We’ve all done it at some time or other. We put off our exercise routine until tomorrow; we continually delay finishing that project or starting that business.
Procrastination is the mother of all demons and can literally stop you in your tracks from achieving all that you desire.
Sandra Baptist provides you with 5 effective processes you can use to slay this giant.
1. Do it now
Hold your breath and jump right in! Putting things off until the last minute is a bad habit and like all habits is ingrained in our subconscious mind and hard to break. It feels like the normal thing to do and we simply continue along our path. To complete a task immediately may even feel strange or like a forced action.
When your boss gives you a task or when your clients or customers request your expertise, do it right away!
You not only look well-organized to others, the feeling that the job is done, is complete before the deadline, will be one of relief and gratitude.
How would this efficiency look to your customers when you request a referral or to your boss when salary reviews are approaching? I would think, “Great”.
2. Take baby steps
Sometimes we procrastinate because the task may be intimidating to us. Perhaps we have no possible inkling on where to start.
In these cases, it is quite fine to take it one step at a time.
Say you are preparing a business plan and for the 5th time this week, you’ve turn on the PC and looked at the blank screen. Or you’ve just remembered you need to do some more research before you begin…you’re still not ready.
My friend you ARE ready.
You simply need to break down the project into smaller pieces and tackle each bit separately. Make each task an individual project and after completion of each one, celebrate and acknowledge your achievement.
Soon you’ll be finished and have no idea why you were putting it off in the first place!
3. Vision the perfect
Ah! I love this one. I use the Law of Attraction with my clients to have them easily and effortlessly achieve their dreams and desires and in effect, their vision.
Once you are aware that you are in fact procrastinating, creating a vision of you achieving the perfect plan is extremely helpful. When you create a vision you write in the present tense…as if you have already achieved your goal or if you are in the process of completing it.
For example, we go back to the business plan. Your vision may look something like this.
“I am so grateful that I have completed all the research I need for my business plan. I am finding the information easily using the internet. People that have written business plans are offering me advice that allows me to create an exciting plan that I resonate with. As I write, the words come to me effortlessly….”
In creating a vision and focusing on it daily, the universal laws state that things, people, processes will begin to occur in your life that will allow you to attract that vision.
4. Forget it
Why force the issue? If you have been ‘dragging your feet’ on something for a very long time, it may all be for the best.
Something, somewhere is trying to tell you something. That something is your intuition and it is usually right!
Think about something that you have been putting off again and again and again. What are the reasons that you need to complete this task in the first place? Does someone want you to do this? What is THEIR agenda? What are YOUR reasons for this lengthy delay?
I find it amazing that 99% of the time I put off doing something, I am thankful that I did! Disregarding a project after a long period of procrastination is however usually a last resort.
5. Support team
Do you put off tasks because you feel that there are too big and complex for you to handle alone? Or because you need assistance? Be honest with yourself. “No man is an island”.
Ask for help! There are many resources out there that can provide you with all you need to carry out your job.
If you’re a solo-professional and you put off answering emails, then don’t answer them yourself. Hire an assistant, find some college students that want experience, get a family member to help.
Procrastinating on life changing activities could be as a result of fear of the unknown. Get a mastermind group together, find a mentor, and join a support group.
You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Just ensure that to kick this habit; you do what feels good to you in whatever method you choose. You’ll surely postpone procrastination for a very long time.
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