Procrastinators Can Learn How To Stop Procrastinating

Do you feel guilty because you can’t get yourself to do things that you know you are supposed to do?

Do you file your taxes at the last minute because you dread the thought of doing them?

Do you pay fees for late payments on monthly bills because you didn’t pay them on time even though you had the money?

Do you keep putting off setting up a doctor’s appointment?

Do you spend a ridiculous amount of time playing video games when you know that there are more important things you should be doing? Are you feeling guilty about playing them while you are playing?

Face it, you are a Procrastinator!

Don’t fret though. Procrastination is a habit and a way of life. It can be changed. You just need to find the right tools that get you back on track.

Why do people procrastinate?

1) Because they are overwhelmed by the thought of a task.

2) Because a task is unpleasant.

3) Because they feel the task isn’t a big deal so they assign it a low priority until there is so much urgency about it that it takes on a new high priority status.

Simple truths about procrastination:

1) You are wasting more time and energy worrying about doing the task than you would if you just did it.

2) You are probably overestimating how long it will take to do the task. Most of the tasks you are dreading will take less than an hour if you’re focused.

3) Procrastination erodes your self esteem. Whether you realize it or not, it is eating away at your sense of self worth just like a drug addiction that you can’t kick.

Procrastination has a way of hiding its true identity. We make excuses for ourselves by doing some of these things instead of what we should be doing. Are you doing any of these?

• Playing video games when you should be doing something more productive
• Surfing the internet and making phony excuses pretending it is important
• Checking email hoping that there is something in there that requires your attention
• Snacking between meals when you aren’t even hungry
• Calling friends or texting on the cell phone
• Putting too many tasks on your plate at once without getting any one of them done
• Being Indecisive and over thinking things that don’t require that much thought
• Saying yes when you should be saying no when people ask if you want to do something
• Helping other people when you should be getting something done for yourself

Tips for and Keys to stop procrastination:

It is simply amazing how much work a person can get accomplished in a short period of time if they learn not to procrastinate. Here are some tips for stopping procrastination.

1) Make a list of everything that has been on your mind. Take a few minutes to write down everything you have been meaning to do or need to do that is weighing on your mind. This task alone is going to help in a huge way. When you look at the list of tasks, you’ll see things that are ridiculously easy to get done right now. You will probably find some instant motivation for getting one or two of them done just so you can cross them off that list.

2) Just find the motivation to start the task. This is key. Once you get started on it, it is over before you know it. Plus once you get started on the task, you immediately release a great deal of guilt and anxiety. All of a sudden your anxiety turns into energy to complete the task. Once you are done with it you feel great.

3) Develop the ability to focus on one task until it is completed. You should work on this task as quickly and efficiently as you can uninterrupted until it is completed. If you are interrupted, get yourself immediately back on track before you start something new. Break tasks into little projects. Think of each one as a mini project. Pick one. Bang it out completely. Then move on. You won’t believe the energy and satisfaction you’ll get. It becomes contagious as you get more and more done.

4) You have to develop a thirst and craving for the feeling you get when you accomplish one of these things. Ask yourself how you can develop that thirst. Find a way. Make doing these things fun. Here is an idea. Create a new playlist of some songs that put you in a good mood. Crank up the tunes and start getting at it.

5) Team up with someone else to help you on the task. This will make the task more enjoyable and provide the extra motivation you need to get it done. Just don’t use this as an excuse for not doing it. If you can’t get someone to help you to do it then find some other way to motivate yourself. No excuses.

6) Over the long run, try to build more structure into your life. Do certain things at certain times. Build habits for performing certain tasks that could be done on a schedule. You should do this for every single thing that you can. Anything that is done once a month or once a week or once a day needs to be put on automatic schedule.

Becoming an Anti-Procrastinator For Life

If you want to become a super achiever at work and in your personal life, the most significant thing you can do is to defeat procrastination permanently. Ultra-successful people do not procrastinate. They get things done. When they hit a roadblock they don’t pause to feel overwhelmed by the task. Instead, they immediately find a way around the obstacle and continue on the original mission. This is why gurus tell you to adopt the ready fire aim approach. As General George Patton said “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week”.

To permanently defeat procrastination you must become organized. The two things you will definitely need are a system for organizing dates and a system for organizing tasks. To put it simply, you need a calendar and a “To Do” list. You need to use them both religiously. They should both be used every single day. You want to put all important appointments and mark any important dates on your calendar. Your “To Do” list can be broken down by time frames. Find a system that is easy for you to stick with. You must commit yourself to becoming the most organized person you know of.

If you make them a habit, using those two tools will keep you on track. Then you can add things to your list that involve you organizing every area of your life little by little.