I have heard it said that procrastination is the
thief of time. These days, time is such a precious commodity that wasting it
can actually harm your business. Many entrepreneurs are victims of chronic
procrastination. They keep putting off till a later date what they ordinarily
are expected to accomplish expeditiously. That lethargy could at times be very
costly in terms of late delivery of goods and loss of credibility. Once
customers become aware that you can not deliver products and or services on
time, they quickly switch to your competitors. Finding a way around chronic
procrastination is one sure way to avoid such pitfalls. These four tips can
help a great deal in your quest to cure chronic procrastination.
01. Always maintain your work momentum. The trick is
to take the easiest task on your schedule then push yourself to start. Once you
have started, you can maintain momentum by keeping strictly to the time frame
allotted each task. Getting started is usually where the problem lies with
people who procrastinate. Once the task is started, you are more likely to keep
working until the task is completed.
02. Devise a reward system for yourself when you
meet set goals. This may seem of little value but it helps a great deal against
procrastination. You can set targets for yourself then fix some rewards for
yourself at each stage. Because of this reward system, there is always a
tendency to push ahead with what has to be done. A sumptuous dinner in your
favorite restaurant, a good movie and some such like rewards are very good
incentives for a job accomplished on time. You may also choose to connect
activities you dislike with ones you love to do. The incentives from the ones
you like will help you to stay on task and to accomplish your goals.
03. Break down your tasks to manageable bits. The
primary reason why people who procrastinate seem to always procrastinate is
that they usually spend too much time looking at the big picture. A look at the
big picture of any project makes it to appear overwhelming. It is the
overwhelming picture that usually cripples most people thereby preventing them
from making much progress. No matter how big a project may appear, if you break
it down to manageable bits, it can be tackled bit by bit. It helps to write out
each step with an exact time schedule to accomplish it. When you commence with
the task that seems easiest, you can quickly accomplish it before moving on to
the next. That way, you can always take one small task at a time and before you
realize it, you have completed the entire project.
04. Hold yourself to a high level of accountability.
You can let your friends and family members know about the tasks you have to
accomplish and allow them to urge you on if you appear to be slacking. When
people you value and hold in very high esteem are the ones who are watching and
monitoring you, it could prevent you from making poor excuses that may
disappoint them. It may be fairly easy to disappoint yourself, but
disappointing people you hold dear is a different kettle of fish. That level of
accountability is largely what could keep you going until the task is
completed.
No responsible business owner can afford any form of
lethargy in this age and time when people now want services delivered so fast
as if their whole lives depended on such services. Getting things done as
quickly as possible is very good for customer satisfaction and the bottom-line
of any business. Doing away with chronic procrastination therefore is very good
for business. It is also highly satisfying as a major personal achievement on
the part of the entrepreneur.
