Want to Overcome Procrastination? Try this Easy Time Management Technique
Is procrastination keeping you from experiencing the productivity, happiness or wealth you want? Do you describe yourself as a procrastinator?
Let’s say you have to get a project done but you find yourself procrastinating. You tell yourself you’ll get to it eventually and maybe you even put it on your calendar but then something comes up, you get interrupted or distracted and you don’t get it done. And let’s say this project is really important to you but you find yourself sabotaging your own efforts. You feel stuck. Maybe you start the project but you resist finishing it, or maybe you don’t even start it at all.
What causes procrastination?
If procrastination is keeping you from being as productive as you want and you don’t know why you’re procrastinating, then you’ll be interested in hearing a story about Rachel who was a chronic procrastinator. We’ll discuss why Rachel was stuck, and the real reason for her procrastination…It’s not what you think. I’ll share the 4 reasons why we all procrastinate. And I’ll introduce you to a really simple, effective time management technique and reveal 9 tips you can use today to overcome procrastination.
Discover an easier way to overcome procrastination and increase your productivity
Some years ago I had a coaching client, Rachel, who wanted to build her business. She knew growing her business would help her improve her financial situation, but she was stressed and overwhelmed by all the steps she needed to take. Every time she started to see a little progress in her business, something would happen and she’d procrastinate on doing the work. Rachel knew the steps she had to take to get organized but she always found some distraction or excuse to get in her way that would sabotage her efforts, so she’d end up spinning her wheels. Rachel didn’t understand why she was stuck.
She didn’t realize she was spending her time procrastinating. She was resistant to doing the work to move her business forward. I taught her a technique called EFT, the Emotional Freedom Technique, or Tapping and we worked on her procrastination. After using the technique a few times, Rachel began to understand why she was sabotaging herself from reaching success. The technique helped uncover Rachel’s motivations and fear of success. What came out of our coaching sessions was a real revelation for her. As a child, Rachel felt invisible and never received validation for her thoughts or her voice. She never learned how to feel successful…so she believed she didn’t deserve success.
Procrastination was keeping Rachel busy, but wasn’t allowing her to be productive with what she really needed to do to grow her business. Procrastination was protecting Rachel from her fear of success and that motivation was more important to her than getting things done.
Rachel began to see how this fear was showing up in her adult life and was affecting her relationships, her career and her ability to build a successful business.
EFT or Tapping helped Rachel become more aware of her feelings and beliefs and how these feelings and beliefs dictated how she was spending her time. This time management technique helped Rachel let go of her fear of success. She started believing she deserved success and began to take action to build her business with confidence.
This story about procrastination is just one of many I share in my book, Triple Your Time Today, on Amazon.
I share the story because we all experience procrastination from time to time and that’s normal. But when procrastination gets in the way of your ability to be productive with your time or it prevents you from moving forward in your career, your relationships or your ability to make more money, then it’s time to uncover the reasons why you procrastinate and clear them so you can get unstuck and get to where you want to be, quickly and easily.
Want to know how EFT works and go through the process to overcome your procrastination?
On Time Management Radio this week, we take this discussion even further with my special guest Carol Look. Carol’s recognized and respected around the globe for inspiring people to attract abundance into their lives by using EFT or the Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as Tapping to clear limiting beliefs and build a mindset for prosperity. During our conversation, we discuss why we get stuck, the 4 reasons for procrastination and Carol takes me through the tapping process to demonstrate how to overcome procrastination using this simple technique.
Carol’s also offering access to a new program and some special FREE bonuses, Procrastination: Tapping Your Way from Self-Sabotage to Success. Check it out here.
9 Time Management Tips to help you Overcome Procrastination
We all want more time to do things that are important to us like getting enough rest, engaging in hobbies, and staying fit. While we know we should take the time to go to the gym or get that big project done, very often something else takes priority and we put those “important” things off. Why do we do this? Why do we allow procrastination to prevent us from accomplishing our goals?
Awareness is the first step toward making any change in a habit or behavior. If you know why you’re hesitating or the reason for your procrastination, you can start to address some potential solutions.
If you’re still not reaching your goals because you’ve developed non-supporting habits causing procrastination, then the next step is to find the motivation to change. If you’re not fully committed to making a change in your life, you’ll stay stuck right where you are.
Remember, people are only motivated to change for 2 reasons: To seek pleasure or avoid pain. Are you procrastinating because you get some benefit from it or are you procrastinating to avoid fear, or failure? If you know what motivates you and you apply that to the way you approach your goals, you’ll begin to put an end to your procrastination.
The next time you find yourself stuck and want to overcome your procrastination, try these 9 productivity shortcuts instead:
1. Pick a clear, reasonable goal you want to accomplish and a few steps for how you might get there.
2. Break your goal down into manageable-sized activities, which you put into a calendar so you can accomplish some of it every day.
3. Select one single task and start on it immediately.
4. Select a small part of a big job and do only that one to get started.
5. Set a time limit for the project. Work on a major task for 30 minutes each day until it’s done.
6. Set up a reward structure for completing each part of a job.
7. Create a deadline and promise others you’ll complete a task by a certain time. The social pressure of not wanting to let others down is a big motivator for some people.
8. Or imagine you have another project coming so you have to get this project done before you start the next one.
9. And use EFT, or Tapping to overcome your procrastination. It’ll help you overcome your resistance to starting a project or getting things done. If you start tapping on your procrastination, pretty soon you’ll wake up one day excited to start that project or to finish a project you’ve been putting off.
If you’re committed to overcoming procrastination and you want to take this tool one step further, you can find Carol’s new self-study training program Eliminate Procrastination: tapping your way from self-sabotage to success by clicking here.
What’s causing your procrastination? Please comment and share.
Kathryn McKinnon is an executive coach dedicated to helping you change the way you spend your time so you can change your life. This story, along with time management tips and strategies to save more time are found in Triple Your Time Today! on Amazon. If you’d like to hear easy ways you can make more time for you, go to: http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/time-management-radio/. If you want help changing the way you or your team spend time and are ready for personal or corporate coaching or training, contact Kathryn McKinnon at [email protected] and discover how to stop procrastination.