Have you failed every effort to overcome the procrastination? Your life will change with your efforts, not your excuses.
Many books have been written on how to quit, overcome or beat procrastination, and not very many were ever helpful. As a former procrastinator, I have firsthand knowledge of the devastating consequences of procrastination.
Because we are creatures of habit, we are aware of our unhealthy behaviour, and the reasons we procrastinate.
I believe we need to prevent procrastination before it happens. When you tried in the past to make positive changes in your life and didn’t succeed, it could be that you had one or more of the following reasons:
You socialize with an unmotivated crowd
If your family and friends are not willing to change their ways, you have to look for support elsewhere. You can only change yourself and your habits; everybody else is responsible for their own life.
There are times when family and friends might get inspired by your change and ask you for help. In the meantime, you have to take care of yourself. Often I quote Tony Robbins saying: “People change out of desperation, not inspiration.” I believe that to be true, as I did exactly that.
You needed information
To accomplish anything in life, you have to have the right tools and know-how to do it. Depending on your situation, you may need information, guidance, skills and resources.
If you and your family are in crisis, you might consider intervention from a trusted friend, relative or professional. There is no shame asking for help. There is a shame in living an unfulfilled life.
You lacked commitment
Perhaps the idea of making positive changes in your life appealed to you, but you weren’t willing to make the necessary sacrifices to succeed. You ‘re so busy blaming others for the way your life turned out, you don’t have energy left to do anything else.
All or nothing
Maybe you decided to solve everything at once. You took inventory of all current crises in your home, postponed decisions, tried to mend broken relationships, fix money problems and tackle all of them at the same time. As you probably found out, this is a perfect recipe for the life disaster.
You looked for instant gratification
If you expected to see dramatic changes in your behaviour and your life just because you said the magic words: “I’m not going to procrastinate anymore,” you might have been disappointed when instant gratification didn’t come. Old habits die hard, and change takes time.
When you decide to have a more productive and purposeful life but need a little bit of help, ask for it.
Ranka Burzan owns a professional organizing company based in Powell River and has written several books on reducing clutter and becoming more organized. For information, go to solutionsorganizing.com.
