Most people think that procrastination is just an annoying
or funny habit. They might joke that they have a mile-long
to-do list or a stack of books that they never get around
to reading. Those examples would be a very mild form of
procrastination - but it can get much more serious than
that.
Procrastination can destroy your life if you let it. It
can cause financial problems, relationship problems, health
crises, and more.
The causes for procrastination are numerous, but here are
three of the most common ones:
1. Believing a task will 'take too long', so you keep
putting it off until you have more time.
2. Believing a task will be too difficult, so you keep
putting it off until you feel ready to handle it.
3. Waiting for a 'better time' to tackle a task, such as
waiting until you're not so stressed, or your life
circumstances have quieted down, or waiting until you have
less demands on your time.
Have you ever procrastinated because of these reasons?
Most people have. But the problem arises when:
1. You never have more time.
2. You never feel ready to handle it.
3. A better time never arrives.
What then? The task never gets accomplished, and
conditions continue to get worse as time goes on.
There is one simple way to deal with all three of these
procrastination habits: do a little each day!
One major theme runs through all three of those causes
above, and that is that you don't believe you have what it
takes (time, ability or resources) to complete the whole
job. And maybe you really don't. But can you do SOME of
it? Can you work on it for a few minutes at a time?
In most cases, the answer will be yes.
The greatest way I've ever found to overcome
procrastination is to push myself to get moving on
something - even for a few minutes. I'll set an egg timer
for 15 minutes or so, and promise myself that I can stop
after that if I want to.
Once the 15 minutes are up, however, I no longer feel the
need to procrastinate. I'm making progress and feeling
good about it.
Try it yourself and see the difference!
And remember, procrastination cannot hold you back if you
make it your mission to take action - even if only for a
few minutes each day!
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Robert Greenshields is a marketing success coach who helps
business owners and independent professionals who are
frustrated that they're working too many hours for too
little reward. Sign up for his free Top 7 Time-Saving tips
at http://www.CalmingtheChaoticLife.com
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