Procrastination is the root of underachieved dreams and success. It’s the most important factor between you and the prize you’ve set your eyes on. But somehow it’s difficult to eliminate it.
One of the reasons you became an entrepreneur was for time freedom. You wanted to fire your boss, and be able to create a schedule on your own terms. But when you call the shots, it can be really easy to slack.
For some reason, it may feel like it’s easier just to delay whatever it is you need to do. The sense that there’s enough time to get things done can be misleading.
You know how it goes. You wake up at a relatively decent hour and feel like you have the whole day ahead of you. You look up, and somehow the entire day has passed you by. You ask yourself…where did the time go?
End procrastination once and for all by slowly taking some steps towards a renewed approach:
- Prioritize opportunities. If something isn’t important to you, you’ll probably spend very little time trying to achieve it. That reality is the basis of your priority list. The achievements that really matter most belong at the top. Everything else can fall whenever. And that might even mean falling off the list! Keep the list short only 3-5 items per day. Focus on the things that give you the most inner joy and happiness. Never mind what popular opinion thinks. If something gives you butterflies every time you think about it, that’s what you want to work towards.
- Once your list is in place, start at the very top. The most important thing deserves the most attention. You’re guaranteed ultimate satisfaction once you achieve it!
- Break down tasks into achievable bits. It’s easy to put things off because they seem too overwhelming. Your natural instinct may be to shy away from things that are too complex. You can fix this by breaking down your tasks. This makes the prize seem more attainable.
Set very small tasks. You may even want to make them daily tasks. Give yourself some time each day to work towards something.
- Once you’ve checked something off your list, you’ll be one step closer to the prize. The feeling of progress is incomparable! *BONUS!! Here are 6 more tips to help you break the procrastination habit for good:
*Renew your commitment each day. In order to stay on track, it’s important to maintain commitment to the goal. That can be easily achieved by renewing your commitment each day. Daily renewal helps you to zone in on what means the most to you.
*When you wake up, remind yourself of your purpose. Take a look at what you’re motivated to achieve. The feeling of excitement about achieving a desired goal is constantly alive. You just need to reengage it regularly. This exercise also helps you to maintain focus on what’s important to you. In fact, you may even find that the spark of a goal fades. This can happen when you realize something you thought was important really isn’t.
*Reward yourself for each achievement. It’s important to keep yourself engaged and focused on the goal. A great way to do this is to reward yourself. As you achieve each small task, celebrate the progress you’ve made.
*Make a significant effort to celebrate your achievement. A half-hearted effort isn’t really enough. To maintain commitment, you have to reward yourself well every step of the way.
*Treat yourself to something you’ve always wanted. Maybe in the past, you avoided spending on it because it “wasn’t worth it.” But now you have every reason to go get it!
*Being kind to yourself is the best way to motivate continued focus on goals. When you know there’s a reward at the end, you’ll likely commit every ounce of effort necessary.
If you’re reading this I know you have goals, dreams and ambitions. Maybe you even have a HUGE MISSION that you feel is your life’s calling. This means that you have a lot on your TO DO list. If you’re honest with yourself, you can easily list everything you have to do on a piece of paper. Focus on doing something to move toward you goal today…then tomorrow, make sure to celebrate.
