When you procrastinate, the task you're avoiding gains power over you. You'll think of it often. "Gee, I really should get to that." Your intentions are fair. "As soon as I finish this other more important project..." It might even make its way onto your to-do list. But the more you avoid it, the more guilt you'll wind up feeling.
In the article, Procrastination: Ten Things To Know, Hara Estroff Marano makes a good point: "There are many ways to avoid success in life, but the most sure-fire just might be procrastination." Do you recognize any of these procrastination types in yourself? The three basic types of procrastination are - thrill seekers (wait until the last minute for the rush they get), avoiders (avoiding a fear of failure and worried about what others will think of them), and decisional procrastinators ("If I don't make the decision, I'm not responsible for the outcome"). Exhibiting these types of behaviors are sure to rob you of your future success - or at least postpone it.
So what works? For chronic procrastinators, cognitive therapy is recommended. For the rest of us occasional procrastinators, here is a trick that may help: when you catch yourself putting off a task, ask yourself why you're not doing it right now. If it's simply because it's not a high priority, then that's not really procrastination, you're just trying to utilize your time effectively. If, however, you are putting off a task for another reason, your best bet is to take a minute to identify why you don't want to do the task, and then decide if maybe you'd better off if you just did it and got it over with. Set a specific deadline when you'll have the task completed.
I'll leave you with these wise words from Frank Tibolt, writer, motivator and success trainer:
"We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action."
Action step: Take a look at your to-do list. What items have you been putting off and why? When is your deadline?
In the article, Procrastination: Ten Things To Know, Hara Estroff Marano makes a good point: "There are many ways to avoid success in life, but the most sure-fire just might be procrastination." Do you recognize any of these procrastination types in yourself? The three basic types of procrastination are - thrill seekers (wait until the last minute for the rush they get), avoiders (avoiding a fear of failure and worried about what others will think of them), and decisional procrastinators ("If I don't make the decision, I'm not responsible for the outcome"). Exhibiting these types of behaviors are sure to rob you of your future success - or at least postpone it.
So what works? For chronic procrastinators, cognitive therapy is recommended. For the rest of us occasional procrastinators, here is a trick that may help: when you catch yourself putting off a task, ask yourself why you're not doing it right now. If it's simply because it's not a high priority, then that's not really procrastination, you're just trying to utilize your time effectively. If, however, you are putting off a task for another reason, your best bet is to take a minute to identify why you don't want to do the task, and then decide if maybe you'd better off if you just did it and got it over with. Set a specific deadline when you'll have the task completed.
I'll leave you with these wise words from Frank Tibolt, writer, motivator and success trainer:
"We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action."
Action step: Take a look at your to-do list. What items have you been putting off and why? When is your deadline?
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