Procrastination. We've all done it. We all fall into the trap of it. And we certainly use it to our (dis)advantage many times throughout the day. Have you ever thought...oh I'll just check my email before I make that phone call. Or I'll just press snooze one more time then I'll go for that run..
Oh yes, procrastination is definitely the reason most of us never achieve what we truly want. And it is the only thing that cannot be 'blamed' or justified by others. (although some may try..."Nana really needed me to...") At the end of the day though, it is only ourselves that dictate the path to achievement getting things done and feeling fulfilled.
As you may know I am expanding my dog training business www.playfulpaws.com.au, and really stepping up, going for it. Incorporating everything I know and love (including working with people with a disability) and giving it a red-hot go. In order to do this, I have stepped back from a role I was in for nearly 3 years. Scary. So Tuesday was my first real business day, I dedicated it to cleaning my office and making to-do lists and becoming overwhelmed!
Then today I really got stuck in...paperwork, phone calls, making appointments, working out timelines, creating databases...my head is spinning!! It was productive..in amongst that though, I packed a box of kids books, cleaned the bathroom, made dinner, had a cuppa with a friend etc. But tonight, I feel alive. I made much progress, although there were a lot of baby steps!!
How do you overcome procrastination?
Tips that help me:
- Break it down into smaller steps - i.e. with the office, it's to sort through a shelf a day
- Write a to-do list and prioritise
- Set time-frames for tasks i.e. 30mins phone calls, 30mins break, 1hour reports etc
- If it is your own business - make sure you have 'working hours' so you can work a set time, and still have time to do other things - like gym, walk the dog, visit family (OUTSIDE of these times!)
- Catch yourself when you are falling into the trap of wasting time
- Work out how valuable your time is...and use it wisely
- Eat regularly and drink loads of water - sounds silly, but when you are fired up and doing something...the thought of doing this may feel like 'stopping' / procrastinating!
- There is a difference between procrastinating and doing tasks i.e. doing the ironing after dinner is just a task but doing ironing during the day when you need to make a difficult phone call....well...
- If you are avoiding doing something, generally what you are filling your time with is procrastination.
- Excuses are things we come up with to try to justify not completing something.
- Only schedule what is possible to complete in the day.
A quote I read today...
...Until Tomorrow xox
