How To Deal With The Procrastinator In You

We all need to postpone things from time to time. Yet, when it goes too far, we must learn how to deal with the procrastinator within us.

It isn’t easy to learn how to deal with the procrastinator in our partners, friends, or colleagues.

But what about you?

Yeah! I’m talking to YOU!

Are you sure there isn’t anything you’re leaving for “tomorrow” just-because?

It can be:

• making a call.
• replying an email.
• filling documents.
• starting a diet.

Whether it’s something from your personal life or a task from work: what is it that you have been procrastinating lately?

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Why we procrastinate

Nobody likes to be considered a procrastinator.

Nobody wants to procrastinate anything either!

Yet, we can be very keen in finding excellent explanations for why we haven’t been able to deal with a certain task or situation yet.

But no matter how convincing our excuses are, to ourselves or others, they don’t change the fact that we might be postponing things for way much longer than we should.

Some of the reasons why people procrastinate are:

• Lack of discipline
• Lack of interest
• Fear of failure
• Fear of making a decision
• Lack of urgency

Lack of discipline

Unless your manager asks for that report on a daily basis, you don’t finish it.

Or unless your kids keep on nagging about that promise you made, you don’t do it.

You got so accustomed to having people reminding you of your responsibilities you don’t get them done right away anymore.

Lack of interest

If it’s not something you’re excited about, you simply “forget” about it.

This one is especially common in some kids.

Doing their homework is exhausting while playing the whole day outside is a piece of cake.

It’s all a matter of interest and priorities.

Fear of failure

When facing a task you aren’t confident about your skills to complete, you just procrastinate it.

Maybe someone else will pick it for you and you won’t have to worry about it anymore.

It happens a lot with perfectionists.

Fear of making a decision

You’re put in a situation that you need to make a choice before proceeding with a task.

Since there’s no one else around to be held accountable for the next steps, you just drop it until further notice.

Lack of urgency

“Why doing it today if it’s only due tomorrow.”

You have the perception that you don’t need to “rush,” so you set priorities based on the idea you’ll have all the time in the world later.

It’s a risky approach since you never know what may come your way last minute.

How to overcome procrastination

You may not like the idea, but you must discover how to deal with the procrastinator in you if you want to be more productive.

If you feel that some of your personality traits make things harder for you, you should focus on your Personal Development first.

A chat with a friend, like-minded people, or a coach can be very helpful.

Anyway, you can always take advantage of opportunities to know yourself better whether it is to:

• Get rid of the procrastination habit.
• Improve your efficiency.
• Develop a fulfilling lifestyle.

In most cases, though, these 7 steps are more than enough to get you on the right path:

1. Break up with perfectionism.
2. Improve your time management skills.
3. Learn how to prioritize.
4. Make realistic lists.
5. Build your confidence.
6. Forgive your mishaps.
7. Just do it!

Dealing with the procrastinator in you

Sometimes, because of the amount of information and tasks we have to deal with on a regular basis, we don’t have any other option but to delay the completion of certain items.

There’s nothing wrong with it!

Priorities shift with time and we must adapt ourselves and be flexible as situation changes.

But we can’t lose sight of the job we’re leaving behind.

Postponing something to a better moment and delaying it indefinitely are two completely different things.

For most of us, procrastination is a habit, and like any other habit, you can change it by working on your mindset.

Start by identifying the areas of your life that suffer the most with your procrastination and apply the 7 steps above to get over it.

If you want to build an accountability system with the support of other like-minded planners, join the 52-week challenge today.

52-Week Challenge For A More Productive You

I’m hosting a 52-week productivity challenge on my closed Facebook Group.

You can read everything about the challenge here.

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How the 52-week productivity challenge works

First of all, grab a copy of the list [ninja-popup ID=11356]52 Things That Are Killing Your Productivity[/ninja-popup].

After signing up, you’ll be invited to join my closed Facebook group.

On the group, I’ll share daily prompts during the 52-Week Challenge For A More Productive You.

I’ll guide you through a brand-new topic each week. 

From Monday through Friday, you’ll learn how you can use Mindful Planning™ to:

• Become more efficient
• Save time
• Manage stress
• Achieve your goals

You can start the 52-Week Challenge For A More Productive You at any moment of the year.

And you choose whether to follow every single week or to focus on your personal pain points.

If you miss anything, you can always refer to older posts for catch-up or review.

All that FOR FREE!

See you at the challenge

The method I apply to the challenge is exactly the same one I use with my clients: Mindful Planning™.

It’s a 5-step method you can use to all aspects of your life become more productive one day at a time without added stress.

Come and join the 52-Week Challenge For A More Productive You today.

I’m looking forward guiding you towards a successful year and beyond!