You can ask tons of people what they want to do with their lives. It could be anything as simple as starting a hobby, or as life-changing as becoming their own boss. I am willing to bet that only a few will begin their work – the remaining majority will procrastinate.
Some people have procrastination in them as a weakness. For others, it’s a learned behavior. Either way, there’s only one way to combat procrastination – do it.
Most procrastinators do so, because what they have to do isn’t in their interest. If your boss says to file 1,000 papers alphabetically, it’s not something you would want to do right away. Maybe for those who are detail fanatics, but others will think of it as a chore. Therefore, procrastination happens. You keep putting it off and before you know it, two days have turned into two weeks. Once you finally start, you keep stopping because distractions keep disrupting your task.
Distractions are welcomed during times of procrastination. You’re happy when it interrupts your task. Distractions are usually in our way and slowing us down. We normally don’t like anything to stop what we’re doing, especially, if we like doing it. It’s not hard to avoid it when you’re doing something you like. When you’re doing something that you don’t like, distractions pop up and save the day!
I’m not sure if there’s a 12-step program to getting rid of procrastination, but there is a way to weaken it, to the point where it won’t stop progress. Learning how to focus is a big help. When you have laser-like focus, even distractions can’t take you away from what you’re doing. When you’re in that ‘zone’, outside forces don’t matter, because you don’t want to stop. You’re focused on finishing. Besides that, the only other thing is quitting cold turkey. If a distraction comes up, smack it out of the way and continue with your task. That’s hard to do, but if you strengthen your focus, it is possible with practice.
So how do you beat procrastination, when you have to do something? The best answer is to just sit down (or stand up) and start. There’s no other way around it. You can meditate, play music, or whatever suggestions that might help get you there, but it all boils down to starting. I know this doesn’t sound like the magic bullet you might have been looking for, but the Goalden Lady is all about being honest and direct. You have to just get started and look forward to completing the task and completing it well. It has to get done and you’re the one to do it.
Drink some water and get started.