We all procrastinate to a degree. Procrastination is an annoying monkey on your back. This is a killer of dreams. Haven’t you heard the saying, “Procrastination is the assassination of your motivation?” Procrastination has derailed my momentum, squandered my opportunities, and delayed my achieving my goals.
Taking decisive action in your business is essential. Putting off tasks is a passive decision and a way to avoid the reality of the situation. You associate pain with completing what needs to be done. Then it backfires and the pain of not following through kicks in and causes stress.
Avoidance is a decision, too. Often you avoid the most important things that will help you succeed. People act surprised when deadlines come up, bills are due, and appointments are missed. You are sidetracked by the little things that pile up, and then you are forced to act, dropping the ball, and your business suffers.
Here are 4.5 Good Reasons You Procrastinate
1. Boredom: Simply put you are bored. In life, you feel less enthusiastic from time to time. Work can become routine. Yet routines are what make people successful. Most entrepreneurs are notorious for becoming bored after the start-up. Awesome starters but the everyday grind has them itching for another adventure.
How do you beat boredom? First, recognize that you are bored. Be conscious of your feelings, energy levels, and lack of desire to finish a project.
A. Ask yourself why are you bored.
B. Change your routines. This could be the spark of new energy.
C. Are you an awesome starter? You need a new challenge. Make sure you have some finishers on your team that can complete the ventures you go after. Or if you are a finisher look for great starters. This will break your boredom.
D. Go after bigger deals and bigger clients. Create a new product or sell more stuff to your current client base. Getting excited about expansion can be contagious to the people around you.
Too Much on Your Plate?
2. Overwhelmed: Are you letting things pile up? Putting stuff off because you don’t feel like it can create a mountain of work that causes you to procrastinate. Now you have several items that need to be done. There are so many that you fail to start even one. Start handling one task and follow through to completion.
Find a way not to let this happen. This is a destructive habit that can lead to failure. If you are constantly doing this either you are not qualified to handle the business at hand or you need to take some decisive action now. Adopt the approach of Do, Delegate, or Delete. Break big projects down into manageable steps, hand off duties to those better suited for them, and delete everything that gets in the way.
3. You Hate What You Do: Are you in the wrong business? Money is a terrible motivator and if you don’t enjoy your work then why are you in business? That doesn’t mean you can bypass the grind. Successful people do the things unsuccessful people will not do. It’s not all peaches and cream.
Delegate the stuff you hate about your business. Tax preparation, filing paperwork, sales, customer service, and errands all can be handed off to someone else… freeing you to work on the parts of the business you enjoy.
Read Related Story: The Circle of Completion
The other side of the story is you are in the wrong business. You are stuck because you don’t want to be seen as a failure or you are afraid of losing the income. Being stuck in something you don’t enjoy is called a prison.
The biggest rewards come when you venture out of your comfort zone. You grew when you learned how to walk, and ride a bike, got your first paycheck, and started your business. Find your passion and go after it.
I Don’t Want to Do It
4. Just Plain Lazy: Reality check! If you are procrastinating because you rather sit on the couch and watch TV, go partying, play on the internet, or just sleep all day when there is work to be done. Don’t blame anyone because you are not having the abundance you think you deserve.
There is no excuse for laziness. Not even physical handicaps, poverty, or tragedies derail successful entrepreneurs. Bottom line success takes effort and consistent focused action. Laziness is not a part of the equation. Lazy people get fired, end up in debt, and flat broke.
4.5 Distractions: This is different from laziness. You are busy. So busy you don’t know what path you are on. You think busyness equals success. But are you getting anything done? Have you stopped and looked at what path you are on?
You are distracted! Have you found your passion and purpose? Do you fear living your dreams because others think you should be something you are not? Living your purpose takes courage. It’s a consistent courage that needs to be acted upon daily. Find the distractions and remove them.
Review the 4.5 reasons you procrastinate. People are waiting for your leadership and your success. The market needs your ideas, products, and services. Don’t hold back and stop making us wait on your greatness.
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