{"id":73051,"date":"2020-01-26T20:02:04","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T04:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=73051"},"modified":"2020-01-26T20:02:05","modified_gmt":"2020-01-27T04:02:05","slug":"4-simple-steps-to-overcome-procrastination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/4-simple-steps-to-overcome-procrastination\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Simple Steps to Overcome Procrastination"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

We all procrastinate. And, we all looking for ways to overcome procrastination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than continually beating yourself up and feeling a\nsense of shame about your procrastination, look instead at procrastination as a\nsource of your next productive breakthrough<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you sometime feel stuck? You can\u2019t stay engaged,\nfocused and excited about what you\u2019re working on? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You try to move forward but you can\u2019t seem to motivate\nyourself to take action on your biggest projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Procrastination sets in and before you know it, the day\nhas finished and nothing has been achieved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does this sound familiar?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This happens to most people at some point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having worked with many business owners I\u2019ve found the\nquickest method to stop procrastination is to go under the \u201cmindset bonnet\u201d, so\nto speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get people to gain clarity on the roadblocks that are\nstopping them moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many reasons that procrastination rears its head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this brief guide I\u2019ll share 4 action steps you can take to get unstuck and overcome procrastination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Stop chasing an impossible ideal <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When we set goals for ourselves we build a picture of what\nour ideal future looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once we have this vision, we set goals and action steps to\nhelp get us there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two things then come into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We set up ideals that are often so far ahead from where we\nare right now that the ideal feel impossible to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This future ideal has been set up without really thinking\nabout them, without really being engaged and inspired by getting to this ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No thinking about what might need to happen to reach this\nideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We then get stuck, start procrastinating and sometimes\navoid even trying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our ideal gets further and further away from where we\ncurrently are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me explain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are always measuring your progress against\nachieving your ideal, you\u2019ll never be happy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your ideal will always be in front of you \u2013 which will\ncause you to stop and not make any forward progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be rectified by a simple mindset shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start measuring your progress from the present day back to\nwhere you started from rather than measuring forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you measure backwards you\u2019ll see how much progress\nyou\u2019ve actually made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This process can help overcome procrastination and can\nincrease your confidence and your capability to take the action steps required\nto reach for bigger and bigger goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than being self-critical, you\u2019ll feel happier with\nthe progress you\u2019ve made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Stop thinking that nothing is ever good enough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perfectionism and having a comparison mindset can create\ninstant paralysis and procrastination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you spend a lot of time across social media you are\nbound to be inundated with stories and images of how peers and friends are\n\u2018succeeding\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They may have more friends, connections, money, followers\nthan you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peers, influencers or friends can be reporting making more\nmoney or doing this or that, which can naturally cause you to compare their\ncircumstances with yours.  You start procrastinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You get down on yourself and question why you aren\u2019t where\nyou want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thing is, you have no idea what\u2019s happening \u2018back\nstage\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t know about their life or their business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help you overcome procrastination, don\u2019t compare\nyourself to others.  Get clear on\nyour goals and stay on your own path. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrate every success you have and step back and express\ngratitude for what you\u2019ve achieved every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Overcome procrastination with specific measurable goals <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you don\u2019t have clarity around your future direction\nand have specific, measurable goals to work towards you are far more liable to\nprocrastinate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You won’t know what to do next or what path to follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can leave you feeling confused, stuck and powerless\nwhich creates procrastination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To overcome procrastination, set out ambitious but\nrealistic goals that include your objectives and some concrete ways to reach\nthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have a longer term vision but include shorter term 90 day\ngoals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gives you clarity and something specific to work\ntowards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You become more focused and confident which increases your\ncapability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have no clear destination, don\u2019t be surprised if\nyou can\u2019t seem to build any momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get started, try setting 5 specific, measurable goals\nyou want to achieve in the next 90 Days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Identify your bigger purpose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Motivation and confidence matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re not clear why you\u2019re doing what you\u2019re doing –\nwhat your purpose is, then it can be very easy to get stuck, and start\nprocrastinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotional engagement will motivate you to take the next\nstep towards achieving your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you get stuck, step back and ask yourself, \u201cWhy do I\nwant to reach this goal again?\u201d and write down your reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever your key motivations, when you find yourself\ndragging your feet, stop to remind yourself why you wanted to achieve a\nspecific goal in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reconnecting with your bigger purpose will always help you overcome procrastination as you will be intellectually engaged and emotionally invested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you identify one thing that causes you to procrastinate?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About The Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mark Pettit is a 1:1 business coach and founder of Lucemi Consulting<\/a>. He loves to work with entrepreneurs to help them increase time\nfreedom and multiply business growth. You can connect with him on Linkedin<\/a> and\nFacebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We all procrastinate. And, we all looking for ways to overcome procrastination. Rather than continually beating yourself up and feeling a sense of shame about your procrastination, look instead at procrastination as a source of your next productive breakthrough Do … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14405,"featured_media":79197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[205,3709,32,17,39],"tags":[186],"yoast_head":"\n4 Simple Steps to Overcome Procrastination<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We all procrastinate from time to time. Procrastination can keep us stuck and frustrated. 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