It’s all about the small habits
Are you someone with procrastination? I am sometimes a procrastinator. That means I mostly do things I need to do right away. However, when it comes to something difficult, I stall time. “Waiting for the right mood” is the excuse I give to myself.
Why do we procrastinate?
The common causes of procrastination are doubt, fear, and disapproval.
Doubt
When in doubt, we tend to wait to be clear about the matter before taking action. There are two kinds of doubt that trigger procrastination. One is the doubt about the task. The other is doubt in themselves or their ability to achieve the mission.
- The first one has a good cause for the delay. However, we will not achieve anything by putting off the matter. If we doubt the purpose or objective of the project and whether they are for a good cause, we’d better find out the truth. Sitting on it won’t help.
- While we need to tackle the doubt on the subject by studying more about it, we also need to take immediate action toward the self-doubt that causes procrastination.
- If we are unsure of doing something, we’d better find out how. Stalling for time won’t help. Sometimes we don’t need to do everything by ourselves. Delegation is a strategy to get things we are not comfortable doing done when busy.
Fear
Naturally, we don’t want to approach anything frightening. In this case, we need to assess the cause of the fright. If the job poses a physical threat, it is wise to avoid or take action with mindfulness.
- However, we mostly put off doing something important because of other fear. Discover the 10 common fears that hold us back and see which one you are encountering now. Read “The Psychology of Fear and How to Deal with Fear” to find a step-by-step approach to overcoming your fright.
- If you postpone what you need to do because you don’t know how to do it, you’d better learn how by seeking help or self-learning.
Disapproval
Of course, we don’t want to do anything we disagree with. In this case, we may approach the situation differently.
- First, ask yourself the cause of your disapproval. Is it personal? If the rejection to do the task is based on a good and solid reason, you can follow your intuition and clear it out of your desk. If it is based on your judgment with no good reason, you may choose not to do it. But make sure to clear it out of your desk too.
- However, if it is obligatory and your reason is based on personal feelings, you may assess your thought. Is it harmful to anyone? Is it immoral? Is it illegal? If the answer is yes, you can drop it. If your answers are ‘no,’ you may need to decide what to do. Whatever it is, you need to make a decision.
The sign of leadership
Remember that before taking action, we need to make a decision. The delay in acting on something with a pre-meditated decision is better than the delay caused by indecision. After making the decision, you can delegate or responsibly clear the subject away from your desk.
Failure to make a decision or putting off any decision to act on something is a sign of bad leadership. You still need to lead your life even if you are not a leader. Practice self-leadership by stopping the habit of procrastination so you can thrive better towards your life purpose. Whatever it is.
What I want to achieve this year
Personally, I want to get out of the habit of procrastination. I will tackle the projects I have been putting off for a few years. If you want to learn more, I recommend the old book by Brian Tracy called “Eat That Frog” and a currently famous book by James Clear called “The Atomic Habits.” These two books will help you get on your feet and inspire you to take action.
Let’s take New Year as an opportunity to start anew and commit to our dream. I wish everyone on this journey all the best and success.
And that is what I want to achieve this year. The new ‘me.’