Put A Dead Halt To Procrastination

Are you a procrastinator?  Do you put things off because you get that feeling of being overwhelmed when you think about everything you have to do?  Do you wait until tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes?  What decisions are you not making?  What goals are you not achieving?  Which projects and how many are only halfway finished?  How many piles do you have?

Making excuses for not doing something = procrastination!

I took a survey of 40 individuals; both women and men, below you will find the reasons they gave me for their procrastination:

·       I don't have enough time (yet when asked, they had time to watch TV, play a video game, and/or talk on the phone while doing nothing).

·       This is just who I am – I am a procrastinator. (And they always will be if they put a label on themselves.  If you read any of my other articles, you know you can change your thoughts and once you do you can change your life.  You can change your labels).

·       I can't start until I have all the tools (You don't need all the tools to start).

·       This is the way I've always been. (It's time for a change).

·       My mother was like this, that's why I'm like this. (CHANGE!)

·       I can't throw that pair of pants away:  what if they come back in style? (They already came back in style and went out of style again and you didn't wear them once).

·       The kids say:  Mom, my room is not messy  - that's the way I like it!  (Do you really think they like living in that mess? NO!).

·       The kids say:  I have to practice basketball or whatever sport they are involved in first, and then I'll finish my class project.

(They know that both are important but they pick the fun one, isn't that what most of us do).

Does any of this sound familiar to you?  Are some of these excuses your personal excuses?  I definitely associate with a few.  Ask yourself a question - Do you find that you put off all of your tasks or just specific ones?  Some people put off only the tasks that they do not enjoy doing.  For example: cleaning house, doing homework, going on a diet, working out, drinking water, getting the divorce, making out their will, going to the Dr. for the pain, tackling that pile; from small tasks to major life changes.  I found that if I do the task that I dislike most first, I get it over with, and then I could move onto other things.  If that particular task is always cluttering your mind, how could you finish anything else?  If you have a lump on your body and you think it's cancer and you don't go to the Dr. for fear of what he/she might say, then you will always think you have cancer.  Wouldn't you rather get the results and either having the knowing that you are cancer-free or know that you've caught it in an early stage and can take care of it?  If you didn't procrastinate due to fear you could've saved your own life.  It works in all categories, big and small.

Some people procrastinate with all of their tasks.  They tend to do so many things at once that they do not prioritize.  Without a list of priorities certain tasks will sit on the back burner for months, weeks, even years, half finished, or even never get started. 

Let's talk about mail and paperwork for a moment.  This seems to be the biggest pet peeve of all the individuals I surveyed.  Think about that pile of papers that goes from your table to your closet every time you have company.  When you do finally go through it because it's taking over valuable living space, do you have to take a day off of work to achieve that?  Don't laugh many people do that.  Here's what I do.  I take little steps.  I take care of it before the major overwhelm occurs, before I can no longer use my kitchen table, before my closet is a paper pile up.  The solution is each day as you receive your mail look through it.  It seems so simple but we do not do it.  We let it pile and pile until it seems overwhelming.  I go through my mail on a daily basis.  There are three TEMPORARY piles.

·       Junk mail goes in the garbage. 

·       Important mail goes in the important pile. 

·       Mail to read that week goes in another pile.  If I don't read it by Sunday it goes in the garbage.

·       If you have a magazine subscription and you never read the magazine cancel the subscription.  You're wasting money and adding to your pile.

The next time you find yourself procrastinating, ask yourself these questions:

·       Why am I procrastinating right now?

·       Do I dislike what I am doing or about to do?

·       Do I feel like it is too overwhelming?

·       Would I rather be doing something else?

You need to figure out the reason.  Once you figure it out - what the issue is that is holding you back you could begin to take action.  As always, once you know the problem you could come up with the solution.  Wayne Dyer says, "There is a spiritual solution to every problem".  There is truly a solution to every problem.  Focus on the solution and life will become much easier. 

The same is true of any goal that you want to achieve in life; the only way to conquer procrastination is to take action.  Consider your tasks as goals.  Sometimes what we do is make the goal or task much larger than it is in our minds.  We let our imagination run wild.  (See my article titled "From Overwhelm To A Clear Path To Freedom).  In reality it may be simple and could possibly be accomplished in an hour or less.  In our minds, however, we are assuming that it may take an entire day or more.  Sometimes it will take an entire day if we let it go too long, but it's very rarely as bad as we make it out to be in our mind once we set a goal and put a system into place for achieving it.  Be realistic!  Don't make it bigger or worse than it is!  It's only as bad as you make it.  You are in control of your thoughts and feelings.  Remember that!

Now take a moment and think about those tasks that you ALWAYS accomplish.  When you start these tasks you finish them.  Why do you complete these particular tasks or projects?  What drives you?  What motivates you to move in that direction and to move forward and not procrastinate?  How do you feel upon completion of these projects and why is it almost effortless to finish them?  Once you know why you complete some tasks and not others, you could apply the same knowledge to taking action on the ones you've been holding off on.  Any success that you achieve once, or that anyone else has achieved, you too can achieve by following the same steps.  If you did it before, you can do it again.  Think about it as following a recipe.  If you follow the exact recipe every time, you will get the same results.  The meal will always taste the same no matter how many times you make it.  In life if you follow the same exact recipe that you have already succeeded with, you will get the same wonderful results.  The same goes for if you keep on doing things in a way that you are not getting results.  Guess what, you will not get results over and over again.  You need to change your approach and find a new way to complete these projects.  Here's an example.  I have a friend who absolutely loves cleaning her house.  She loves it with a passion.  When she is cleaning she is listening to all of her favorite music blasting in the background.  Though she loves cleaning her house when it comes to tackling her piles of paperwork she disliked doing that.  We figured out together that if she turns the music on while doing it she feels good and it goes faster and she does more and doesn't feel overwhelmed.  Find what you enjoy.  Find what works for you. Perhaps you're using that method for one project but not another.

For many of my clients and myself, making a daily or weekly To-Do List is also a very good way to stick to your projects, promises and/or appointments.

What task or goal have you been holding off on for weeks, months, or even years?  If you tackle this one first, you will feel so successful that the other ones will be much easier.  There is a sense of accomplishment when you move towards achieving your goals instead of moving away from them.

Set some time aside for any projects that you have been putting off.  For instance, if you are starting a new exercise routine but you don't like to exercise, start with a walk around your block and go up one flight of steps the first day.  Each day add another block and another flight of steps.  Of course, this is just an example.  The momentum will build on a daily basis.  You will get more and more excited and enthused and you might even grow to like or enjoy exercising.  If not, at least you'll have gained momentum to keep on doing it and you will have lost weight and inches.  Who could ask for more than that?  You will find that by becoming a person who acts, not procrastinates, you will have a newfound confidence.  Life will begin flowing more smoothly.  When you take out the clutter or finish a project your mind has room for new things to come in.  Everything will begin to change for you as you will be finishing and getting rid of the old and making room for the new.  Just don't take my word for it, GO AND DO IT!!!    

I welcome your comments, questions, and success stories.  Good luck!!!!