The Perils of Procrastination.

Missouri’s favorite son said that if the first thing you have to do each morning is eat a live frog, there is a high likelihood that that is going to be the worst thing that happens to you all day.

What is procrastination?

Simply put, procrastination is putting off things that you should be focusing on right now, in favor of doing something that is more pleasurable or that you’re just more comfortable doing.

Or, as Napoleon Hill put it:  “Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.”

No big deal right?  WRONG!!!!!!!

Procrastination creates stress and is a health risk.

Procrastination is a career killer.

Procrastination creates resentment and guilt.

Procrastination results in missed opportunities and frenzied work hours.

Procrastination is not a problem of time management or poor planning, but of poor habits and lack of discipline.

 Since there will always be however, more things to do than you can ever get  to, the goal has got to be to procrastinate well, or as Brian Tracy calls it,  to “procrastination creatively.” 

Being a creative procrastinator can change your life.  The trick is to procrastinate on small stuff  –  the things that are not going to impact  your career in a positive (or negative) way.  Always plan your day in advance and isolate your big tasks and pursue them to completion.

What are some causes of procrastination?  How about stress, being overwhelmed, laziness,  lack of motivation, lack of discipline, the need to be a perfectionist, or lack of skill?

A quick fix, rah-rah seminar or self help book isn’t going to stop you from procrastinating and you can be certain that you’re not going to outgrow the problem.  If you want to change, You have to take the initiative.  The avoidance of procrastination has got to become a habit.

Habits, good and bad, make you who you are; the key is to control them and to change them.

Want to avoid procrastination?  1) focus on it daily for 28 days  2) write an affirmation (“I am not a procrastinator!”) on a  3 x 5 card and read it day and night 3) control your self talk and keep it positive 4)  write it down (see #2) 5) remember, there will never be enough time to do everything, but there will always be time to do the most important things 6) create a daily ‘to do’ list and discipline yourself to work continually on the life changing, career changing activities on your list first.

Craig McConnell, President, PrintGrowPro/SalesGrowPro

www.printgrowpro.com

“Great selling is a process artfully done.”

Follow me on Twitter – http://twitter.com/printgrowpro

*Mason Cooley