At OneLife we talk a lot about Time Management, and we teach and provide great tools for mastering your time. However sometimes even the greatest Time Masters can fall victim to Procrastination!

Procrastination usually involves ignoring an unpleasant, but more important task, in favour of one that is more enjoyable or easier.

Even the smallest acts of procrastination can have serious consequences like having us feel guilty or ashamed as well as causing a lack of productivity and causing us to miss out on achieving our goals.

Procrastination over an extended period can cause us to become demotivated with our work and in some cases, it can even cause a state of depression as we fail to reach important goals or make important decisions.

As with most habits it is possible to overcome procrastination by focusing on positive steps:

Acknowledge That You’re Procrastinating…..

Are you?

• Filling your day with lower priority tasks
• Leaving an item on your To-Do list for a long time
• Reading emails several times over without deciding on your response
• Starting a high-priority task and then heading off to make a coffee
• Filling your time with trivial tasks that other people ask you to do, instead of getting on with the important tasks already on your list
• Waiting to be in “right mood,” or wait for the “right time”

Work Out WHY You’re Procrastinating…..

Are you avoiding a task because you find it boring or uninspiring?

If so, create a plan to get it done quickly or find a way to bring some fun to the task. That way you can get it done and get back to the jobs you find more inspiring.

Are you disorganised? Organised people successfully overcome procrastination because they use their daily planners and to do lists to manage their time effectively. Try creating more order in your day to avoid chaos and disorganisation.

Ask yourself, what is the cost of procrastination? What is the cost of me not getting this done?

What is pay off or reward for Procrastination apart from being average?

10 tips for breaking the habit!

1. Remember procrastination is a habit, which means you aren’t going to completely bust it overnight
2. Forgive yourself for the past – let yourself off the hook and let go of any guilt or shame. This will make you feel more positively about yourself and positivity leads to motivation.
3. Commit 110% to the task. Focus on doing, not avoiding. Write down the tasks that you need to complete and specify a time for doing them- give yourself a deadline!
4. Celebrate the little wins! If you complete a difficult task on time, reward yourself with a treat and take the time to notice how good it feels to complete a task
5. Have an accountability buddy. Get a friend or colleague involved in your new journey to time mastery and you can support each other to stay on track
6. Action tasks as they arise rather than letting them build up over another day
7. Listen to your internal dialogue; do you need to change the way you speak to yourself? Rather than taking your own power away by telling yourself you “have to” do something, perhaps you could say, “I choose to”
8. Beware of Self Sabotage- are there parts of you that fear success?
9. Limit distractions. Turn off your emails and social media.
10. Get the uninspiring tasks done first and enjoy the rest of your day!

Good luck with busting through and creating new time management habits, we would love to hear about some of the things you procrastinate about! And if you feel like you would like some support with getting into action – register now for a free strategy session with one of our coaches!

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