Have you ever told yourself “I am lazy. I am putting off doing things” …because you find that you want to do something but you don’t do it for some reason? Or maybe you do it once or twice, and then you stop.
You may have reasons or excuses of not doing something. But after reflecting on it, you realize the reasons are not true, so you start blaming yourself. And that doesn't work either. You still don't do the things you need to do. You spend hours in front of the laptop, but you don’t type, you don’t take the first action you need to do, no matter how simple it is.
But you also experience moments when you are tired but you gear yourself up to take the action needed because a project is important to do.
You are here because you know you can change. You have to change something but maybe it is not clear what is the "something" and how to start it and then to make a lasting change.
I remember 3 years ago, I got involved in a project – managing the quality of the program – I just needed to send an email informing people about the program – asking about their involvement – but I didn’t! but I completed a book! I would argue the book was more difficult to complete (or at least taking more time)…I completed it.
Have you felt like that? There is something maybe something simple like sending an email, not that challenging but you don’t do it. But how is it that you could do something more difficult?
Why? It is because you don’t find the compelling reasons for doing it or you don’t create compelling reasons for doing it.
But before that, you want to have a good starting point – an empowering way of looking at you – your own identity – to direct you from a delaying person into an effective person.
Let’s break it down how can we tackle it:
1.Changing how do you tell yourself about procrastination. (The word means, putting off things, maybe being lazy about doing something.)
Changing from I am a procrastinating person to:
“I am learning to take action on time”.
“I am an effective action taker” and I identify the habits of the on-time person.
2. Choose the one procrastinated thing to do first.
List all the things you need to do but you postpone doing them, and choose the most important thing to finish first.
3. Identify the reason why you want to do the project.
4. Break the project down into pieces.
5. Schedule what you need to do + Create triggers to remind you.
