Stop Procrastinating:
Turn your worries into real solutions!
Sitting there worrying has never helped anyone. So stop
procrastinating in your life!
So many times we think about the things that worry us, in
fact, many of you dwell on them instead of doing something about
them. Have you not heard the phrase, "analysis creates
paralysis"? Well it's true! Worry is unproductive and causes
us to procrastinate. It's time to turn your worries into
actions.
Procrastination is a real problem because in most instances, putting things
off only makes matters worse.
Why do we do it?
One thing is for sure, we all have our own reasons why we procrastinate.
For someone it may be going to the doctors for something that has been
bothering them for a long time. Maybe they are afraid of what the results might
be or maybe they are just uncomfortable and just want to avoid it altogether.
For someone else it may be they have a problem with someone specific and they
need to confront that person directly. Many people have a problem with
confrontation and fear rejection and so it stops them from moving forward in
their relationship.
Or someone else may have money issues and yet they have been putting off
finding a second job.
No matter what your reason is, you need to stop procrastinating! Putting
things off never fixes anything. Problems do not go away on their own. Many
times those problems only get worse and if it's a medical problem, it could even
be deadly.
So what are your worries? What keeps you stuck?
It's time to become proactive in finding solutions to your problems. By doing
something about it means you are taking control of your life. Even if you can't
find a solid solution that will fix everything, there are still certain things
you can do in your life that will give you hope towards something better. There
are no hopeless cases!
Procrastination almost always has some unhealthy reason behind it. Maybe you
will see yourself in one of these self-defeating categories.
Perfectionism:
These people usually have issues with self-doubt. They doubt their ability to
accomplish the task to their perfect standards. They fear failure and so they
never even try to begin. They need to give themselves permission to be
imperfect. Also by giving themselves this permission, they release this pressure
to be perfect. Realistically speaking, no one is perfect... not one person
anywhere. Doing your best is enough and doing something is always better than
doing nothing. For more information, visit
perfectionism.
Habitual Pessimism:
Out of habit, the pessimist with the overwhelmed mind thinks about how tired
they feel, or how big the job is in it's entirety. They focus on all the
negative aspects of the job and lose motivation by their own self-defeating
self-talk. They lose motivation by making excuses why they can't do
something. You can also call this a habit of laziness. This is one of those
things that really requires you to push yourself to do what you don't feel
like doing. It's important to remember that feelings are not always facts.
Anticipatory Anxiety:
Fear is another big reason why people procrastinate. They don't like the
physical sensations they feel in their body. Just thinking about carrying out the action makes them
feel uncomfortable and so they avoid it because they don't want to feel any
emotional or physical discomfort. Their fear could be of anything. Fear of
rejection, fear of panic sensations, fear of failure, fear of confrontation...it
doesn't matter what it is. Fear is fear and always produces the same
uncomfortable feelings in everyone.
Overcome procrastination by organizing your mind and prioritizing your
challenges.
Make a list of those things that you want or need to do. Put them in order by
most important to least important. Give yourself a certain time limit to get
them done. If it's a small job, then plan to do it in a day. Bigger jobs can be
split into smaller jobs and spread out over a realistic amount of time.
If you don't finish everything that you intended to
finish by the deadline, simply give yourself credit for all
you have done so far. Then pick up where you left off the
following day. Make sure your self-talk is positive and
encouraging. Beating yourself up for not doing it by the
intended date is only sabotaging any efforts you put forth.
You will only make yourself feel worse and you probably will
not finish. So don't allow yourself to be negative. Count
all your efforts as being good. Keep your mind focused on
your goal and do not give up. Take baby steps if you have
to, just keep moving.
Don't forget to reward yourself when you are done.
Once a difficult task has been finished, be sure to reward yourself for all
your hard work. You can plan a reward even well before you begin tackling your
task. This will give you something to push towards. Knowing there is a gift at
the end of the road, encourages you to keep moving forward.
If you suffer with procrastinating with housework, there is a great website
called
FlyLady.net. It offers
some great encouragement, tips and other helpful ideas. Be sure to check it out.
Your life is waiting! Stop putting off what you can do TODAY! Don't allow
procrastination to steal your time and stop you from living your life and
accomplishing the things you want to do. Some people procrastinate their entire
lives, wishing for this and that. It's time to DO SOMETHING proactive with your
life. Your dreams can only be accomplished by DOING something about it. You will
have no one to blame but yourself. What are you waiting for?
For recommended reading, visit Overcoming Procrastination
.
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