Life Coaching Articles: Simple Ideas for Overcoming Procrastination

In today’s life coaching article, I want to take a deeper look into procrastination and what we can do to overcome it. As a certified life coach, I often review this concept with my clients. So, do you procrastinate when things need to get done? It goes without saying, because we all do. To start, let me define what procrastination is. A common dictionary defines procrastination as “postponing or delaying needlessly.” From what I can tell, procrastination is a conscious choice that we make to avoid doing something that we believe is going to cause us immediate discomfort. We believe that the outcome of taking action, in the moment, will yield a painful result! Since we are focusing mainly on the pain we believe we will get for taking action, we will put off taking action, and settle for whatever seems like a comfortable alternative in the moment.

So, what can we do to begin to increase our chances of overcoming procrastination? Can this even be done? I believe that we can begin to overcome procrastination and create the results we want now, rather than later – or how it usually gets…much, much later! First, we can begin overcoming procrastination easily and consistently by learning to change how we direct our focus on those all important actions. By choosing to consciously focus on the positive thoughts and feelings we will get by taking action, we can increase our chances of taking action. The reason for this, as I mentioned before, is when we focus on the pain of taking action, chances are that we won’t take action. Secondly and furthermore, just as importantly, we can choose to focus on the strong negative thoughts and feelings to not taking action, or in other words the “negative consequences” we will face by not taking action. We usually do more to avoid discomfort than we do to gain the comfort. So the negative aspect of what can happen if we don’t take action, will help create the extra motivation for us to take action!

Whether it’s sticking to a budget, taking out the trash, painting the kitchen or going to work on that report your boss wants, by focusing on the positive side of completing these tasks, as well as feeling the effect of the negative consequences that can come to pass if you do not complete the task(s), can help drive you to begin overcoming procrastination and take immediate action. The key to take home from this, is that we should be focusing on the pain of not taking action as opposed to that of taking action.

So why does this work? The key distinction to make here, is that we procrastinate in any given moment in time because of the meaning we attach to taking action. If the meaning we are attaching to taking action focuses on why we don’t feel like taking action, our physical and mental states are negatively altered and thus, we procrastinate. When we change the meaning to something that we want, or that makes us now feel good about taking action in that moment, we can begin overcoming procrastination and take action. I want you to realize that it’s the meaning that changes in that moment that is the deciding factor.

Finally, how can we make procrastination less of a habit? Most of us already procrastinate and don’t even notice it. Take my word for it. If you need to take action and you’re not, you’re procrastinating. It could be fear of failure or anything else that your brain is evaluating as some form of pain that is stopping you from taking action. Ever wonder why you’re always late getting to your in-law’s? Now you know! You can begin to analyze what is stopping you from taking action and deal with it consciously. Say to yourself, “What will be the consequences if I don’t follow through and take action right now.” Also, focus on the rewards you will get and relief you will feel once you have taken action.

To help diminish the procrastination habit, consistently follow through and take action using the strategy describe in this article. The more action we take, the quicker the new habit will form and we can reach our goal of overcoming procrastination.

Experts have estimated that a new habit pattern of thought takes at least 30 days to develop. I have also found that even after the 30 days pass, conditioning in the new habit is necessary to keep up in the future. Just think of how good we all are at procrastinating. He have been doing it for years. Now it’s time to flip! So practice this fundamental success principle daily! You already started to beat procrastination by taking action and reading this article! Don’t stop now – keep on going, but only if you want to!

Remember, procrastination is the thief of time – don’t let it control your life. Take charge and defeat it! Also, my life coaching services will help you overcome procrastination by clearly defining your goals, obstacles and action plan to moving forward and taking action consistently. You can try a free life coaching session here!