When was the last time you procrastinated?  Maybe you even did a little procrastination before you decided to spend 3 minutes reading this post. I’ve been there myself, in fact, for a long time I thought I was a chronic procrastinator and there was ABSOUTLY nothing I could do about it.  Procrastination comes in many forms and for many reasons.  I think everyone procrastinates at some time or another but it’s when you get into the habit of chronic procrastination that can take a devastating turn on your business.

So what is procrastination well it’s putting something off even when you know when it needs to be done?  Few of us have escaped the clutches of procrastination at one time or another in our life because it’s so easy to succumb to its seductive ways.  It’s easy to get down on yourself when we procrastinate.  It makes me feel like a failure.  It causes a lot of negative self chatter to go on behind the sense of the subconscious mind.  And the subconscious mind does run the show.

Procrastination has many disguises:  television, internet, email, books, household chores, telephone, sleep and even the excuse of helping a friend.  Procrastinators seldom do nothing, but what they do is hardly useful.

For many the underlying root problem of your procrastination is fear and anxiety.

You feel anxious about a task so you choose to ignore it.  This is a serious problem for students who have many deadlines to meet but it’s also a growing problem for those in the home and workplace.

So now that you have learned a little about it what can be done?

1. The best way I know how to avoid procrastination is to stop thinking of a project or task as a big job.  Even if it’s unpleasant you can do one small step at a time.  For instance when you decide to publish an ezine thinking about all the components of the ezine can be and feel overwhelming.  If you changed your tactics to thinking about what our topic is about first, next maybe a title for the topic.
2. There are many ways to combat fear, anxiety and its offspring procrastination.  Realize you have a choice to succeed or not to succeed.  Set realistic goals in small increments and cultivate a sense of self worth.
3. Don’t focus on weaknesses.  Most fears are unfounded and irrational.  Realize you’re working against yourself, analyze them and move on.  Ask yourself the real reason you’re afraid.  Be brutally honest.  For some, exercise and deep breathing help.

Fear and anxiety over not completing a task or project leads to procrastination and this in turn causes more fear of failure.  Failure fear is common but some fear success.  They feel if they complete the task successfully it will set the bar too high for future projects.

We delay finishing a task because we fear criticism, disapproval and negative feedback.  We had rather procrastinate than suffer the fear of shame and embarrassment of unreal expectations.

This expands into fear and anxiety of possible rejection, being criticized and making mistakes.  Some even fear losing freedom and put off committing to a project.  Fears are sometimes unconscious and people deny they suffer from them.

There is no perfect time to begin.  Mark Twain said, “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do day after tomorrow.”  The important thing is to start.  Learn as much as you can about your task, take one step at a time, reward yourself and soon fear and anxiety will disappear

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