Quit Procrastinating!

What does this word mean to you: Procrastination.? If you’re answer is somewhere in the realm of “it’s my middle name” – this is for you. Here’s how to quit dragging your feet and get your tasks DONE! This comes from Health magazine and Dr. Susan O’Doherty, author of Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued. For starters – know this. Most people procrastinate for 1 of 3 reasons.

• Perfectionism. Your inner critic takes hold of you. You sit down to do something and suddenly you think, “I’m not good enough!” – so you put it off.
• Emotional avoidance. You don’t want to deal with the feelings that’ll surface when, say, you have to clean out your ex’s belongings from the closet. So again – you postpone.
• FEAR. Fear of failure, fear of success – the fear of what happens next.

But no matter what the reason for your delay, you can get the ball rolling on a project and change your ways. Here’s how.

• Take small bites. You’re not going to clean out the garage – you’re going to clean off one shelf.
• Do something EACH DAY. Just 20 minutes a day on a big project is all you need to make a significant dent. And before long – you’ll be finished and on to the next one.
• Envision the end. What will the finished product look like? How will you feel when you’re done? O’Doherty says ask yourself these questions often, and you’ll start assuming that you’ll finish.
• Shun the slackers in your life. You need to surround yourself with people who DON’T hinder you. The more often you hear, “You have to get this done NOW” – the more likely you are to tie up all the loose ends that you’ve been avoiding.
  Wanna go further? Check out Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued.