Procrastination
“The practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference
to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less
pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time,
sometimes to the "last minute" before a deadline.” –Google.
In other words: “I’m very busy doing things I don’t need to
be doing in order to avoid doing things I actually need to be doing.”
I once worked with a business owner who often used the
saying, “The greatest things happen in the eleventh hour,” to justify her
massive procrastinating. To give her
credit, she did get a lot done during that eleventh hour. However, to the
credit of everyone who works the entire clock, the work that is put off until
the eleventh hour is commonly not of the highest quality, is laden with errors,
and will most likely create the need for more time later to correct, polish, or
redo it all together.
It was in my first semester of college I learned a hard
lesson about procrastinating. I was a
young single mother focused on paying bills and trying to give my son a happy
life. Naturally, homework took last priority.
I knew the work I was handing in wasn’t my best, especially my English papers. I love to write, and by rushing through the
assignments, I knew I was letting myself down.
My teacher had no idea she was grading the papers of a creative genius.
;) One of our last assignments was to write a paper where we had to take two
opposing views and write as if we were pro that view. It reminded me of something you would do in a
debate class. It lit me up. I already knew my subject and went right to work.
Because I had the entire week to work on it, the finished result was jaw
dropping. Literally, she approached me after
she had read it with her mouth on the ground. She couldn’t believe I was the
same person who had been turning in the other papers. What she said to me next was
earth shattering. She had given an internship with a local magazine to another student
who had been turning in pieces of literacy art.
She regretted that decision, and wished she had given that opportunity
to me. Talk about crushing news. Of course, it wasn’t her fault. I had myself
spread so thin that everything in my life was procrastinated. I think that was the first time I realized the
importance of not procrastinating. You
never know what opportunities await those who do their best work within the
first hour.
I’m sure as you’re reading this, you can probably pinpoint one
or two things you’re procrastinating right now.
Let’s delve into why most people procrastinate and help you break
through so that you don’t miss out on any opportunity.
1. Fear is the usual culprit. Fear is debilitating
and creates a situation where we shift focus from the project at hand to a set
of obstacles and/or distractions. Of
course often times we don’t realize what we are doing, and find ourselves
victims of overwhelm as our desk and lives get so full and messy, the project magically
disappears! So, how easily distracted are you? How often do you feel
overwhelmed? I’m betting there’s something you’re trying to make disappear with
all of that distraction and overwhelm.
What is it? What do you fear upon the completion of it? If you are
overwhelmed, try breaking your goal down into smaller steps and just focus on
that step before taking the next. Gage
your expectations. If you’re expecting too much to get done in an impossible time frame, maybe you need to reassess. When
you feel small compared to what you’re trying to accomplish, ask yourself, “What
is actually tangible for today?” What is the one thing you can do today to take
a step towards completion? And then just do that one thing- increasing your
confidence in your ability to get it done.
2. The belief that everything should be last minute. Like the business owner I mentioned, I do
believe there is a taught belief that things should be done a certain way- a
chaotic way. This is subconscious, but look at the outcomes to your past
projects or endeavors. If you are more
comfortable doing things last minute and for some reason you need the stress to
get you through it, there’s a very unhealthy belief that that is the only way
things can get done. Consider bringing peace into your projects instead of
anxiety. Imagine the pristine outcome of having all of your “I’s” dotted and “T’s”
crossed. Imagine being able to add
details, polish, and flare to what you are doing. And imagine the pride you’ll
feel when you have really put yourself into the finished product.
3. Feeling unsure. Sometimes we procrastinate
because we simply lack the skills or knowledge to complete something. This is a
simple fix. What do you need to learn? What do you need to delegate? I’ll give
you an example. I owned a health clinic
for several years and found myself procrastinating when it came to advertising.
Finally, I had a long hard look at it and realized that I was unsure about the bookkeeping
and legal stuff so I was procrastinating to keep the business small and manageable.
Once I realized that was why I was procrastinating, I hired someone to do it
for me. Boom- problem solved and no more procrastination.
4. Feeling unmotivated. It is super hard to follow
through with anything you don’t feel excited about. But on the other hand, passion lights a fire
that helps you take massive action. What
will excite you about this project? What
will light your fire? I have a playlist on youtube of motivational videos, and
I have my music for days I’m not feeling motivated. Sometimes talking with a
friend helps, especially if you know someone who can give you a pep talk. Ask
someone to hold you accountable. Post your goal on social media- that’s huge
accountability and might be the thing to get you going!
Of course, it’s easy to complete anything when you’re 100%
clear about your goals. I know I wouldn’t
be here if it wasn’t for my commitment to clarity.
Clarity is powerful; you can live a life of grace and ease
when you make powerful decisions based on clarity.
www.clarityistheway.com
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