Procrastination is probably one of the slickest salesmen that we encounter on any given day, showing up dressed in his business suit of logic and persuasion, and making us buy the idea that procrastinating is really the right thing to do.

 

 

See if this sounds familiar:

 

You get ready to start your work day, and you take a look at your to-do list.  There's at least one item on there that you know is going to take your full focus and energy, and could likely take a few hours, so you decide it would be smarter to knock your short tasks out of the way first.  

 

Of course, then you go to your inbox, which leads to a lot of little fires that need attention.  The next thing you know, it's almost noon, so you decide not to start the big project until after lunch when you can work on it uninterrupted.  

 

You come back from lunch only to find a few more emails have come in that you can handle quickly(ish), so you go ahead and just do that.  

 

By the time you finally get around to starting the original project, you've already lost your sharpest mental focus of the day, so you push papers around, make a plan for getting started, and then decide to push it off until tomorrow morning when you can focus on it with all of your energy for an uninterrupted block of time. 

 

Is it just me who relates to that?  I didn't think so. 

 

Procrastination doesn't just visit us at work, he shows up all across the spectrum of our lives.  

 

Let's say you've got a few pounds to lose.  You know you should start back on your exercise program, but Procrastination is quick to remind you that can't start it this week, because you're going on vacation in two weeks, and of course you won't have time to exercise on vacation, so you'd just lose any progress you might make between now and then anyway.  

 

Or maybe instead of exercising to lose those pounds, you're going to make some healthy changes to your diet — except, as Procrastination points out, there's that neighborhood bar-b-que coming up on Saturday, and plus with the kids home from school over the summer, there will have to be some junk food in the house and it will be just too much to try and avoid that temptation staring you right in the face.  

 

You've got a book club meeting next Thursday, and you haven't even started the book yet, because you haven't found a couple of hours where you can sit and read, uninterrupted, and really get into it.  (Never mind that you've been sitting on the couch with Procrastination, watching TV and scrolling through Facebook before bed every night since your last book club meeting!)

 

My friend, it's time to send this arrogant dude packing and out of your life for good!  

 

But he's not going to go willingly; I can promise you that.

 

He will try to sneak back in every possible door or window cracked even the slightest bit open, so you've got to be on guard like one of those British guys in the tall fuzzy hats! 

 

Because I've been inclined to entertain Procrastination a time or two, I've had to develop some strategies for keeping him at bay.

 

1. Every evening, I make my priority list for the next day, listing what I know needs to be done in order of importance.  No matter what, I start my day with what's on top of the list, whether it will take me 5 minutes or 3 hours.  Yes, sometimes people might get annoyed that they have to wait for my responses to their emails, but given that I don't work in a life-or-death kind of business, it is what it is, and they can just wait. 

 

2. When I hear the voice of Procrastination in my head trying to wheedle and cajole me into losing my focus, putting something off, getting lazy, or making excuses, I overpower his voice with my louder inner voice reminding me of exactly why he needs to shut the heck up!  (You think I'm kidding?  I'll have tell you sometime about the in-my-head yelling at myself I did during a half-marathon! I can be pretty darn tough!) 

 

3.  I keep a written log of what I actually accomplish alongside what I had planned to accomplish.  I really hate to have something on my to-do list for a day that doesn't get done, so I'm pretty good about staying at it until I'm finished.  Now obviously if I have a multi-day or week project, I don't put the entire thing on one day's to-do list, but I'll put some chunk of it on there so I can check it off when I finish.  This includes not just work, by the way, but my plan for daily exercise, scripture reading, and personal goals progress.

 

4.  I keep this quote on a sticky note over my desk right in my line of sight:  "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." — Goethe

 

As with most things in life, you are 100% responsible for the role you allow the slick salesman, Procrastination, to play in your life.  If you really and truly want him gone, then you have to take ownership of kicking him out and keeping him out.  

 

There are no Procrastination restraining orders available — I Googled it to be sure.  

You've got this! 

 

Do you struggle with procrastination?  Would you like some further suggestions on how to start winning that battle?  Feel free to email me, and we can set up a time to connect!  jen@ziglarfamily.com