BYE BYE PROCRASTINATION. HELLO LIFE!

You meant to do the laundry but you are finding yourself lazing around and watching TV. You decided to take a 15 minute break from work but it lasted 2 hours (and it is still going). You meant to go to the gym but you got distracted whilst scrolling through social media. Sounds familiar?

Ever wondered why we procrastinate and how to break this habit once and for all?

Just to be clear, Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished by a certain deadline. It's a habitual or intentional delay of starting or finishing a task despite knowing that not doing it may result in negative consequences.

Believe it or not, everyone at one point or another (some more than others) have experienced procrastination. I certainly have. One of my clients spent weeks launching her project (which was supposed to be done in a week) because she was doing some “research” on it. 

The thought provoking strategies I am sharing with you below will help you kick procrastination to the curb and convert you to becoming an action oriented goddess that is trapped inside of you. So here they are: 

1. Get clear on your why?

How important is the task you are meant to do and why do you want to do it? Sometimes the task we are meant to do is not really that important in our mind and hence when the time comes we choose to do something else. It can also be that you see the task as being “boring” or “mundane” and that is why you do not want to do it. Unless your why is strong enough, you will approach the same task in the same manner over and over again. So get very clear on your WHY. Once you do this, you will view the task differently.

2. What is standing in the way?

Once you have worked on your why, and let’s assume you have a very strong reason to do it, then ask yourself what is the reason you are postponing it? There can be a number of reasons. It can be because you have a limiting belief about your own capability and hence you are fearful and anxious or you find the task overwhelming. Take a deep breath. No, I mean literally. Do that. Close your eyes and count to four as you breathe in, count to four as you hold your breath and count to four as you breathe out. Do this as many times as you can and until you find yourself much more relaxed and less anxious. Open your eyes and start working on it. After that, split the task in bite-size steps and do it one by one without overthinking. Always remember, the journey to the moon began with one step. So take one step at a time. 

3. What is the outcome?

A very powerful technique to get you back on track is to weigh the consequences of both, completing the task and not completing the task. Let’s say you are applying for a job and you are procrastinating about it. Ask yourself, “what if I don’t apply?” It’s clear that when you don’t apply, you don’t get the job. And then yourself, “what if I apply?” and imagine the best case scenario. “I will get accepted, I will land my dream job, I will have a steady income”. Isn’t this a great incentive to take action?

4. Poor Time Management.

When I first started my business, I didn’t realize that I had to create my own structure. As a professional working in corporate for many years, I had a structure and I just followed it. So the first few months of my business, I was overwhelmed and I could never finish my daily tasks. I was barely working 4 hours a day and yet I was “super busy”. It soon became clear to me that I was wasting a lot of time because I didn’t have a structure. I then created my own structure to maximize my time. I now go to the gym early in the morning so that I can spend the entire day focusing on my work. I only allow myself short breaks every hour or two aside from the half hour lunch break. Errands that are not important get done at the end of the day. Once you create your own structure, you get better with managing your time.

5. Get a coach/mentor. 

The great thing about having a coach is that, aside from having an expert who gives you guidance and helps you with structure, they can also troubleshoot and will keep you accountable so that you are on track. The fact that you have paid for the coach/mentor means that you have your skin in the game. Hence you are less likely to procrastinate as much (or at all!)

Amazing, now apply the strategies above and become super productive! :)