Procrastination: Getting to the Core of The Problem

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Procrastination: Getting to the Core of The Problem

by Kevin Hogan

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Page 4

For every task on which you procrastinate, you reinforce:

Inaction ..... instead of... Action

Avoidance... instead of... Proactive Participation

Current State instead of Improved Life and Meaning

Fear.. instead of... Confidence

By doing some self analysis as to your own style and “reasons” (conscious or unconscious) for procrastination, you can choose the techniques you feel will work best in your situation.

Remember, the chart I showed you for the possible issues at the heart of your procrastination?

Let’s start by looking at some of the ways you can address these issues:

Issue	Problem	Possible Solution
Motivation	You feel this task is irrelevant and has no meaning for you	Find a way to make this task more interesting, delegate it to someone else if that is appropriate OR negotiate a reward or result with the person who assigned the task. OR determine what the GREATER MEANING IS.
Knowledge	You feel you do not have the training or knowledge to accomplish this task, or you are uncertain about taking on something you have not done before	Be sure you fully understand the outcome everyone expects. If you need help, get support, advice, guidance or training from someone who is expert or better educated in this area. Realize that most things you think require a lot of knowledge are VERY DO-ABLE by very AVERAGE people after reading the “basic instructions” or manual. Do NOT be intimidated by things you “don’t understand.”
Standards	You are afraid you will not perform the task well or perfectly	Analyze the importance of the task and determine how critical it is to strive for perfection. If you were to do a GOOD job instead of a perfect job, would it pay off better than not doing it at all? Consider what you would expect of a friend, or co-worker if they were performing the task. Is perfection necessary, or even possible?
Obligations	You may not be able to fulfill all of your obligations because you have so much to do	Try to renegotiate deadlines or schedules so that you can prioritize your tasks and get everything done on time…especially things that will make your FUTURE bright.
Assumptions	You believe that if you avoid or ignore the task it will evaporate. You assume that it will take less time or effort to accomplish. Maybe it will go away.	Accept that the task must be accomplished, just like going to the grocery store for food for your family, and establish a written plan to ‘chunk’ the items into smaller pieces with milestones to progress toward the end goal. Put reasonable times to each of these milestones and then revaluate the timeline for completing the entire task.
Fear	You are worried about how others may evaluate or judge you	Consider the true impact on your life. Will this project really be so important that others will scrutinize the outcome and are they really likely to care all that much about the results and judge you harshly? And if it’s about your fear of selling something that is a bad value, DO something about that.
Avoidance	You just hate doing this particular task	Can you find a way to make the task enjoyable or give yourself a reward when you have completed the task to give you something to which you can look forward? Is there MEANING in what you are doing beyond the fun-ness of the project? Do the task before anything else and just get it out of the way. You’ll be glad you did!

Circle the issues you feel apply to you and use them later for your Personal Plan to Prevent Procrastination!

Continue: Page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

Kevin Hogan
Network 3000 Publishing
3432 Denmark #108
Eagan, MN 55123
(612) 616-0732

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