How to Stop Procrastination

Edward Young says Procrastination is the thief of time.
Procrastination is a "disease" that affects most people on a daily basis. In our previous article How Procrastination Impacts Financial Independence, it is noted that if ignored, procrastination can hamper your ability to achieve your goals.
You must have heard about the quote "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step". Well, this isn't too far off from the truth wouldn't you agree?
Given that procrastination is the simple act of delaying stuff that should be done now, for later, the easiest way to deal with this is therefore by starting
As shown on the procrastination life cycle above, people tend to start with guilt. "Oh nooo, I was supposed to have submitted the tax returns of my business today but I don't think I could". Next you start panicking- "Oh my goodness, my business is going to get fined by the authorities if my submission is late". Next you'll say - "If I wasn't busy with renovations, I would probably have done it now". And lastly- "I shall do it later when I am done with the renovation works and have more time on my hands". These excuses are all a recipe for disaster!
Follow these steps to stop procrastination.
Sometimes we could get really hurt as a result of procrastination. In the case of the example above, the business owner needed to hold off the renovations for a minute and sort out tax declarations.
Moreover procrastination can be managed if these simple steps are followed;
Step 1- Setting Goals
Goals are the things you will like to achieve in a particular time frame. However, most people fail to ensure that their goals are SMART.
source;bing.com
For example, you may have a business goal to make 100k in income by the end of that financial year period. This therefore means that you have to organise advertising, partnerships, sales, diversification and much more. You have to do all these things within a particular time frame, given that the financial year is limited to 12 months. You can therefore not afford to put things off for later, if this goal is really dear to you. Read more on The Potential Life Changing 30 Days Test.
When you set goals and even go further to make a vision board!, chances are that you will not fall for procrastination.
Step 2- Prioritizing your activities.
It is absolutely crucial to determine what needs to be done in 24 hours, in a week, in months or in the year. Economists call it the scale of preference. Simply right down everything that needs doing in order of urgency and importance.
For example, if your business needs new furniture, a pay rise for staff, taxes have to be paid, a new product needs to be introduced, sales have to be organised, uniforms have to made etc. You must absolutely write everyone of these down. You then must proceed to plan exactly when to do what. Perhaps the taxes come first on the 15th of the month, and then a pay rise at the end of that same month. You can find out how Setting The Right Priorities Will Change Your Life!. Prioritizing stuff will mitigate the risk of delaying or putting things that need doing off for later!
Step 3- Time Management.
A wise man once said that “time is the one free gift given to every single human on earth". Why then are some people rich and others are poor, given that we all have 24 hours a day.
A simple truth is that, making the best use of your time will determine the quality of the life you have.
source; bing.com
To make the most out of your day and to boost your chances of success, you must determine what you do during every single hour of the day. Find out what Time Management can do to help you defeat procrastination. I recommend for you to do the little exercise at the bottom of the time management article.
Step 4- Developing Self discipline.
After everything is said and done, without self discipline, procrastination will eventually become a terminal disease.
Imagine a scenario where you buy all the equipment needed to start your business, set the goal you want to achieve, prioritise what should be done, determine what time to action them, and yet achieve very little. You can have the best running shoes in the world, but you never get to run. You need to be disciplined to do the things that need doing. Start with the small things and forge on until you achieve the big ones. At the end of the day, Your Self-Development Is Your Responsibility.
Step 5- Just Start.
Starting is usually the hardest part, but once you do and keep at it, everything will fall in place. If you imagine the entire life cycle of creation, you will develop the confidence needed to plant your mustard seed and watch it grow into a tree.
All you need to do is imagine what it takes to grow your business. Starting is the one and only thing you need to do at every given stage!


Conclusion.

According to studies, 20 percent of adults struggle with the focusing on task and completing them within the deadline. However, this is a situation that can be managed or mitigated if goals are set, stuff are prioritised, time is properly managed, self disciplined is maintained, and activities are JUST STARTED!