Procrastination is the thief of our time. Sometimes we just can’t get ourselves to even start on a project and we put it off for weeks, months or even years. There are a few reasons for this. Sometimes the job just seems too big, sometimes we don’t know where to start. Sometimes we don’t feel qualified or knowledgable enough and sometimes we’re just plain scared.
I’ve compiled a list of 5 tips to help smash procrastination. Make 2015 the year that you get it done. Whatever it is that you’ve been putting off. Do it this year! I know I have a few projects that I’ve been procrastinating, thinking I’m not ready, I’m not good enough, I don’t have time, and the excuses go on and on.
It’s time to stop the madness and BEGIN.
5 Tips To Smash Procrastination
- Write It Down: Write down the goal that you want to start working on. There’s something about putting it on paper that actually increases the likelihood that you will actually accomplish the task. Placing that paper in a visible spot is also really important.
- Start Somewhere: Sometimes a task seems so overwhelming you just don’t even know where to start. If you have no clue where to begin just pick a place and start. Once you get started the path will become more clear and you will know how to proceed better in the future. If you don’t ever start you are just wasting valuable time. Time that we don’t get back.
- Break It Down: Break down the task into actionable steps. If you say by the end of the year I want to write a book, then first off you’ll probably wait until November to get started and you have no clear steps to accomplish this. Begin by picking a topic, then outline what will be covered in the book, research, type, edit, format…you see? There are SO many steps. Once you break a task down into clear steps and write it down on a planning sheet. Now you can then begin to proceed with confidence.
- Be Kind: NO guilt allowed! Don’t beat yourself up for not getting started earlier. Don’t even go there. Worrying about what might of or could have been is just a major waste of time and energy. Begin from THIS point on. Change the future. You can’t change the past.
- Have A Good Reason: You have to have a compelling reason why you want to accomplish something. Are you going off sugar because you doctor has warned you about Type 2 Diabetes? Are you losing 50 pounds because your joints ache all the time? Are you starting that business you’ve always dreamed of because you want to help your family dig out of debt? What is the reason? Write that down as well on your planning sheet and never forget it!
Make 2015 your most productive year ever.
Stop procrastinating. Success loves speed, so get going and you will realize that it gets easier to keep the momentum.
Have a wonderful, healthy day,
~Hannah
