Do you know anybody who has things they've said they want to do yet they never seem to do them? You know, that friend who wants to go back to school and has been talking about it for fifteen years? The acquaintance who has had the same job for several years and has talked desperately about wanting to find a new job, yet he/she does nothing about it? The business owner who wants to increase sales, but can't take the time to make a plan? The client who knows they need your services, but can't quite seem to make a real commitment? If we're not procrastinators ourselves, we certainly know people who are.
I once heard somebody say, "there is no such thing as procrastination because it's not like you're not doing anything- you've just replaced the behavior you need to do with a more desirable behavior.
"According to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, procrastination means "to postpone or delay needlessly.
"Certainly we all have our reasons for procrastination.
There are several theories about procrastination; only two will be mentioned here.
One theory is that procrastination is a habit - meaning you find something else to do instead of what you need to do; another theory is that procrastination is related to anxiety.
Anxiety is often found at the root of procrastination when it comes to achieving our bigger goals; after all, achieving our goals requires change and change, for many people, can be quite a source of anxiety.
So all of this begs the question - how do we get out of our own way to get on the path of goal achievement? People often plan more for a vacation than they do for the rest of their lives! As a coach, I hear every excuse in the book.
When it comes to making a goal achievement plan, whether it's business or life, one of the most common phrases I hear is: "I'm too busy to do all the work.
" If you're too busy to make a plan to achieve your goals, then you're always going to be stuck in your status quo and quite frankly, you deserve better than that! Our recommendation for overcoming procrastination: - Identify your goal - what is it that you are putting off? - Why are you putting it off? Break it down into smaller events or goals if you can.
Think about the rewards and consequences of accomplishing it or not accomplishing it.
- Figure out your obstacles - what is really standing in the way of accomplishing your goal? - Brainstorm some solutions and pick a few that are most pertinent and reasonable.
- Put the appropriate solutions into action and start seeing those improved results Benefits to overcoming "procrastination" - Peace of mind - Goal Achievement (e.
g.
Improved Results!) - A feeling of strength and purpose To sum it up, Richard Hamming, in his article "You and Your Research" (1986), asks what's the best thing you could be working on, and why aren't you? What are you not working on that you should be?
I once heard somebody say, "there is no such thing as procrastination because it's not like you're not doing anything- you've just replaced the behavior you need to do with a more desirable behavior.
"According to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, procrastination means "to postpone or delay needlessly.
"Certainly we all have our reasons for procrastination.
There are several theories about procrastination; only two will be mentioned here.
One theory is that procrastination is a habit - meaning you find something else to do instead of what you need to do; another theory is that procrastination is related to anxiety.
Anxiety is often found at the root of procrastination when it comes to achieving our bigger goals; after all, achieving our goals requires change and change, for many people, can be quite a source of anxiety.
So all of this begs the question - how do we get out of our own way to get on the path of goal achievement? People often plan more for a vacation than they do for the rest of their lives! As a coach, I hear every excuse in the book.
When it comes to making a goal achievement plan, whether it's business or life, one of the most common phrases I hear is: "I'm too busy to do all the work.
" If you're too busy to make a plan to achieve your goals, then you're always going to be stuck in your status quo and quite frankly, you deserve better than that! Our recommendation for overcoming procrastination: - Identify your goal - what is it that you are putting off? - Why are you putting it off? Break it down into smaller events or goals if you can.
Think about the rewards and consequences of accomplishing it or not accomplishing it.
- Figure out your obstacles - what is really standing in the way of accomplishing your goal? - Brainstorm some solutions and pick a few that are most pertinent and reasonable.
- Put the appropriate solutions into action and start seeing those improved results Benefits to overcoming "procrastination" - Peace of mind - Goal Achievement (e.
g.
Improved Results!) - A feeling of strength and purpose To sum it up, Richard Hamming, in his article "You and Your Research" (1986), asks what's the best thing you could be working on, and why aren't you? What are you not working on that you should be?
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