A Plan To Beat Procrastination!

Now that you know all the components of procrastination, you’ve had a chance to determine which ones might apply to you, and you’ve learned the skills you need to get rid of or diminish them in your life.

Let’s put it all together so that you have a coherent assessment of yourself to bring to your tasks, your projects, and your life going forward.

You will finally be able to get stuff done and start achieving your goals, and these may be business, career or personal development goals.

Whatever the goals you are aiming for, getting laser focused and having a plan is really going to help you to beat procrastination and get you to your end result.

Follow the 8-step plan below to help you beat procrastination once and for all.

Putting It All Together

Using your computer or a paper and pen, answer the following questions in as much detail as possible:

1 – Identify the areas in your life where you procrastinate. It could be with tasks or projects or relationships. It could be in your home, on your job, in public situations, or with friends and relatives. Where do you want to make changes? What are you dissatisfied with?

How do you see it changing? What is your vision for the future? Write this in as much detail as possible.

2 – Remember, you achieve change through a combination of dissatisfaction with the present plus a vision for the future plus a plan plus taking the first steps.

Now, give yourself a challenge. Write down each change you want to make in phrases starting with,” I will…….…”

Look at each thing you want to change and ask yourself:

• • What’s my payoff if I leave things the way they are now?
  • What are the negative consequences if I don’t change?
  • What are the benefits if I do change?
  • Are there any negative effects if I do change?
  • Can I handle them?
  • Prioritize your changes in the order you want to tackle them.

3 – Next, turn your challenges into goals. Decide when you want to achieve the goal, and write this down for each goal,” It is(the date) and I have achieved this goal. Make these goals real in whatever way you want: for instance, a vision board, a journal, or by telling your friends about them.

4 – You need a way to measure your success. How will you know if you’ve reached your target goal? What will success means you? Write it down.” My success criteria are…….” Do that for each goal.

5 – Write down each goal, leaving some space beneath each one. Think through all of the negative things associated with that goal. What will the obstacles be? What can you do in advance to diminish the obstacles? For each goal, finish this statement,” I am removing the barriers to success with this goal by………”

6 – Now it’s time to break your project into steps. We know by now that this will make it much more manageable and give us reason not to be overwhelmed or afraid. Develop two or three first steps for achieving your goal and write them down.

7 – Now take a look at your first steps. What are the positives? What are the negatives? Choose the first steps for each goal that you determine to be the best ones.

8 – Next, plan the rest of your project step by step, going back and assessing each step as you did in number seven. Remember to build in flexibility in time constraints to allow for unforeseen events and obstacles. Remember also that it’s completely acceptable to amend these steps as you go along.

A few more pointers to remember when you’re actually working in your project:

1. Review your goals and projects periodically. Ask yourself these questions:

• What’s going well with my project?
• Am I on track to achieve my goal?
• What adjustments do I need to make?
• Is there anything new that I need to do to keep my project on track?
• Do I need to get help in any area to achieve my goal?

2. Assess whether you’re using the skills you’ve learned in this book. Ask yourself how well you’re using them. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Make a written note of what you’re learning about yourself. You’ll be able to use it in the future for your next project.
3. Remember to take care of yourself as you’re working toward your goals. Get regular exercise, eat right, and practice some stress relieving activities. Don’t forget to give yourself some treats along the way. You deserve them, especially if you’re doing well. Change isn’t easy.
4. When your project is almost completed, take time to evaluate your achievements – that is, how well you’re completing your project and how you’ve changed for the positive internally. Look at your goals and see how close you’ve come to achieving them.

5. Now your project or your task is completed. It’s time to celebrate. Allow yourself this luxury. Do it now! Go big and put yourself first! Even if you didn’t achieve everything you set out to, you’ve finished your project and you’ve made progress. You have the skills to overcome procrastination, and you have the rest of your life to improve on your progress.

Well done! Celebrate you!

I hope that you have enjoyed this 4 part series discussing the problem of procrastination and that you have some useful actionable tips that you can use to blast through any areas in your life that are being affected by procrastination.

And remember, one way to beat procrastination is to stay focused and many people struggle with this. If you want to learn more about staying focused, check out the featured resource below for a free detailed report; download, read it and take action 😊

Procrastination-Be-Gone Toolbox

Now is the time to build on your strengths, improve on your weaknesses, and develop your skills.

Self-Esteem

Procrastination always has two elements: the task you’re putting off and the internal forces that are causing you to do so. The more you deal with your inner “demons,” the easier it will be to take action.

When you start to get things done, you experience these feelings less and less.

In our projects as in life, we come up against obstacles. We need to handle those obstacles in order to see the task through to the end. Self-esteem helps us to do that because it helps us develop resilience and the belief that we can succeed despite barriers. Self-esteem can grow or it can diminish, and we can control that.

So, what is self-esteem? The most important component of self-esteem is internal. It’s the ability to like and accept yourself with all your strengths and weaknesses, and in spite of the mistakes you make.

It’s understanding that you are equal to anyone else and you, like anyone else, are unique and one-of-a-kind. It’s not ego driven. It’s not a belief that you’re superior to anyone. It’s the understanding that each one of us is unique, special, and important.

Another component of self-esteem comes from the reflection of ourselves that we get from other people. We get either positive or negative feedback from people in obvious or subtle ways all the time.

We get from the media, from work, and from our relationships. Unfortunately, we can’t always depend on outside sources to have our best interests at heart or even to be honest.

So, although it’s inevitable that some of our self-concept comes from outside sources, a much better, more fulfilling approach to our lives is to develop our internal self-esteem and diminish the effects of external self-esteem.

Here are the questions to ask yourself:

1. How many of the things I do are based on the need for others’ approval?
2. Whose approval do I seek in order to feel accepted?
3. What are my own personal standards? In other words, what standards do I need to meet in order to approve of myself at work, at home, and in relationships?
4. Is there a conflict between what I really want to do and obtaining approval from others?

The answers to these questions should give you an awareness of yourself that will strengthen your internal self-esteem and lessen your need for approval of others.

Next, here are some powerful actions that you can take to strengthen your self-esteem and diminish your tendency to procrastinate:

1. Being aware of your self-growth and development.
2. Taking the initiative.
3. Practicing assertive behavior.
4. Talking back to your negative inner voice.
5. Setting goals.
6. Taking physical and emotional care of yourself. This includes giving yourself quality time, exercising, eating right, and relaxation.

Here’s one non-negotiable law for living the life you dream of: self-esteem is essential to our well-being. It’s not selfishness; it’s just the opposite.

Dealing With Inner Negativity

It’s possible that you are not even aware of the negative inner voices that keep harping at you. Science has shown, though, that the vast majority of our thoughts are negative, and a lot of those thoughts are about ourselves.

It’s natural that this is true because these thoughts are an accumulation of judgments we received in childhood, then from our peers, and eventually from ourselves. These thoughts are even more frequent when we’re feeling vulnerable or facing obstacles.

How many times have you said things like if yourself:

• ” What a stupid thing I did!
• ” I’m ugly… lazy… stupid… mean.”
• ” This is too hard! I can’t do it! “
• ” I have to do this!” ” I ought to…” ” I should…”
• ” Everything depends on this!”

The next step is easy and even fun. Start talking back to those thoughts.

Say things like:

” It’s okay to make mistakes.”

” I’m not stupid, this is just something new for me.”

” This is not too hard – I just have to take it one step at a time.”

” Everything does not depend on this. If this doesn’t work out, I’ll find another way.”

See, wasn’t it fun? Won’t you feel a lot better doing that than giving in to negative thinking?

The next step is to reinforce your self-esteem with some positive thoughts about yourself. Remember the list you made of the things you’re good at and your positive qualities?

Repeat a few of those things to yourself after you’ve had some negative self-talk. Then give yourself a small reward (talking to a friend, reading a book for a little while, taking a time out for yourself, etc.). These positive thoughts and actions reinforce your positive feeling about yourself.

Our negative self-talk tries to protect us from taking risks and things we fear, but it also puts up barriers to opportunities and challenges and changes that would enhance our lives.

And think about this: research has shown that four out of five of our fears never materialize. The fears that do materialize, we can handle, especially after we build our strengths.

Here are some strategies for managing your fears:

• Take some small risks at first. Notice the feeling of well-being when you succeed.
• Talk to people you trust about your fears – get their opinion about how valid your fears are.
• Allow yourself to feel the fear. Then talk to it, watch it recede or disappear, and enjoy your feeling of satisfaction at bringing that about.
• Gradually increase the size of the risks you take, while keeping those risks reasonable, not irrational.

Handling fear is not easy for any of us. But facing it leads to a more fulfilling, productive life.

Motivation And Will Power

Of course, it’s obvious that we have to have some degree of motivation in order to overcome procrastination. And it’s also obvious that we need some willpower in order to want things to change so that we do follow through on our projects.

A better idea would be to choose projects and tasks for now that can help you build your motivation and willpower in general.

Try these exercises to increase your willpower:

• Try something that you never tried before – it can be something simple like trying a new restaurant or driving a different way to work.
• When you want to say something you know you shouldn’t, don’t say it.
• Do something you really don’t want to do but have to do. This can be anything – something small is fine. The idea is that you do it.
• Find a way to say something nice to someone. Make a genuine compliment. It can be any small thing you think of.
• When you want to say something appropriate but feel shy about it, say it.

These are all small steps, as you can see. You can and should substitute as many small steps as you can think of. The point is that you’re building your willpower. This in turn builds your self-confidence: you begin to realize that you can depend on yourself to follow through.

Assertiveness

What is assertiveness? And why are some people so much better at being assertive than others? How can we be appropriately assertive without being aggressive and overbearing?

Acting assertively can be complicated because how we behave stems from a combination of our beliefs and values, our attitudes, our thoughts and feelings, and our self-esteem. It comes down to choosing the way we will behave in order to get what we want.

Many of us use more than one of these techniques, and while we probably know  that the first choice is the best choice, many more of us don’t know how to go about being assertive.

Being assertive means acknowledging our needs and asking in an open and direct manner for those needs to be fulfilled. It implies respect for the people we’re asking, respect for ourselves, and respect for the task at hand. If our needs in this particular situation are not met, it is not a blow to our self-esteem because our self-esteem is not based on the approval of others.

Assertiveness is not always the easiest behavior choice, but it is the one most likely to get what we want. It is the win-win approach.

Being aggressive is often a compulsive overreaction; it’s competitive and leads to win-lose situation.

Being passive is negative behavior with negative results. It creates victims who allow other people to decide their fate. But the truth is that those people are victims of their own passivity.

The indirectly aggressive or manipulative approach also rises from low self-esteem. For these people it’s safer to control and manipulate rather than face confrontation and the possibility of being rejected.

There are some techniques you can use to maintain an assertive attitude without becoming aggressive or passive. Try some of these to keep you on track. You don’t need to use all of them; use the ones that work for you in a given situation.

• Be specific about what it is that you want. Clarify first in your own head and then be prepared to ask for it specifically and directly.
• Repetition can be a handy tool. Stay on track by repeating your simple, clear request. This technique prevents you from being manipulated or getting off-track.
• If you’re dealing with the manipulator, acknowledge that you hear what they are saying, but repeat your own simple, clear request without allowing yourself to be manipulated or becoming aggressive.
• Remember, your best solution is a win win for you and the others involved. The way to achieve this is to be clear in your own mind about the ideal outcome, a realistic outcome, and a fallback position (bottom line) for you.
• Some people find it helpful to disclose their honest feelings during the interaction. For some people this alleviates guilt and anxiety.

Remember that being assertive is often about negotiation and compromise. It’s about not being aggressive or passive or manipulative. It’s about the win-win for everyone involved.

Anger And Frustration Management

Few things encourage procrastination better than anger and frustration, yet anger and frustration are inevitable in life and in projects.

The first thing you must do is recognize when you’re frustrated or angry. Many of us are so proficient at hiding these feelings from other people that we’ve become great at hiding them from ourselves. That is usually a problem because the anger and frustration show themselves in other ways.

One of these ways is to discontinue whatever we’ve started. Another outcome is that we show our anger toward other things or people that are unrelated to the real cause. All of this is unproductive.

You could channel that frustration into finding other solutions for the problem. Or you could find other projects to work on temporarily. Next, find a productive way to release your anger and frustration. It might be through exercise or even household chores.

Pay attention to what causes you anger and frustration. Try to make sure that you’re separating your current anger from past situations that cause anger. One thing that many of us do is bring old anger that has been dealt with to new situations.

Find means to deal with anger and frustration as they appear. A good idea is to come up with solutions in advance. Since we know for certain that the feelings will come up again, channeling them in a positive way will produce the best outcome.

Stress Management

 

Another enemy of productivity, closely related to frustration and anger, is stress. Stress is our body’s way of letting us know that we are confronting something beyond our coping ability.

On a physical level, much less an emotional level, our instinct is to flee. This is the point where many of us give up on our projects. Again, a lot of us have a tendency to ignore stress until it causes major problems physically, emotionally, and even in all areas of our lives.

Symptoms Of Stress

The symptoms of stress can vary from person to person, but we all need to know what they are so that we can deal with them if and when they arise.

Physical symptoms – heart palpitations, nausea, muscle cramps, colds, infections, fatigue, body aches, and indigestion.

Emotional symptoms – mood swings, irritability, tension, anxiety, and powerlessness

Behavioral symptoms – accidents, inferior job performance, overeating or not eating, lack of concentration, general exhaustion.

Mental symptoms – indecision, memory failure, worrying, loss of perspective, lack of empathy

Get to know your particular signs of stress and recognize when you’re experiencing …the sooner you do, the better for your health.

Causes Of Stress

Knowing the factors that cause stress will help you anticipate when you might be experiencing them. We have different levels of stress tolerance, and many times different types of stressors can combine to cause serious stress.

The four types of stressors are:

Situational stressors – these include unexpected situations, change, bad news, heavy workloads, and negative environmental factors

Life events stressors – these include marriage, divorce, death, birth of a child, moving, ill health, and financial concerns

Stressors caused by others – these include unreasonable demands by others, unreasonable expectations from others, and a negative atmosphere at work or at home

Internal stressors – these include perfectionism, unreasonable expectations from ourselves, feelings of inadequacy, unmet needs for acceptance and love, and the need to control.

Stress can be debilitating and lead to many physical problems if you don’t deal with it. The way to handle stress is to recognize it, interrupt the pattern, and use the tools available to reduce it.

In order to recognize stress in your life, ask yourself these questions:

• What’s causing my stress?
• When does this happen?
• Where does it happen?
• What symptoms do I show?
• Why do I react this way?
• What can I do to reduce the stress in the situation?

Once you recognize that you’re feeling stress, come to terms with those feelings. Don’t run away from your feelings but accept them as signs that are showing you the need to take action.

Develop a support network. Let your friends know when you need them, and make sure they know that you’re grateful for their help.

Take a good look at your lifestyle. What changes do you need to make? Make the time for some exercise and some relaxation. Eat a healthy diet, don’t smoke, and drink moderately. Think positively and handle your negative inner thoughts.

All of these things that you build into your lifestyle will strengthen you again stress.

The serenity prayer is an awesome piece of wisdom and wonderful for dealing with stress. It says,“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” – Old Irish Saying

Prioritizing, Organizing, And Planning

The feeling of overwhelm is a major cause of procrastination. It is so uncomfortable it can cause us to put off doing projects or flee from them faster than just about anything else will. The good news is that prioritizing, organizing, and planning – tools that can easily diminish this feeling – are not that difficult to learn.

I know that you know that old expression:” How do you eat an elephant?” “One bite at a time.” We all know that breaking things down into parts make sense. It makes difficult things easy by putting them in logical order so that we can address each step and go on to the next one. For some of us, it’s difficult to do.

Here are the steps:

1. Know what your overall goals are
2. Have a thorough knowledge of your project or task
3. Know all the resources needed to complete the task
4. Give yourself some flexibility with your deadlines
5. Understand that unexpected obstacles will probably show up so build in some time to resolve those
6. Take the time to make the best plan you can come up with. Time you spend here will save you time later and cause you not to feel overwhelmed

Once you begin your project, you may discover efficiencies that will help with your time management. For instance, are the right people performing the right tasks? Could you improve performance by switching people’s functions?

These are just examples of efficiencies that you may find what you’re going through the project. The point is to monitor your progress to reduce unexpected, unwanted surprises, and to keep you on track.

Prioritize your tasks on a daily basis because the priority can change quickly.

Priority one – important and urgent, tasks to do immediately.

Priority two – important but not urgent, tasks that can’t be planned for a future time.

Priority three – urgent but not important, tasks that can be delegated.

Priority four – routine, tasks that need to be done but can be deferred or delegated.

So, in the final article in this series, we’ll look at how to put this all together.

One way to beat procrastination is to stay focused and many people struggle with this. If you want to learn more about staying focused, check out the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 😊