“You may delay, but time will not.” Benjamin Franklin.

I was talking to a friend recently about them procrastinating over a goal they wanted to achieve. I was telling them that procrastination is one of the most common reasons that some people don’t fulfil their potential or accomplish their personal ambitions.

Quite often, people have clarity on what they would like to achieve, they know the decision they need to make, they accept and understand the conversation that needs to be had or the path that they need to follow. They know in their hearts what action steps they need to take. Despite this clarity, many people still avoid taking action, they distract themselves and procrastinate.

Many people find it difficult to make decisions that will result in significant change to their and other people’s lives. By delaying making choices they may miss valuable opportunities to change things for the better. Delayed decision making and taking responsibility for changing things, may also result in a loss of control of some issues and circumstances. It can mean people go on accepting unsatisfactory situations. This causes unnecessary anxiety and worry for themselves and those closest to them.

Some of the reasons for procrastination that I have come across include a fear of taking the wrong decision and suffering failure; dwelling on past bad experiences and mistakes and being uncertain about the future and the outcome of actions; feeling overwhelmed and believing that a task is too big and complex.

Understanding why people procrastinate is simple; figuring out how to overcome it isn’t always easy. Conquering procrastination is near the top of many people’s list of priorities for self-development. Minimising the effect of procrastination helps people to lead a productive, efficient and happy life.

Here are some suggestions to overcome procrastination:

  • Get into the habit of taking action on your toughest task first each day, this helps to build momentum.
  • If necessary, tackle large or complex tasks in small pieces and break them down into manageable chunks.
  • Give up a need for perfectionism and aim for excellence instead.
  • Make a definite commitment to overcome indecision and increase your willingness to make quicker decisions over the next year. There’s no need to invest more time and energy on making a decision than is necessary.
  • When faced with a decision, get clear on the outcome you would like to achieve. Decide what would constitute an ideal outcome and your time frames.
  • Get a clear definition of purpose for following a particular course. Write it down and articulate your motivations for wanting to effect the change or achieve the goal.
  • Gather all the necessary facts, consider your options, and consider the best/worst case scenarios. List the pros and cons of the possible courses of action, evaluate the opportunities and risks.
  • Fully commit yourself to a goal, set a deadline and start taking action. Tell others of your intended finish date, it will act as an added motivator to get the task completed, as you won’t want to lose face.

 
As I mentioned earlier, sometimes we feel overwhelmed by a task and it prevents us from taking action. An example may be cleaning out your loft or garage space. You have boxes and stuff everywhere and just the thought of the task seems daunting and stops you taking action. A way to overcome this is to set aside 20 minutes a day to sort through one or two boxes. This makes the task more manageable and builds momentum.

Get into the habit of setting and honouring deadlines. It’s easy to feel alone with your challenges, but when it comes to overcoming procrastination there are probably many people in your network that can help you. Maybe you have a friend or relative that has a problem with procrastination. Perhaps you can encourage and hold each other to account.

This week, why not pause for a few moments. Reflect and consider if there is something you have been putting off that needs to be dealt with. If there is, decide what first step you can take to move things forward.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk