Under Grumpa's Hat

I have long noticed that one of my worst qualities has been procrastination. There were always good reasons – in my mind at least – to put off what I needed to do. As I reflect on my life, I realize that procrastination has held me back from fully living that life of mine, even creating regrets. So if you struggle with procrastination, read this. They are strategies that might help you avoid the same mistakes that I did.

1. Concentrate on forming habits by taking small steps forward everyday. If you want to finish a 500 page book. Start by reading 10 pages daily, not 100 pages daily.

2. Just start working: Force yourself to start and to make the first step. The hardest step is always the first step. Once you take the first step you forget about procrastination and the job gets done.

3. Consider your energy levels: Take regular breaks throughout the day (walk, stretch, eat, water, nap, etc.). Find your peak productive hours and push yourself. When your energy is getting low take those breaks.

4. Find ways to have more energy: Get enough rest (7 – 8 hours), eat a healthy diet, exercise a few times a week, drink enough water, etc. Low energy typically leads to procrastination.

5. Overcome the fear of failure: The fear of failure can lead to procrastination. Although, failure is a key component of success. You can’t have one without the other. If you want to succeed faster, you have to fail more. Learn from those failures and thrive, but don’t be afraid to fail.

6. Make sure perfectionism isn’t holding you back: Trying to get it perfect will lead to procrastination, and understanding that nothing will ever be perfect will help you beat procrastination. By breaking the habit, you will go to places you would have never imagined before.

7. Create a list: Lists will help you feel like you’re doing something, and crossing something off as “DONE” will keep you motivated. Making a list will reduce the risk that you forget to do something.

Remember that life is lived one step at a time, one day at a time, one minute at a time. You move forward one step at a time. In order to be able to fully live your life to its fullest, don’t put to tomorrow what you can or should do today. While we don’t know what tomorrow brings, we do know what this minutes has to offer. There is no better time than now when it comes to living.