In my work with women, one bad habit that I see creeping into their daily lives is Procrastination. This one bad habit can create a struggle in your business and wreak havoc on your personal life too.
"I have a bad habit of procrastinating on making timely doctor appointments. The result? My "aches and pains" increase and treatment time takes a lot longer" - not fun and not smart.
Delaying decisions, avoiding phone calls and emails or resisting the completion of a project that could add more income to your business is deadly. Word travels fast when you delay on getting timely work done for clients and over time can possibly damage your reputation. Don't let this happen to you. Today I'm going to share four easy to implement tips that work for me every time I feel the procrastination "mood" setting in.
- First Things First - Choose to complete the most important, high priority items first. Struggling with what's high priority? Look at your to-do list and choose the items that will propel your business forward the quickest. For example, if you have a business card of someone on your desk that you know could be a great strategic partner, contact them first thing for a coffee or lunch.
- Divide and Conquer - If you have a large project to complete for a client or even your own business, grab a piece of paper and divide the project into small bite size tasks. Delegate as much as possible to an assistant and create a timeline with deadline dates to complete each task until it's finished.
- Set a Timer - This has been a huge life-saver for many of my clients. Set a timer (most all smart phones have them now) for 20, 30 or 40 minutes and during that time, focus on one project or task. This is a time when phones, email and text messaging should be avoided. The key here is to stay present with the task or project. When you hear the timer sound, get up and stretch, take a break and grab a favorite beverage. I use this tip when I need to clean and organize an area in my house and it works beautifully for me!
- Grab a Partner - Having an accountability partner, coach or trusted friend to check-in with can be a big help. Knowing you will have to report to someone else about your progress will get you moving. I had a client who was struggling with getting her website content done and it was keeping her from growing her online business. She had so many excuses about why she wasn't able to complete the project. Developing an accountability partner in addition to joining a mastermind of like-minded women entrepreneurs kept her on-track and committed to her goal.
Procrastination can creep into your life and business so quietly that you don't realize it's taking over. Use the four tips to make sure this habit doesn't become part of your daily routine.
Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.
© 2013 Joy Chudacoff
