Discover Why Eliminating Procrastination Will Increase Your Happiness
There’s a quote by entrepreneur, Victor Kiam, “Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.”
He’s absolutely right. Fortune favours the bold – and being bold is about more than just courage. It’s about biting the bullet and doing what you need to do even if you don’t feel like doing it.
As simple as this sounds, most people just can’t grasp this concept…and they procrastinate.
Why do we procrastinate?
We’re all creatures of comfort. We like things to be easy and pleasant. This is why we eat junk food and processed foods instead of eating healthy.
The unhealthy foods taste great and we enjoy the experience. Eating clean and being at a caloric deficit is uncomfortable until it becomes a habit. Most people do NOT want to go through the discomfort.
That’s why we procrastinate. Most of us don’t procrastinate the things we enjoy doing. No no…we can’t wait to get started.
But when it comes to doing work that matters (which requires mental effort and is often tiring), we procrastinate because we fear the discomfort associated with the task/effort.
Now that you know why people procrastinate…let’s look at the cost of procrastination.
The cost of procrastination
The most important and often forgotten cost is TIME. We’re losing time every single time we procrastinate.
If you’re trying to lose weight, but you keep delaying your diet and exercise (or cheating on your diet and skipping workouts), you’re wasting time.
Years can pass by you and you’d still have not dropped a pound. You might have gained a few though.
The same applies to your work. You might procrastinate learning new skills – and what you’ll be losing here is not only time, but potentially, money too. You might earn more with your new job because of your skills.
So, time and money are at stake here. Let’s not even talk about the mental stress you’ll get from rushing to meet deadlines because you procrastinated so much.
Then there’s the mental burden of living without fulfilling your true potential. This one will affect you when you’re older.
You could have done so much more and been so much more, if you only hadn’t procrastinated.
Your entire work-life success balance will be upset if you’re constantly putting off till tomorrow what you should be doing at this moment.
Do you see the REAL cost of procrastination now?
This is an insidious habit that will rob you of success in life at every turn. You MUST eliminate it.
How to prevent procrastination
Preventing procrastination is easy in concept, but difficult in practice. If it’s an old habit, you’ll need to break it.
One of the best techniques you can use will be Mel Robbins’ ‘5-Second Rule’. Whenever you’re about to procrastinate, you’ll countdown aloud…“5,4,3,2,1!”
The moment you say “1!”, you’ll engage in a physical action to get started on what you’re procrastinating. For example, wearing your shoes to go for a run.
That’s a physical action.
Or starting to type out an article for your blog. Or picking up the phone to call someone you’ve been neglecting.
The physical action will help you break through your mental inertia and get the ball rolling. Very often, you’ll discover that once you start, you’ll keep going. It isn’t that bad after all.
You ALWAYS face the most resistance BEFORE you begin. Remember that. Use the 5-Second Rule to help you here.
This one technique alone will help you to eliminate procrastination more than any other. But if you want more advice, follow the pointers below…
- Avoid perfection. Aim for excellence instead. Perfection is an impossible ideal to meet and will only overwhelm you.
- Work in a clutter-free, stress-free environment – when possible.
- Prioritize your tasks and break them down into smaller tasks. Start with the most difficult task of the day and get it done. Once you complete it, you’ll have a weight off your shoulders and will breeze through the rest of the day.
- Make it as easy as possible for you to follow through on your tasks. For example, if you wish to play the guitar well, but you hardly practice, place the guitar next to your couch.
Anytime you sit on the couch, you can just lean over and grab the guitar and practice. It has never been easier to do it.
The hard truth
Eliminating procrastination is not going to be a walk in the park. You’ll be in a battle with yourself.
However, what’s important here is to know that you don’t need to like what you’re doing, but you need to do it anyway.
The pride and joy will come from the results of your discipline. You don’t have to enjoy the process…but you must go through it to enjoy the rewards it brings.
So, do what you need to do instead of taking the easy way out by procrastinating – and with time, your life will not only become easier, but you’ll enjoy immense success and more happiness too.
Discover Why Eliminating Procrastination Will Increase Your Happiness – Back To Top!