How I Overcome Procrastination

We all have goals we’d like to accomplish, but one of the major barriers we face in achieving our goals is procrastination. It is simply the process of putting off a decision or action to a later time. These days I consider myself a winner in overcoming my tendency to defer activities to another time. Watching others who do not have this challenge and studying the underlying issue of procrastination, has helped me reduce this dangerous habit and get more done, faster, and without delay. Here is how I approach the issue:

> Step 1: Ask: You must first be aware that you are procrastinating.

Surprisingly many of us don’t know that we are procrastinating. We simply believe that we will get to the issue at another time. To be fair, some issues do have to be deferred because additional information is needed or greater concentration is needed to tackle it. However, more often than not we can speed up the process by realizing that we’re dragging our feet. I become more aware of the procrastination issue by asking myself a simple question: “Is there any reason why I can’t do it now?”

> Step 2: Once you realize you’re doing it, you must ask yourself, “Why?”

Procrastinators always have good reason to delay. You may feel you need more time to make a decision, you may not know how to handle the situation, you may need additional financial help, or you may need the involvement of others. You also may be afraid of tackling the situation, believing that you can’t do it, do it well, or the outcome won’t be what you’d like. Few procrastinators get to this point where they really ask themselves what the issue is and honestly admit what emotion they are feeling.

> Step 3: Face Facts.

In this step we’re acknowledging that the emotion we’re feeling is getting in the way of getting what we want to accomplish, done. The idea is to realize that we’re letting fear, a lack of knowledge, a lack of ambition, or laziness prevent us from achieving our goals. In this process it’s perfectly acceptable to get angry with yourself about this and admit that your “lower self” has taken over, rather than you’re “higher self” who has the dream and will to get it done. Live in the realization that you are not going to reach your goal as long as your “lower self” is in charge.

> Step 4: Deal With Substantive Barriers

Often procrastinators do not deal with the substantive issues that must be addressed. Instead they exist in a cloud of “not doing,” that lingers and soon causes the individual to forget why they’ve delayed. A great way of overcoming this is to not allow this cloud to exist and to deal with the substantive barriers that are in the way. Rather than allowing situations to drift, get started. Learn what you must learn, negotiate what you must negotiate, and involve whomever is necessary to remove the barriers to getting what you want done. Removing the substantive barriers will automatically shift where you are emotionally.

> Step 5: Take As Much Action As You Can Feeling A Sense Of Accomplishment

In the fifth step we take as much action as we can. This step enables us to develop a sense of engagement, which in turn, provides us with a level of satisfaction. The more satisfied we feel, the greater our desire to experience more of this emotion. In time, we’ll become so involved in taking action that we will soon forget that we at one time were delaying the process.

An Exercise On Procrastination
On what goals am I procrastinating taking action?
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What is the underlying reason(s) for my procrastination?
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What emotions do I feel when I admit that I’m allowing my “lower self” to delay my achievement?
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What are the substantive issues that I must resolve?
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What actions can I take to start achieving my goals?
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