I recently heard a definition of procrastination that really made me think: “procrastination is the fear of success.” If you subscribe to this theory, then you believe that the real reason that people procrastinate is because they're afraid of the success that could result, and the responsibility that comes with it. It’s a really unique concept on a characteristic that many people simply associate with laziness, and it makes a whole lot of sense.
Therefore, if our procrastination is the only thing that’s standing in the way of our success, it’s important that we do everything that we can to cure ourselves of our procrastination habits.
With that in mind, here are some tips for how you can stop procrastinating and plug ahead to find new levels of success in your endeavors:
- Focus on the joy of the success rather than the responsibility. Attitude really is everything, and if you put more of an emphasis on how much you stand to gain from potential successes and the
joy you'll feel at having achieved some major goals, you'll find it easier to avoid procrastination.
- Break your task down into small steps. It’s easy to be overwhelmed when you have a huge project in front of you, but breaking that project down into smaller, easily digestible steps will go a long way toward improving your efficiency and helping you to avoid your procrastination.
- Think of the consequences you'll face if you don't complete the task. As we mentioned earlier, there’s a natural fear of success should you succeed. But what would happen if you don’t even try, or don’t complete the task at all? What would the consequences be? This could serve as motivation o help you get the task done.
- Ask for help. There’s no shame in seeking the assistance of colleagues, employees or friends when you have a big task ahead of you. Knowing that you’ll have someone working alongside you can be a great help to avoid putting off a particular task.
- Hold yourself accountable. Tell other people about your goals, or make them public. This will give you much more motivation to keep yourself accountable. When you say that you’re going to do something and do so publicly, it’s important that you follow through.
Remember: success comes with action. When you rid yourself of your procrastination habits, you'll open yourself to a world of greater potential than you've ever had.
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