Its Time to Kick Procrastination to the Kerb

Procrastination is common to almost everyone, and the only difference is how each individual deals with it. In most cases, putting off tasks seems to be more tempting when you’re an entrepreneur because you are in control of your time. I know I am fond of shiny object syndrome which is a form of procrastination. When you have no one to push you around, you will have a higher chance of avoiding certain tasks or worse, missing your deadlines.

So before things can go wrong in your entrepreneurial life, you should learn how to stop procrastination when it rears its ugly head. It doesn’t matter if you’re a dentist, a real estate agent, a coach, a web designer or whatever your profession is. If you need to get things done, there will come a time when you need to beat procrastination. I have decided to share with you, my top 4 tips on how I beat it.

1.    Break large projects into little chunks of tasks.

The most common and efficient way I beat procrastination is to simply break down the large tasks into smaller, doable ones. In most cases, procrastination becomes too strong when you feel overwhelmed by the size of what you need to do.

As an example, when I am faced with the task of creating an email marketing campaign for my next promotion, I sometimes might feel putting off the entire thing today until I suddenly realise that the event is only next week (eek!). For me to beat procrastination, it’s ideal that as early as possible, I list down every task that needs to be done and set deadlines for each. In this way, I can start working on smaller tasks every chance I get. I soon realise that I have completed the project without hardly any hassle.

2.    Start even the simplest tasks in any way possible.

Finishing less than 50% of the project is much better than procrastinating and not accomplishing anything at all. After I break the big task into smaller ones, I make an effort to progress with the project no matter how small.

Are you procrastinating with the 2,000-word blog post you need to write for next week? – I hear ya!

If sitting in front of the computer for a long time just to finish the article doesn’t work for you, there are little steps I take so that I can finish the project. For example, if you’re in a queue, maybe waiting for a bus or a client, consider using your mobile to quickly jot down an outline or some ideas for your article. Do this every chance you have and you’ll be breezing through your blog. Then before you know it you will have it written out and you just have to put it all together.

3.    Imagine the worst case scenarios if you continue to procrastinate.

In many cases, fear can be a motivating factor to force you to complete your tasks – i know for me, fear of failure is a big motivator. So imagine the worst things that could happen if you keep up with your procrastination. Will you lose your online authority if you continue putting off doing those blogs or sending out those emails to your list? Will you lose credibility being a provider of exclusive industry information when you didn’t timely release a relevant blog post? Will you embarrass yourself during speaking gigs just because you haphazardly prepared your materials at the last minute?

4.    Connect with the right people for inspiration and help.

Sometimes, we procrastinate because there’s no one to push us or inspire us to take action immediately. Whether we asked for help or not, there are just some people who we can get inspiration from and unknowingly remind us of how we’re wasting our lives by procrastinating.

Who’s that person for you? Perhaps she’s the hardworking friend who always has the energy to seize every business opportunity she encounters. Or maybe she’s a client of yours who seems to continue to progress forward despite being surrounded by personal problems. How about a fellow entrepreneur who has a special knack at making you want more out of life? Most importantly, you can ask them and seek their advice on how they can even beat procrastination.

The way we beat procrastination depends on many factors, including our individual personalities and priorities. The four methods I just shared above are among the general ways I encourage my Social Media Chaos Mastery clients to kick procrastination to the curb! I like to avoid procrastinating wherever possible.

In the end, you’ll find the combination of methods that will best suit your situation.

Do you need a hand with being held accountable, to be pushed in the right direction, what about being motivated and inspired? Come on over to Instagram and join in on the fun.