Let’s face it – we all procrastinate. Sometimes we procrastinate with the little and mundane things like tidying our rooms or sorting old files, but more often it’s the big things like updating our CV to look for a job, pursuing our goals, and completing tasks that require more effort and commitment from our part and can make us risk failing and emotionally hurting ourselves when we don’t finish them.
Of course, we come up with all different kinds of excuses as to why not today. We are always too busy, too young, too old, too broke, too uncertain, too scared… And all these reasons can be valid, of course. But, more often than not, they are only excuses because we are terrified to leave our comfort zone and experience the discomfort that goes hand in hand with any change in our life.
The core of procrastination is fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear is there to protect us for potential pain. But, fear can also make us addicted to procrastination because we might start believing that with time our situation will magically improve. We keep saying to ourselves that “one day” we’ll be courageous enough to make a change.
Sadly, things don’t always happen that way. Because, as we grow older, our fears become bigger and that usually becomes the burial ground for all our unfulfilled dreams. Procrastination can take a massive toll on our health, finances, relationships, and career. We hate to admit it, but by putting off things that we can do today, we are missing out on our happiness because nothing is more exhausting than thinking about a goal that we haven’t fulfilled.
So, here are some strategies that will help you stop procrastinating and get your life together.
1. Write down your goals and assign a deadline to them. Because a goal without a deadline next to it is pointless. You will put it off indefinitely.
2. Break it down into small steps. Big goals can soon overwhelm you. That’s why you need to break it down into smaller and manageable pieces.
3. Visualize what you want to achieve. Picture yourself celebrating your accomplishments with your friends. How would you feel?
4. Let go of fear. Be courageous and remember that you don’t have anything to lose by trying.
5. Reward progress. Celebrate your successes however small they are to keep you going. Treat yourself for the hard work because you deserve it.
6. Start today! No excuses anymore.
