You Might Be a Procrastinator If… (Pt I)

I don’t know about you, but I am a procrastinator. I know and I accept it. I would imagine that we all procrastinate at one time or another.

Do you turn off the alarm to snuggle back under the covers for another 10 minutes?

What about putting off going to bed because you want to do one or two more things that excite you more than getting proper rest?

What about surfing the Internet when you should be writing an article, report, or paper.

These things are procrastination – the act of putting things off habitually or intentionally (m-w.com) – at its core. 

Some forms of procrastination can set you back if you aren’t aware of it. When you know the signs of excessive procrastination, you can identify it, recognize it, and eliminate it, before it adversely affects your life. 

1. Goals not well thought out – Intentional, well thought out goals will keep you on the path to success. Include actual daily steps that will get you where you want to go. 
2. Unrealistic goals –Your subconscious mind knows when your goals are not realistic, and it takes steps to avoid acting. Make realistic goals that include doable actions necessary to get you to your end result. You’ll feel more enthusiastic about your day.
3. Inability to Focus – If your mind won’t allow you to focus when you’re trying to do things, this could mean your goals and actions are disorganized. Or you may be distracted. Eliminate as many distractions as you can in order to regain your focus. As human beings we are not able to multitask. We can’t concentrate on more than one thing at a time.
4. You Feel Overwhelmed – You may have taken on too much. This can cause you to put things off. I experience feelings of overwhelm when I have to manage my writing business, my autistic son’s activities, and the things my elderly parents need (which can range from multiple appointments to paying bills – yes, they still pay some bills the old-fashioned way). When these activities are spaced out, things run smoothly and everybody is happy. When these activities clash is when issues arise, and tempers rise. Evaluate your schedule and remove the things you don’t absolutely need to do and manage everything else. If you can prioritize your to-do list that helps greatly.
5. Your harbor negative beliefs – To avoid procrastination, you have to believe in your self and what you’re trying to accomplish. You also have to be willing to speak up for yourself. This keeps you from accepting tasks that don’t meet your goals. Negativity gets in the way of action-taking. The moment you recognize you’re procrastinating because of negative beliefs, try flipping those negative thoughts on their head. For instance, instead of saying “I never get anything done,” say something like Yes, it seems like I never get anything done but I wrote 1000 words yesterday. 

There are all sorts of things that cause us to put things off. In part two, we’re going to look at six more ways, you might be a procrastinator. Stay tuned.