Procrastination is a Convenient Excuse to Avoid Change - Part 1

In 2022 we are so inundated with choice and opportunity. There is just so much that we could do, we often end up not doing anything at all. Procrastination is delaying or putting off tasks until you absolutely have to do them. If you find yourself putting things off until the very last minute, you are procrastinating. Everyone deals with procrastination at one point or another. It is often a symptom of fear and is very common when people face Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity & Ambiguity (VUCA).

Procrastination can be a dream killer. In a world where there is so much demand for your attention, it is becoming ever more difficult to stay focused and act on the things that would give you an extraordinary quality of life. Time is and always will be your most valuable asset and the way you use it will determine what you create or fail to create. Having an effective strategy for overcoming procrastination is CRITICAL if you want to overcome obstacles to be productive and ultimately create a more fulfilled life.

The abundance of modern life can be overwhelming, which leads to an emotional overload. This will allow your monkey brain to distract you and scatter your effort and concentration. This becomes even worse when you are facing extreme change. Some of the reasons we procrastinate when facing extreme change include:

✅ Not knowing what needs to be done or how to do it

✅ Not feeling in the mood to do something; lack of initiative

✅ Not caring if something gets done or when it gets done

✅ Feeling overwhelmed or stressed

There simply isn't enough time to do everything, but you can always find enough time for the most important things in your life. Success at anything requires an investment of time and effort from you. You need to focus and concentrate your physical and emotional resources on creating a desired result.

Here are the first four of seven helpful tips for overcoming your tendency to procrastinate. We will cover the remaining three in our next blog.

1) Face Your Fears: People often procrastinate when they feel fear. This may happen because they fear failure, are afraid they will make mistakes or it may indicate a fear of success. It is important to confront your inaccurate beliefs. If you fear success because you secretly believe you aren’t good enough, you may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, name your fear and take steps towards confronting it. One good way to do this is journaling about what you fear and then how you plan to overcome it.

2) Get Clarity on Your Goals: What do you want to achieve and why? This clarity will give you the power to look past distractions that may throw you off course. It gives you a direction and target. It will give you a sense of purpose and motivation to stay focused on your goals.

3) Make a List: Once you have focused on your goal(s) make a simple to-do list of what you would like to accomplish. You can take this a step further by assigning a date and prioritizing and ordering the items on your list. Then estimate how long each task will take to complete. It is a good idea to double the number so you don’t under-estimate how long it will take and it will allow you to account for unforeseen challenges that surface as you are completing your list.

4) Break Projects Down Into Manageable Parts: When you are dealing with a project, it is easy to feel intimidated and overwhelmed when you think about the amount of work involved. It helps to take items from your list and break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks. If you have these in a list, you can tick them off as you finish them, and this provides you with a sense of accomplishment. If you focus on climbing Mount Everest, you will likely be intimidated, but if you focus on climbing seven small sections it becomes more actionable. The power of chunking down your "big" tasks empowers you to take back control of any overwhelming situation – you cut it down to size. Your size.