Get On With It

“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” ― Charles Dickens

There are days I tell myself, "This is the day I'll get back to writing my new book."

For others it might the challenge of going on a diet, searching out a new job or just about anything else you want to start but don't. A fair share of this is caused by procrastination. The act of putting off doing something for one reason or another.

For me, I find a lot of excuses such as not enough time, too busy, too tired or I'll get to it tomorrow.

The problem is tomorrow never comes, it remains tomorrow, which turns into next week and then next month. Before you know it, the years have drained away and you are left looking back wondering what happened to tomorrow.

For others, procrastination involves their work or marriage. We put off dealing with things within our own particular lives.

In an old publication called Gwinnett Life Magazine, the founder of Greenleaf Counseling Services offered the following six possible reasons for procrastination.

1. You're bored. Ask or say to yourself...
- What excites me or charges my battery? What am I about? Why?
- What kind of learning am I truly interested in?
- Do I see the short term and long term payoff of applying myself to my studies or my work?
- Realize that the world is not responsible for making you happy.

2. You are overwhelmed. Ask or say to yourself...
- Am I a perfectionist? Do I not get started on something unless I know I will get it exactly right or until I know I have all of the information or pieces to get it done?
- Do I let things pile up instead of dealing with each task one by one?
- Remember that inch by inch anything's a cinch.

3. Your confidence is low or has slipped. Ask or say to yourself...
- What are some of the things I fear the most? Disappointing someone, getting a less than perfect grade, can't be all that someone wants my to be, etc.?
- When I have to make decisions regarding relating to other people (who to go out with, which friends to do activities with, whether to go and visit with dad, etc.) do I make firm decisions or do I waffle back and forth with my thoughts and feelings?
- Procrastination equals your level of self-doubt.

4. You have low self-worth. Ask or say to yourself...
- Do I deserve good things in life? This is not the same thing as entitlement. The world does not owe you anything. The question is whether you have inherent value as a human being.
- Do I know of people who are glad that I am in their life and I can easily believe it?

5. You are doing thing you really don't enjoy. Ask or say to yourself...
- Successful people do the things that unsuccessful people often don't like to do.
- Are you willing to take some risks to try and do things differently than before?
- There is a saying in chemical dependency recovery circles that goes like this - "If you always do what you've always done, you always get what you've always got." Sounds silly but the essense of its meaning is true. So remember, to get a different result you must do something different.

6. You are easily distracted or just lazy. Ask or say to yourself...
- Success takes effort and consisten, focused activity.
- What distracts you the most from getting your work done?
- Think - "If it is to be, it's up to me." Be proactive and make good things happen instead of waiting for good things to come to you.

Do any of these reasons fit you? Are you putting off things in life that could be propelling you to something greater? If so, work on resolving those things which cause procrastination in your life.

It is only holding you back.

Stay inspired my friends!