READY? STEADY…POSTPONE...
A year from now you will wish you started today.
Karen Lamb
When I moved to Barcelona, I had about 50 ideas each day, about what I’m going to do, when I start working again, after having sold my company. Loads of ideas, that I wanted to execute right away, but which somehow all vanished by the following morning.
I even had an idea, and I actually bought a website domain for it, that I’m going to offer programs for people visiting Barcelona, to show them places that only locals would know.
Months passed, and I couldn’t get myself to write the content. It was all in my head, but I just couldn’t do it. I kept putting it off, right until the day, when I decided to become a coach. I signed up for a course, and even before that ended, I already had a domain for Kalangu Coaching, and I filled it with content within TWO months. Stories, offers, pictures, whatever it needed.
Incredible, huh?
We all procrastinate, over things that we should do, or things that we would actually like to do, there’s no difference. We keep putting tasks, goals, dreams off till the last moment, or they never actually ever get done. Or we start something, and then we end up not finishing it.
There are several theories about why we procrastinate. Here are just a few of the reasons behind this irritating habit.
We procrastinate, because:
- The thing we have lined up, is boring, and we hate it.
- What we set out to do is not important or interesting enough.
- We don’t have enough energy or motivation to do it.
- We are afraid of failure, of what will happen if it doesn’t work out, and we don’t want to put in all this effort, so we don’t start.
- We strive for perfection, and if stuff is not perfect (whatever that means), then we cannot put our name to it.
- Perhaps the task is not clear enough.
If I think back to why I didn’t set up the Barcelona programs site, then it was probably because the work I was planning, would have been very similar to the work I decided to leave a few months earlier. All my friends were urging me to create it, because they thought it would be great for me.
But I just couldn’t. I was burnt out, tired and it would have cost me too much effort to do the same thing that I’d done before, as fulltime work. Even if I was in Barcelona at the time. 😊
In the past days I spoke with some people, who were complaining about not getting stuff done, even though they thought it to be important. Oh, don’t I know what they’re talking about, when I too have been putting off some great plans for years now.
So, this post is for you, if you’ve been procrastinating over stuff for a while now. First, please take a look at your to-do list.
If there are things on it, like tax reports, some relevant emails, taking your car for a check-up, then this is stuff you must get done.
However, if there are important goals, or plans on your list, that you’d been aiming to do for a while, but you haven’t taken action, then have a think about why you are not dealing with them. What’s the real reason behind your procrastination?
What’s the real reason behind not changing jobs you hate, or not starting a business you’d been dreaming of for a while?
If you have been putting off taking action on important things like the above, then perhaps looking at the list of reasons above might help. If it doesn’t, then maybe the following questions will help you clarify the reason for your delay.
- What will the consequences be, if you don’t do it?
- Why did you choose this goal? Is it your own goal, or someone else’s? What’s your big why behind it? Is it attractive enough for you to commit to?
- What do you really need for getting it done? What’s your intention, and what long-term goal would it serve?
- What’s the worst thing that could happen, if it doesn’t work out? What would you lose? Have you ever done anything in your life before, that you were afraid of and you still did it? How did you do that?
- What’s more important, that it’s perfect or that it’s done? Which version will take you closer to your goal?
- How could it become clearer? What information are you missing to be able to do it?
And there is one more question, that could help you to take action.
A year from now, what will you regret for not having started?
We often thirst for immediate gratification, we want to feel good straight away, and we lose sight of the price we pay for short-term benefits over the long-term ones.
For example, if you want to lose weight, you will probably need to do exercise regularly. Wouldn’t it be easier to sit on your comfy couch, while munching chocolate? Right? Still, success will come to those, who exercise at least 3 times a week, which can be painful and difficult at first, but over the long run will bring the desired results. And happiness of course. 😊
I hope that the above questions will help you clarify what it is that you can just delete off your list, because you don’t have the right motivation behind it and keep the ones, that you will actually move forward with. It’s a good idea to put a deadline next to all of them.
If the picture is still not clear, keep on reading. 😊
I believe, that coaching can help a lot in setting truly motivating goals and in figuring out how to achieve them.
So, I try to promote tested and tried tools for supporting people like you, even if reaching out is not as easy I would like. But I’m not giving up. 😊
Many times, it’s easier to achieve results, when there is a supportive team around us, or an unbiased person who offers support in a professional manner. I’m happy to offer some programs, that have already brought great results to my clients.
- If you would like to find out what your most important strengths are, and how you can own them and use them in your work or business to achieve results easier, if you no longer want to develop your weaknesses, or if you just want to be more effective in your work, then I invite you to my 30 day intensive group coaching program, starting on the 22nd of March. More information about the program: DO YOUR BEST WORK.
- We can also work on clarifying your goals and creating the first steps to get you there, if you choose to work with me one-on-one. My CHAOS TO CLARITY – 2-month personalized intensive coaching program might just be what you need.
You have so many possibilities to get to where you want to, but nobody can do it for you. It’s important to understand what your intentions are, to clarify what it is that you really want, and to just start somewhere, even, if you don’t see all the steps ahead of you. You can always make changes, whatever you do, and in the meantime, you will learn a whole lot of new stuff.
If you have any questions, please ask them, I’ll be happy to answer. 😊
