Every single one of us has procrastinated some work at some point in time in our lives. After all, it is a part of human nature. Procrastination can be devastating at times because it means that you have pretty much loaded up all your work and left it to be done for the last moment. This can be nerve-wracking! It can, however, be thought of leaving your work to be done when you are more energetic and feel prepared to actually sit down and get the work done.
One thing that needs to be kept in mind always is the fact that procrastination can sometimes be the reason for our failure. This is because it causes us to become lazy and not think creatively enough, but just put together some work so that you have at least “something” to present! This is a serious issue, as we should not limit our capabilities, thinking and creativity just because we are lazy to do it. Procrastination is indeed a fancy term for “laziness”!
Procrastination also has the power to affect one’s mood. This is, in a way, bad for the person because it will instigate feelings of fear, worry and stress because they know in the back of their minds that they have got important work that needs to be completed. This is especially a problem if you are in a leadership position. This is because it might make your employees or peers feel like they are falling back in completing the project because of your procrastination.
If you feel like you are someone for whom procrastination has become a major issue – here are 8 ways for you to transform yourself and help you become more productive in your work.
The best benefit of not procrastinating is that you feel more confident, you don’t have to worry as much and feel a lot more enthusiastic for future works.
Write it down
If you have been procrastinating a task for a very long time, then write it down on your to-do list or in tasks. This will help you keep the task in your mind at all times and make it difficult for you to try to ignore it and put off for later. Writing tasks down is one of the best ways to tackle procrastinating and helps you to take action and get the work done as soon as possible.
Come face-to-face with your emotions
Psychologists say that procrastination is a kind of an emotional reaction that is driven by core emotions within a person. Sit down and identify what is driving you to procrastinate. Ask yourself, is it fear of not being able to complete the task on time, is it anger because you are being told to do something that you perhaps dislike, or is it sadness because you feel like you are not good enough to do the task. Dig deep and try to understand what is causing all that procrastination! For some business owners I work with, it’s fear of failure and sometimes fear of success. Yes, sometimes the fear of success can be the issue, for a number of reasons. It may be that you feel you will lose family time or will grow so big you won’t be able to deliver the service. Instead, focus on the reason for the fears, work through the solutions for them and then move forth with the original task.
Neutralize all those destructive thoughts
If negative thoughts pop up in your head when you think of the task, try to find antidotes to those thoughts. For instance, if you think, “There is no way I can learn all that!” you may as well say to yourself, “If everyone else can, so can I!” In this way, you will be able to battle all these negative thoughts and actually move forward with the task. Much of the time, it is the destructive thoughts within our mind that stop us from achieving success in the tasks assigned to us.
Break it into simpler tasks
Your task may be too big to handle all at once. In that case, what you need to do is divide the task into smaller and simpler tasks. Remember “Divide and conquer” is the key to success! Plan out each small task and get done with them within time frames set by yourself. Once you complete the small tasks you will see yourself very soon done with the entire task and you don’t even realize it! This will stop you from getting overwhelmed by the entire task altogether. If you are stuck on how to action something, then seek guidance.
Praise yourself often
Congratulate and treat yourself for completing every little task. Don’t wait until the end to reward yourself. Rewarding yourself often will also motivate you to complete more of the task and gradually complete it all. This is also one of the best ways to stop failure from coming in and pretty much sabotaging all your efforts.
Be ready for obstacles
Obstacles are a part of every plan. Be ready to face them. You might have other tasks that require more priority than your current task, you might have to submit work in a shorter time frame, but be it anything, always stick to your original plan. Don’t let anything come in the way of your original plan. Always be ready and prepared for anything else that may come your way.
Fight all kinds of resistance
You might have days when you are not in the mood to do your work or you just have some or the other excuse. Try your best to avoid all of these no matter how strong the urge is to stop and give yourself a break. You can give yourself a break once the task is completed as well. For this reason, the tasks you hate doing most should be done first. Done and out of the way to enjoy the rest of your day and rest of your week.
Enjoy once the work is done
Finishing a task that you weren’t willing to do initially can be very satisfying. Accomplishing your goals and completing your tasks is definitely reward worthy, so go out there and reward yourself once the task is completed!
I can guide you and keep you on track with your business through my coaching services. Email me at donna@donna-stone.com.au.
Read this article What a Business Coach Can Do!
