Get Out of the Pit and Move Forward!

My husband was making a sandwich for himself the other day. He was interrupted during the process and walked away from the kitchen counter. Almost immediately, our Golden Retriever, who is not a puppy and has been scolded many times, jumped up on the counter, stole my husband’s bread and dashed away to enjoy her prize. After 5 years of trying several tactics, counter surfing is one behavior we cannot seem to manage. If my Golden wants something, she takes it without any hesitation and seemingly no thought of repercussion for her actions! My Golden’s little act got me thinking about how often I hesitate or put off doing things I know need to be done.

The simple definition of procrastination is, delaying or putting off something that needs immediate attention. This could be work projects, finding a new job, starting your own business, having a difficult conversation with someone,  home improvement, closet organization, relationship improvement, living a healthy lifestyle that includes eating healthier, exercising, self-care etc.

We all procrastinate every now and again, but are you aware of how often you are doing this and the effects it has on your overall well being? Dr. Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Psychology Today says that 1 out of every 5 people are chronic procrastinators.

We all have stuff in our lives that we tend to put off. But why? Is it the fear of failure; believing our efforts or the end result will not be good enough. Maybe we put things off because we don’t want to make the decisions needed or maybe we would rather do something else that seems more safe, easier or fun.

Whatever the reason, procrastination can bring added stress to your life, disrupted sleep, relationship trouble, and self-disappointment through missed opportunities.

Coaching Tip

Here are some ways to break free from the pit of procrastination: 

Make a quick list of all the things you have been putting off.
Now rewrite them, but this time prioritize them leaving some space to write in between.
Celebrate yourself at this point because making this list was a huge step.
Now look at your list and write down one very small action step for each item that  you can take  in the next 24 hours. If you can think of more than one very small step, Great!
Important!!! Celebrate every step you make moving forward. If you didn’t get the closet cleaned out, but you cleaned one shelf, celebrate and put shelf #2 on your list for tomorrow! The key is to keep going!

The hardest part to getting out of procrastination mode is getting started. I challenge you to begin taking your very small action steps today. Remember, baby steps lead to big results!  I would love to hear your stories!

You Can do This!  Your Life Matters!

Peace and Gratitude,

Tammy

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