How to Overcome the Dirty Little Habit of Procrastination!

We are all procrastinators. Either consciously or subconsciously we delay, stall and put off various tasks that will make a positive difference in our lives. Procrastinating is actually a habit developed over a long period of time. Habits are very hard to change without a conscious, deliberate action taken on our part.

Traditionally, procrastination has been associated with perfectionism, a tendency to negatively evaluate outcomes and one's own performance. It is an intense fear and avoidance of judgment of your abilities by others. Heightened social self-consciousness, anxiety, recurrent low moods, and workaholism are the results of compulsory procrastination.

So how did we get into this mess? Procrastination is like any other habit. Our daily routine tends to be the same if we are not aware of the habits that this can create. We all seek pleasure in our lives. Most every action we take on a daily basis is done to avoid pain, save time, save money and increase pleasures.

We create a false sense of pleasure by delaying projects, weight loss goals, job searches and relationship issues with procrastination. It feels good to tell ourselves, "I will start this in the morning so I can go to the park this afternoon with my kids." Unfortunately, this is temporary. It is also fatal. This procrastination leads to more stress. More stress leads to more procrastination to stop the pain. The cycle feeds on itself.

I read a quote that in summary says, "Yesterday is a canceled check with tomorrow an IOU but today is tasks at hand." Read that line again! The most precious asset we all have is time. No one has more than you. We only have today as a promise on this earth. Stop putting off your dreams and desires by procrastinating. So how do I do that you ask?

First, dig deep into your soul. No one else has to know what you are feeling inside. Why are you putting this goal off? Are you a perfectionist? Do you think if it is not absolutely perfect it does not count? That is farthest from the truth.

Break down the goal or task into many small manageable actions. Do not try to lose 50 pounds, go to the gym every day, eat 50% less food all in one month. This is not reasonable. Start by only having 1 soda a day instead of 3. Switch from 2% milk to 1% milk for a month. After a month switch to skim milk. You will get use to it and the habit of drinking high fat content milk is over.

You must create new habits. New habits take 21 days on average to form. If you take on too drastic a change at first, the 21 days will become your nightmare in life.

Get mad! Emotions are the most powerful driving force in our lives. Admit to yourself that we all buy products, eat foods and relate to others by emotions. We will justify the actions in some logical way but the emotions drive our actions. "I am fed up with dieting and weight loss products" is a great emotional statement that will create action.

Tell other people what you are going through. Tell them your plans to stop the habit. Do not be embarrassed. They too have their own demons and secrets. Many times they will ask you to help them or join them to conquer procrastination together. Holding each other accountable for stopping procrastination is another powerful habit changing action.

Finally, momentum is the key. Momentum is an action moving fast that will not stop easily once the driving forces (you) starts the pushing. It is much easier to keep the procrastination demon at bay when the daily habits of actions and thoughts take hold. This is where other people are important to your success with procrastination. They will push you and coach you because they want you to do the same for them.

Procrastination, like many other habits, is easily broken when it is replaced by a new habit. New habits take time, effort and energy. You did not learn procrastination overnight and it does take 21 days to break that habit. Make today the defining point in your life to stop procrastination.