To Procrastinate or Activate?
“You may delay, but time will not.” ~ Benjamin Franklin.
Recently I was having a conversation with a young leader who told me he spent all day Saturday watching football and as a result, he didn’t get any work done. He felt bad because he had some projects planned, but he had wasted the entire day just watching football. This is a good guy; he takes care of his family, running a couple of successful “side hustles” to make extra money for them. He asked me, how do you overcome procrastination? My response to his question was simple and straightforward: overcoming procrastination requires a plan, then action and, finally, maintaining personal accountability.
Most people have procrastinated about something like school, writing, exercise or reading, and the list goes on. First, don’t mentally beat yourself up over it. It is very natural to procrastinate. Second, talk with someone about what really makes you hesitate. Maybe it is fear, being tired or just being unsure of what to do next. Talking about it helps clarify what needs to be done. Once I get clear on what I want to do or what needs doing, then I can take ownership by planning. I try to schedule my projects with dates so I know when to do them. Deadlines help us focus on prioritizing tasks and motivate us to action.
The will and ability to get things done is a mindset “muscle,” that needs strengthening by doing. Deadlines are helpful but I also need to have clarity on the next steps to move me to action. When I don’t know, it has helped me to seek assistance. When I needed to work out, it helped me that my doctor told me I needed more exercise and warned me that my future was going to include medical challenges if I did not get active. Up until that time, I wanted to work out, but I never did. I was unmotivated and unclear as to those next steps. My doctor’s warning motivated me to hire a trainer who motivated me to action. If I was going to wait on me to feel like working out, it may have never happened. I made a choice, then a daily choice to follow a plan of action to get into shape. Now I am in the gym 5 days a week.
Identify and develop the plan. Activate the plan by setting small steps to accomplish each day, then work to have accountability and ownership of the progress. Turn off the TV and record the game so you can watch it later. One day, I spent three hours watching two games by sitting down with the plan to fast forward through breaks, huddles and even half-time. And, I have been known to move my TV outside so I could work while a game was on (I call that multitasking, though it really is not).
Plan on growing your mindset “muscle.” Discipline yourself to action. Then if time allows, reward yourself with little things like watching a football game – all four quarters complete with huddles and half time.
Keep cultivating your greatness!
