack of skills and information, poor health, distractions, or the task seems to large.   I add in a lack of purpose or direction.

Let’s look at a few of these.  Fear of Failure. This can be combated by having a clear understanding of what the end goal is before beginning the task, which then helps you to have a purpose or a direction.  You need to know where you’re going before you set out on your journey so you know when you get there.  Fear of success.  If you do it quickly this time it sets the standard for the next time which can then prevent people from doing it in the beginning – Interesting concept!   Perfectionism.  Some people feel they don’t have the right skills, knowledge or time so the task won’t be done perfectly, so, they put it off!   Recognise it is better to make a start and know that not everything in life has to be totally perfect.  Boredom.  Much procrastination starts from boredom.   Stop thinking about it and STOP making pictures in your mind. STOP the negative images and FOCUS on the end task rather than the steps necessary, and then JUST DO IT (as Nike says!)  Task seems too large = OVERWHELM.   When you are overwhelmed you are just chunking up too big, so break it down into smaller chunks and ask yourself “What is the FIRST step necessary to get this underway?”   Then, “What is the second next most important task?”  Focus fully on just one task at a time.

HOW DO YOU OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION?

TIPS: On your desk in your VISUAL area (usually upper left or right) put a note with the question asking “What is the most important thing to focus on right NOW?”  Keep this where you can see it all day.   LISTS. Make lists.  If you get into the habit of writing things down each night before you leave work, you will have it sitting there in the morning waiting for you. By writing it down, it also means that you won’t have to worry about it at night whilst you are trying to sleep, because you have taken it out of your neurology by writing it down, and it is there in black and white in front of you!   SET A TIME LIMIT. Give yourself just a certain amount of time to do the task you don’t want to do.  By knowing you have to get it done in a certain time frame is amazing how it can help you spring into action!  You can also set yourself a “reward” at the end of the task, once it is completed.  It might be getting up and making a coffee, going to the gym, having lunch or whatever works for you.  FIND a way that works!  EAT THAT FROG first, as Brian Tracey says!  I call it stamp on that cockroach first.  As Brian says, there is an old saying that  if the first thing you do when you wake up each morning is eat a live frog, nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day.  Now I think that is a pretty safe assumption!  Brian Tracy says your frog should be the most difficult task on your to do list.   The one you are most likely to procrastinate on.  If you eat that first you will get energy and momentum for the rest of the day.  If you let it sit there whilst you do lots of unimportant things, it will drain your energy.   SO – WHAT IS YOUR FROG? Take a look at your list and circle the frog and DO that first.

SET AN INTENTION daily to focus on whatever is “your frog fist!”  Setting intentions is one of the most powerful tools that if you commit to doing, WILL make a difference.   You can also imagine having done the task, having already “eaten” that frog.  Get a clear picture of how you will feel when it’s done.  What will you see, hear and say to yourself.   Get into the habit of doing these things and they will soon become part of your daily work routine.   So – try it on for a week, then another week and soon it will become a naturally ingrained habit!  I also have some great techniques amongst my NLP toolbag to help you clear your procrastination, so call me if you would like some help