Defeating Procrastination

“Procrastination is the nemesis that results in the most massive loss of productivity, opportunity, and overall success.”

Despite this well-known fact, this one word is the most dominant source of frustration when we investigate organizations, employees, and what is holding them back from the success they seek. Worse yet, it is so easily acknowledged when brought to the attention of the guilty employees and leadership staff, but surprisingly, very little initiative exist to do something about it. The facts however, remain the same: You do not have to be subject to this type of slavery. If you procrastinate regularly and you know it, then procrastination is your master. A master that takes all of your profits, success, and opportunities. Further, you pay this master for every missed opportunity, profit margin and success you know you are capable of obtaining but did not because of its presence in your life. So the real question is: How long do you want to be mastered by your circumstances? Here are three of the most powerful things you can do to break this cycle and gain mastery over your business.

EMBRACE REALITY: Accept the fact that you have a problem that you cannot master alone. If you could, you already would have. No one wants to endure the consequences procrastination presents through its avoidance of unpleasant challenges that may line our paths. However, it is well known that 50% of solving a problem is the recognition that there is one. So recognize. Recognize today and notate the circumstances that cause this problem to enter into your world. Make the list as long as necessary to include your fears, your avoidance of challenging subjects and/or people, and whatever else that is causing this debilitating performance problem to overtake your life.

CREATE A BREAKTHROUGH PLAN: When you think of the objectives you should be doing, you know that there are many potential obstacles that could prevent your success in the timeframe you want to accomplish it. Write these obstacles down in their entirety. Hold nothing back and aggressively try to create in your mind every circumstance and situation that could occur from an outside perspective that would pose a threat to your accomplishing things on time, and in the order you know they should be completed. Once you’ve created this list you’re going to realize something profound: You already know what dangers lie ahead. So instead of being afraid of them, create solutions for them. In this way, when they arise, you will already know how to overcome it. This single step will prove invaluable to you in defeating the enemy of procrastination.

CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY: Let’s face it: The number 1 reason that you do not complete what you know you should do is lack of accountability. Either no one exist to hold you accountable, or there is no one you respect at the level required to hold you accountable. Either way, such is a problem. You need to create accountability for yourself. Allow someone whom you respect to be COMPLETELY honest with you, hold you accountable to doing what you say you are going to do. Provide them with your breakthrough plan and require that they hold you accountable to the action items you’ve committed to that will prove to overcome the challenges you know you will face when pursuing the objectives that are blocked by procrastination.

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