Are you procrastinating - AGAIN? Has procrastinating become a habit so bad you become paralyzed in doing what you need to do? You may have the desire to get things done, but for whatever reason, you never do. Procrastination can affect your life in many ways. It's time to stop the habit and get things done!

Procrastination is born out of habit. Where did the habit come from? Possibly from a lack of confidence and a large dose of self-doubt. You want to do something, but start feeling you can't get it done and end up paralyzed.

Your thought process can also turn you into a procrastinator. You start thinking of what you need to do in such a negative way, that you feel more comfortable not doing it at all. You want to be accepted and to please others and yourself. If you feel you can't, you run into a major road block instead of making an attempt.

You need to understand the cause of your procrastination and then develop appropriate strategies to help combat it. In order to reverse this negative habit, you need to develop new and positive habits. You need to refocus.

If complex tasks leave you procrastinating, break them down into small steps. Don't think about the task as a whole. Do one small step at a time and feel the sense of accomplishment. This will give you incentive to go on to the next step.

You may have a few contingencies to weigh out and prioritize, initially. If you are attempting a project that you are not confident of completing, take a breather. Give the project more thought. Think about your options. Seek help, if you need it. Have a solid plan in place before giving it another try.

If your procrastinating comes from a fear of failure, you are setting yourself up for failure by not making the attempt. Attempt a project decisively and with the frame of mind that you are going to apply yourself and give it all you've got. Don't develop a defeatist attitude before even attempting the project at hand.

If you are a perfectionist, you may feel everything you attempt has to be perfect, thus setting yourself up for disappointment. A person who thinks that everything they attempt has to turn out perfectly and any less, is just not good enough, will often procrastinate. Perfectionists are their own worst critics. There are no "perfect" people in the world - just imperfect people striving to do the best they can.

How to stop procrastinating and get things done:

*REFOCUS- change your thought process from negative to positive
* believe in your abilities and that you are doing the best you can
* make listsof what you need to do
* prioritizewhat you need to do first
* list your options
*approach each task by doing one step at a time
* if you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it
* give yourself a pat on the back for each accomplishment

Set deadlines for making important decisions. With the right mind set and the right approach, you can overcome procrastination. Procrastination is essentially about lack of confidence or fear and these are habits you have formed in your own mind. You need to take one step at a time to rebuild self-confidence and overcome your fears that block you from taking action. Instead of being a procrastinator, you'll become a doer.