Self Improvement > Motivation > Overcome Procrastination and Get Things Done
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Article rating : 0.00, 0 votes. Author : Joan Clout-Kruse
Are you an acute procrastinator? I was. Fifteen years ago I made a new
promise to myself and wrote these words. "I am an introverted, procrastinating
perfectionist who is striving to be an extroverted, results-oriented champion."
It was time for me to move on and take charge of my life. I was reading all those
wonderful success-oriented books, listening to tapes and going to workshops. I
was learning how to discipline myself, achieve my goals, and get rid of that
negative behavior that had crept into my life. You know…the "Doubt Syndrome."
"I’m not sure I can do it." "It might be too tough for me to start." "Someone else
is much better at this than I am." No one else had to criticize me…I was doing a
good job all by myself.
Is overcoming procrastination important to you? Do you want to change because
you know it is slowing you down from achieving your goals and getting things
done?
Does putting things off give you an anxiety attack? Do you get overwhelmed?
Many times we hold back from doing the things that will bring us the most
success because they are out of our comfort zone—marketing, selling, new
computer programs to learn, writing that new book, and much more. The longer
we put it off the more stressful we feel about getting it done.
The main reason we put off things is Perfectionism. Preparing a brochure, writing
an article, or a report isn’t perfect yet in our mind. Yet, you show it to a friend and
they think it is terrific.
How do we change? First, we have to WANT (the WILL) to change. We must
have a burning desire to change before anything will happen. "Wishful Thinkers"
will have to wait. They are not ready yet to make a commitment. I know a lot of
people, who want to quit smoking, lose weight, or write a book. They talk about
it. They know what they have to do to achieve that goal. Nothing happens
because they are just wishful thinkers. They love to talk about it because it
makes them feel like they are doing something about it—-they are "thinking."
Here is a guide that can work for you to stop or cut down on the "2 Ps" in your
life: Procrastination and Perfectionism.
1. Identify one area where procrastination haunts you—i.e. you keep
avoiding it.
2. Write down the ultimate Goal for this procrastinating task.
3. Break it into small easy steps that you can identify.
4. Prioritize the small steps in #3.
5. Identify any potential problems and be prepared in advance to combat
them (very important step to your success).
6. Give yourself deadlines and promise to keep them.
7. Keep on going. Do not let difficult problems get in the way.
8. That writing project, article, or report may not have to be perfect if the
content is valuable to the recipient. If you just have to have the book
perfect send it to an editor after you finish your first imperfect draft. Let
someone else do the editing and you can make the recommended
changes and corrections to your writing project and get that feeling of
relief
that only a procrastinating perfectionist knows.
Don’t let perfectionism paralyze you. Keep on going. Pretend it is perfect if you
get stuck. Don’t stop if it is not perfect or you will never get anything done. And
above all, reserve private time to write and avoid interruptions during this time.
Your success in combating the 2 Ps in your life means you will achieve your
goals.
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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the
author's name and site URL are retained.
Are you stuck with a specific goal or writing project that is important to you?
Contact Joan Clout-Kruse, the 90-Day Book Writers’ Coach at
CoachJoan@powerhousewriting.com to get you back on track. Finish writing
your book in 90-Days is available for the serious-minded, committed writer.
Contact Joan at 650 759-2042 or check out her Web site at
http://powerhousewriting.com to get your book done fast.
Find Love guide and resources.
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