“Procrastination is the thief of time” – Alec McKenzie
When it comes to the subject of time management, there is only one working unit we have: TODAY!
Yesterday is a cancelled check, tomorrow is a promissory note, and today is cash. We have all heard this and we know it is true. So if today is all we have, that means each of our days is treasured and well planned. Right? I find that too often folks don’t plan their day. We procrastinate working on the things that are most valuable and get caught up in distractions and “tantalizing trivialities”.
One of my antidotes to procrastination is to have clear goals and a Single Daily Action. A single daily action is something we do every day to form a new, productive habit. My single daily action today was to go through an old file drawer that had been sitting idle for about 15 years. It was loaded with valuable notes and observations I had captured when I taught well-known self-development course for a world-wide training organization. The first card I came across was the subject of procrastination. It was loaded with golden nuggets, and here they are:
Reasons for procrastination
Fear of discomfort (Of course. If it was comfortable we would already be doing it)
Fear of failure
Fear of success: (That’s right!)
Excessive need for approval
Need to passively rebel (My favorite)
Keys for overcoming procrastination
Clarify your values: Make a list of all that is important to you. Then search for values that conflict.
Pinpoint your fears
Set realistic expectations: Set priorities daily. Have a daily “to do” list that ties directly to your goals. There better be some stretch in it!
Decide when procrastination makes sense (Could be a reason to wait, or it might be a lower priority)
Record excuses :Make a list of rationalizations you use to justify procrastination. Make a second list which more appropriately affects reality.
Take “bits and pieces” point of view
Pull three files
Write an outline
Complete an hours research
Be satisfied with one piece today. Complete another tomorrow.
