Overcoming procrastination: What reasons do you have?
Most people don't have enough reasons, which is why procrastination is like being stuck in the mire of if, but and when I get around to it.
Procrastination is depressing. Not only does it affect your body's natural rythmns and behaviours, it keeps us stuck in the same place doing the same kinds of things. Never getting anywhere.
Beating procrastination is frightening, because it means that you are going to have to be accountable to YOURSELF. We hide behind busy work, telling ourselves that we will get around to it, one day - and give a whole list of excuses as to why you can't do it now.
Only you can beat the procrastination habit, only you can want to beat the procrastination habit. It's a little like climbing a slippery mountainside - one step up, two and a bit down and maybe one or two sideways in order to get a grip on your life. And this is where most people get stuck, they keep on trying the same things in the same way in the same hope that someone, somewhere will put them out of the mire. But unless you want to change, then nothing or no one can help you. You have to help yourself first.
But how do you help yourself, after all you may feel you have tried every option available to you, but none of them worked, so why try?
Since starting this web site, we have had a few comments and suggestions as to how to beat the procrastination habit. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to do so. Some of the suggestions include:
- Finding the inner winner;
- Tell someone of your plans - someone that you respect and don't want to let down;
- Start and don't stop until you've completed the task;
Let me say at this point - what works for one person, may not work for someone else. That's why there are so many books on the subject of procrastination and how to beat it. Bear in mind that - their plan worked for them - why - because it was THEIR plan. It's not yours, so don't beat yourself up if you "failed".
So what can you do?
Well you can take a suggestion and apply it to where you are in your life at this point. And it may start a whole avalanche of successes that will naturally propel you forward, for a while. External success is all very well - until you come to a bump in the road, and then what happens? That's right you come to a grinding halt, which can take some getting over. Your new found diet regime works - until someone invites you out for dinner. You wanted to go for a walk tonight - but there is a weather front moving through and who wants to get cold and wet! And on it goes. Your inner critic tells you you've done it again - and you believe it.
To successfully beat the procrastination habit - you have to want to. It has to come from within - and the way to ensure your success is to ensure you have enough reasons for why you want to do it.
The more reasons you have, the more concrete those reasons are, the more likely it is you will succeed. If you don't know why you want something - then you won't have the drive or the passion to achieve it. So don't just think about what you want to achieve - work out WHY as well. If you don't know why - then you don't want it badly enough.
August 15, 2006 at 16:54
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