Conquer Procrastination Now!

Sept. 26, 2008 - PRLog -- Everyone needs a vacation, or a day off, or a coffee break sometime.  Putting off a project for a little while on rare occasions can be excused – we all have our off days.  Co-workers, clients, and business partners will object, however, to chronic procrastination.
Other people do not want to work with anyone who habitually puts off assignments or delays decisions.  For chronic procrastinators, it is important that they understand the reasons for their behavior.  Procrastination can be a sign of mental fatigue, anxiety, depression, or a physical illness.  For most others, the cure may just require practice, preparation, and self discipline.  Here are recommendations, in no particular order, for overcoming chronic procrastination from a leading business coaching company:
Understand
Confusion or uncertainty about project details or expectations can create a fear of failure and cause procrastination.  Take the time to fully understand the assignment and project goals.  Ask questions until you are completely comfortable with your ability to perform the assignment.

Plan
Poor planning leads to procrastination as uncertainty over the next tasks enable delay.  Develop detailed project plans that state specific tasks, timelines, milestones, and deliverables.

Divide
Separate complex projects into manageable phases and execute each phase as its own project.  Complexity is reduced, confusion minimized, and focus sharpened.

Prioritize
Categorize tasks by level of urgency and focus on those that are most imperative.  

Take Responsibility
Commit to someone you trust and respect, perhaps a spouse, friend, or mentor, that you will complete the project posthaste.  You will be motivated to perform in order to fulfill your commitment.

Help Yourself
A positive attitude can prevent procrastination, whereas depression and fear leads to delay.  Take positive actions to restore self-esteem and lost confidence.

Exercise and Rest
Psychological and physical fatigue drain one’s ability and desire to perform.  The mind and body require exercise to function at peak effectiveness, and rest to replenish energy.  Schedule sufficient time for both – and do them!

Visualize
See the project completed successfully in your mind.  Imagine each step executed perfectly.  Visualization has been proven effective in countless studies.

Unless one suffers from debilitating mental or physical impairment, chronic procrastination can be conquered.  Sufferers should begin with a realistic self-assessment to reveal the causes of the problem.  They should pay particular attention to the rationalizations they’ve used to justify the behavior as clues to the underlying causes.  With true self-awareness, the procrastinator will know where to focus his remedial efforts, and with practice and discipline of the above recommendations, the former procrastinator can overcome that career limitation.


About ActionCOACH
ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries.  To learn more about business coaching and ActionCOACH, go to actioncoach.com.