PROCRASTINATION

Of man's inherent weaknesses, procrastination has done more to slow the progress of society than any other. We all procrastinate in one form or fashion. Lingering over the Sunday newspaper instead of fixing a leaking kitchen faucet, is procrastination. Watching your car's gas gauge eke toward "empty," figuring you can make it another day before running dry by the side of the road, is procrastination. Simply saying, "I'll get around to it." is procrastination. In business, essential qualities such as determination and persistence must prevail over procrastination if the business is to succeed. But why do we procrastinate? Why not "just do it?". Here, in no specific order, are some reasons why we just can't seem to get things done, and suggestions for overcoming them.

Confusion and Fear

Fully understanding the task ahead of you will eliminate the confusion that keeps you from getting started. Lack of understanding brings fear of failure. If you understand the task, and what needs to be done to complete it, you can better meet the challenge without fearing failure.

Lack of Planning

Plan your work and work your plan! Lack of planning leads to the procrastination trap Make your plan specific. How will you accomplish this task? What is the best way to go about doing it? Develop a plan to start the project, then to refine it, then to finish it? What is the deadline? Can you realistically meet it? What will happen if you don't? What will happen if you do?

Failure to Analyze

What does the task entail? What is the objective? Why are you doing it? Instead of attacking the entire task at once, divide it up into manageable pieces and analyze the pieces. How does one fit into the other? How does each piece make up the whole?

Lack of Priorities

One of the best ways to establish priorities is to arrange tasks into three categories: Imperative, Important. and Not Very Important. Tackle the Imperative stuff first and don't move on to another category until it's all done. Then start on the Important tasks and don't stop until those are done. By the time you get to the Not Very Important stack you might find that you don't even need to handle it anymore.

Avoiding Responsibilities

Make a commitment to someone you trust and respect. such as a spouse, friend or boss. Making a commitment to someone else motivates you to accept responsibility and achieve targets.

Depression

It's easy to procrastinate if you're depressed or feeling sorry for yourself. Build yourself up, reassure yourself of your strengths and capitalize on them. You'll get more done when you believe you can do it.

Fatigue

Psychological and physical fatigue have the same effect--both will sap your will. Your mind and body need to be rested and sharp to meet the challenges of the day. Spend some quiet time each day to relax and appreciate the things around you. Study something you're interested in to learn something new each day. Achieve a target you have written down. Perform simple exercises by walking or jogging. And get plenty of rest at night

Lack of Vision

A task can be more easily tackled if you visualize it completed. Your ability to hit the target is limited only by your imagination-- how effectively you visualize hitting that target. So, when it comes to visualizing the completion of a project: sea it, hear it, touch it, smell it, taste it. The Law of Expanded Time says that "work will fill the time available to complete it." By making less time available to complete a task, you will spend less time completing it. Plan your work, work your plan. Just do it!