‘But it’s Christmas in two weeks’
‘I don’t know what to do’
‘We’ve got that thing to do, you know…that thing?!’
Procrastination is one of the worst things to do when it comes to making positive changes. Like all delaying tactics, it wastes your time and energy – and more often than not, can reduce the likelihood of you ever achieving what you set out to do.
We all know that once you once you get something started, you will feel so much better for it, it will be easier to continue and you will likely become more efficient.
But how do you get started in the first place? And why should you do it RIGHT NOW?
Use these 3 simple steps to banish the delay tactics:
Step one: quit with the excuses
People can be incredibly creative when it comes to thinking of excuses. We often used them to get out of situations that seem difficult and unpleasant, or something that is causing us fears and anxieties.
Sometimes we use excuses simply because we do not want to commit to something, or maybe because we are lazy and like to procrastinate instead of doing something.
Each and every one of us has done it, in one way or the other, in every aspect of our lives.
If you want to achieve happiness in your life, and feel good with yourself, you need to stop with the excuses and start doing things instead. No matter how difficult they might seem at the moment, some things need to be done before it’s too late.
Step two: make a plan
Without a plan, a set of goals or even a dream, you’re going to find it much harder to start on your path to success.
Once you know what your idea of success or change looks like, you can get started on a plan. Try starting with brainstorming ideas – once you have these outlined, pick the first and second ideas that you think have the biggest chance of helping you to reach your goal. Lastly, execute the plan.
Not all plans work the first time, so it’s important to stay optimistic.
Step three: reach out for support
While writing a success plan is great and knowing what you want to accomplish too, reaching out to other people who can support and hold you accountable to those goals is a great tool too!
It’s all too easy for us to focus individually on our own steps to success and forget that leaning on experts, family and friends for support is the best way to get there. A helping hand could push your goals over the finish line and provide resources you didn’t know you had.
Bonus step: Talk back to your negative thoughts.
If your friend told you they’d had an unproductive day, would you respond negatively or positively? Positively I bet – with an arm round their shoulder and words of support and help.
Consider it the same for yourself. Being harsh on yourself won’t help you achieve more, in fact, it can only make you feel crappy and will certainly not help you to progress more quickly to your end goal.
Follow these steps. Use them as your guide. Take them seriously.
Do that, and the usual feelings of procrastination and the same old excuses will rear their ugly heads less and less. And guess what? They’ll be replaced with positivity, progression and a whole lot of happiness.
What do you say? Are you with us? Let’s get going TODAY (there’s no point waiting until after New Year’s – you’ll be a month behind the rest of us 😉 ).
