Procrastination Is a Killer of Your Goals - Here's How to Stop It

Do you procrastinate? You want to find the job you love, and you're passionate about, but then you procrastinate on actively searching for the job, putting up your CV, and going to the interviews.

Or your dream is to start your own business, but you put off taking the first step or creating a business plan? You don't know where to start or how to do it. You're afraid you'll fail, and your dream will be crushed forever.

I totally get it. I used to be a procrastinator my whole life. I'd study the night before the exam. I'd wait for the last minute to clean up my room before my friends come over. I'd wait to lose weight before an important event or a wedding. I'd wait for the very last moment before the deadline to do the task. But, I minimized this nasty habit and do not consider myself a procrastinator anymore. I decided that I didn't want to be a person who procrastinates.

And I want to scream and tell everyone how easier your life can be if you stop procrastinating. It's so much better on the other side.

Procrastination is an easy way out. You choose to stay where you are, unwilling to experience fear, uncertainty, or other negative emotions.

I'd come up with various excuses. "I don't have time. I'll do it later. I'll do it tomorrow. It's not a priority today." What are your excuses?

But I did it because I was afraid I wouldn't know how to do it. What if it's not good enough? What if I end up embarrassing myself? What if I fail?

So, why do you procrastinate? From my and my clients' experience, these are the top reasons:

• I don't know how to do it

• It's boring

• It won't be perfect, or it won't be good enough

• I don't know where/how to start

Does any of these sound familiar?

This is just your brain keeping you in a safe place and protecting you from feeling uncomfortable. Of course, it's always easier to watch Netflix than to get that boring task done.

When you keep telling yourself you don't know how to do it, you stay stuck. This requires you to change your thoughts intentionally and rephrase "I don't know how to do it." into "I can figure it out." When you repeat that sentence many times, getting to that task will become easier.

Choosing your thoughts about the task intentionally is the first step you should take to get rid of procrastination.

What I realized is the more I procrastinate, the worse I feel. So, of course, at that moment, when I chose not to do it, I'd feel relieved. I'd feel like a big burden was taken off my chest.

But it was a trap. I'd try to escape feeling scared and uncomfortable, but I'd end up feeling pressured, guilty, and stressed out. I would go to bed at night, beating myself up for not doing it and panicking about the deadline. This was the moment when I realized, "What am I doing? This has to stop."

So, I decided to commit to myself and show up for every task I put on my calendar and get it done no matter what. My "WHY" and the future I envisioned were way bigger than procrastinating.

Here are some more tips you can use to become a person who gets things done:

1. Schedule all of your tasks on the calendar

Be clear on your priorities. First, decide what's non-negotiable from the list. Then do the non-negotiable tasks first thing in the day.

2. Clear your mind before you start working on the task

Journal all the thoughts you have about the task, and notice the thoughts that are sabotaging you and making you want to procrastinate. Then, rephrase these thoughts intentionally into those that will help you take action.

3. Commit to yourself and show up for the scheduled tasks

It's always easier to commit when our boss expects us to finish the task on time. But when we need to do that for ourselves, we usually let ourselves down. You'll trust yourself more and become more confident when you start showing up for yourself.

4. Either finish half of the work right away and then do a little more every day until you finish it completely

Or you can commit to working on that task for some time every day, e.g., an hour or 30 minutes every day. Sometimes I just tell myself, "I'll do it just for 5 minutes." And then I usually end up doing it way longer, sometimes even finishing it. This is a great strategy, especially at the beginning when you're still so used to procrastinating.

5. Get rid of distractions

If you know certain distractions keep you from getting things done, get rid of them. Turn your phone off or put it in another room. Log out of all social media on your laptop. But it's more powerful if you manage to get things done despite all of those distractions. When you know that your phone was on the whole time, but you were entirely focused on the task, and you finished it, you'll be so proud of yourself.

By procrastinating, you put off the career you've always wanted. Imagine where you'll be in a year from now if you continue procrastinating. I'm sure that's not what you plan or want for yourself. Now imagine where you can be in a year from now if you stop procrastinating and start taking action and showing up for yourself.

What helped me was asking myself: How would my future self, who has already achieved this goal, behave? What would she do now?

Once you start showing up for yourself, you'll feel amazing. You will be proud of yourself. And actually, you will have more guilty free, pressure-free time to spend any way you want.

If I could do it, you can do it as well!