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8 Ways of Looking at Procrastination and How to Avoid it

Guest post by: Gabriela Casineanu

Article Overview: There could be many aspects related to procrastination, let’s explore a few of them. 1. Too much to do. 2. Internal blockage. 3. Lack of motivation. 4. Lack of paying attention. 5. Tired. 6. Guilt. 7. Delegating. 8. Passion.

8 Ways of Looking at Procrastination and How to Avoid it

There could be many aspects related to procrastination, let's explore a few of them.

1. Too much to do. You're a creative person (too many ideas) or too many things to do.. and your time is limited. Does it look like procrastination, if you just can't do everything you want?! Prioritize by importance and urgency might help; still, you might have to postpone some actions.

2. Internal blockage. You want so much to do something, but you simply find reasons for not doing it. Is it something blocking you? Maybe one or more limiting beliefs and assumptions related to how to achieve it, or why. By checking in this area and remove those internal limitations you will get a "freeway" to achieving what you want. Well, you still have to take actions to get there, and you will be more committed to do them.

3. Lack of motivation. Does that procrastinated action enter in the category "I should/ I have to"?

Question to ponder: Does this action really help you to get where you want? If not, maybe you want to reconsider it, instead of just taking for grant what others say or you say to yourself.

If it's not getting you where you want, but you still decide to take that action (for different reasons), find something useful about it, something that attracts you about the results you might get. This will give you enough motivation to do it, instead of procrastinate it.

4. Lack of paying attention. That's an interesting one! How focused are you on what you want? If that specific action, that you want to take, it's out of your attention most of the time (you always find something more urgent to do), it doesn't get done.. and looks like procrastination. Put it in your agenda (to remind you of its importance), set aside some time for it, and schedule the other actions around it.

5. Tired. When you are tired, your motivation and focus are suffering as well; you don't have enough energy to do what you want.. and procrastinate. Take care of yourself: lack of sleep, too much effort are sabotaging you without even noticing. Give yourself a break.. you deserve it!

6. Guilt. Do you feel guilty just thinking about doing that action? Check first where this is coming from: is it because the others make you feel guilty, or you think you don't deserve it? Think again! If it is in alignment with who you really are and what's important to you, put the guilt aside. In time, others people will understand why you did it... or if not, does it really matter since you feel good about the results?

7. Delegating. This applies to me too. ;-) It's important to delegate the things that others can do better and easier than you do, so you can free your time to do the things that you do the best (and get paid well in return). Don't waste your time and try to do everything; you will end up procrastinating, and there might be exactly the actions that could bring you more profit (financial and psychological).

8. Passion. Procrastination and Passion don't get along together. When you loose the connection with who you are and what's important to you, motivation goes away.. and procrastination kicks in. Check out what's missing!

Anything else that might help procrastinators? ;-)

Gabriela

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Article Tags: delegate, guilt, motivation, passion, procrastination



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