I’ve worked with a lot of people over the years. And without exception, the single biggest obstacle that has held them back from achieving their goals has always been – themselves! We haven’t learned how to overcome procrastination and laziness.

WE are our own biggest roadblock.

Psychology Today interviewed college students who claimed to consistently procrastinate in order to find long term effects of procrastination. The website’s study found that students who procrastinate caught more colds and flu, and had gastrointestinal problems. The majority of these students also had insomnia. So strategy number two for overcoming HSC procrastination is something called chunking. Now, remember, one of the reasons we procrastinate is because the size of a task can feel so overwhelming. To overcome this, we need to look at a task and figure out what individual part of it is the most achievable. Fortunately, there is a solution to overcome procrastination BEFORE it consumes your business and your life. As with many bad habits, the key to overcome procrastination is to recognize it as soon as it is happening, understand WHY it’s happening, and take active steps towards time management which will lead to better outcomes.

We let our fears immobilize us and tell ourselves stories that justify our reluctance to take action. We convince ourselves that we’re not good enough, and that our efforts will probably end in failure.

But those stories are pure fiction and have no real basis in reality.

And today I’m going to show you how to rewrite those stories once and for all, so you can free yourself from “procrastination paralysis” and finally become a “do-er” instead of a dreamer.

Stop telling yourself that you’re a born procrastinator or a naturally lazy person.

It’s not true – you weren’t born that way.

Red Remover Player Pack. Over a million Red Remover levels have been created since its release. Here are some of my favourites by members of The Game Homepage. Red remover player packbuddhist games.

It’s just a story you tell yourself — which means it’s a story you can CHANGE.

So from now on, every time you chide yourself for procrastinating or being lazy, I want you to tell yourself that you already have everything you need to accomplish any goal you can imagine.

Because THAT is the real truth of the matter.

I’d like you to consider this question – is it REALLY your tendency to procrastinate that’s stopping you from taking action? Or are you simply overwhelmed?

All too often, the reason why you don’t take action is because you’re not sure what action you should take. Your goals seem so big, and there’s so much to learn and do, that it seems like an unimaginable task.

So it’s not a character flaw that’s holding you back, it’s a lack of clarity and planning. The other reason is you have so many things to do, and no criteria for deciding which one to do first.

Refer back to your passions, your purpose and your top values to help you decide.

Once you do decide, clarify your goals and chunk them down into small but achievable action steps — then systematically completing those small steps, one after another.

And here are some tips to help make that easier for you:

1. Start with Small Goals

Start your day by setting 3 to 5 small goals for yourself, then commit yourself to completing them before you go to bed that night…

…No matter what!

Make sure your goals are realistic and achievable – because the act of achieving them and crossing them off your list will give you the confidence and momentum you need to keep going.

2. Eliminate Distractions

My next tip is to eliminate the distractions that prevent you from fully focusing on your goals.

One great way to do this is to use an online “website blocker” app that prevents you from wasting time mindlessly surfing on your favorite websites or social media networks, so you can spend that time more productively working toward your goals.

Some of the best ones are Freedom, Stay Focusd, Limit, Waste No Time, and Pause.

Just type in website blockers in your browser and find the one that best fits your needs.

I particularly like Pause, which gives you a green screen for 5 seconds every time you access a new website, which gives you 5 seconds to pause and reflect on if you really want to watch another cute cat video on YouTube or get back to work.

3. Set Hard Deadlines

Another important thing is to you to give yourself hard deadlines and then commit to achieving them. Then when you do achieve your goal, reward yourself for it!

This will boost your confidence and motivation and help you maintain your focus and momentum.

Another great way to avoid the procrastination trap is to focus your time and energy on the things that matter most to you.

A lot of us will procrastinate when we’re forced to work toward outcomes we just don’t care about. It’s a lot easier to stay motivated when you’re spending your time and energy on something that’s aligned with your purpose and your passions and is deeply important to you.

So when it comes to taking action, focus your time and energy on the things that matter most and delegate everything else as much as you can.

4. Get an Accountability Partner

I also encourage you to get an accountability partner!

A powerful way to avoid slipping back into inaction is to share your goals with another person and make daily or weekly reports on your progress. When you have to be accountable for your efforts, you’re more likely to make those efforts count.

The simplest method is to have a 5-minute call every morning at the same time (if possible) and commit to the 3 to 5 things you are going to do that day, and then reconnect the next day and report on what you accomplished and what you didn’t.

They do the same thing with you. This is especially important if you are a solo-entrepreneur or are the one at the top of your organization or team.

5. Create an Action-Focused Mindset

Finally, I encourage you to use visualization and affirmations to create an action-focused mindset, keep your goals top of mind, and learn to see yourself as someone who gets things done.

Because when you tell yourself you are a goal-achieving powerhouse, you will become one.

What one or two actions can you take today to bring yourself closer to your dreams?

MIHS students struggle procrastination. Photo courtesy buzznice.com

Many high schoolers suffer from chronic procrastination. These students cannot complete necessary tasks and feel serious stress. Procrastinating in high school causes anxiety and drops in success, which can lead to long term problems.

High school students procrastinate for very different reasons than in middle school.

Teenagers who plan on applying to college feel a new burden upon entering high school. Suddenly, their schoolwork is more important and directly affects their future. Many students reason that if they procrastinate schoolwork, they can blame their lack of attentiveness and not their lack of skill.

Procrastination causes many problems for high school students. An obvious result of continued procrastination is a drop in grades and a decline in school success. Students who do not fully complete assignments and put off crucial studying receive poorer grades.

Procrastination also causes heightened stress. High schoolers have a heavy workload and often a busy schedule. Students who let work pile up feel the accumulation of difficult duties on their shoulders. Putting off work also constantly lowers students’ self-esteem. Procrastinators may feel they simply cannot do the task at hand and feel insecure about their ability to perform. Students need to try and get themselves out of this mindset as soon as they can before it really starts impacting their schoolwork. One way to do this is by trying to file assignments and other schoolwork into their importance and due dates. This can help you manage your workload much easier. By filing them into importance, students can focus completely on the most important file without getting distracted by a messy desk full of work. Students can look to get these from office monster – filing cabinets can be useful for students trying to make the most out of their time in education.

How To Overcome The Website Procrastination Blues