Welcome to The Accountability Pit-Bull Podcast where we will discuss business acceleration topics, ideas so you can enjoy a totally balanced and successful life. Today we are going to talk about Stop Procrastinating in 4 Easy Steps. Procrastination, also known as dilly-dallying, dragging your feet, and excuse making is something we have all experienced at one time or another. The learned bad habits of our teens and early adult life (all those times we put off doing our homework and college term papers) can continue to haunt us well into our professional years.

So what, you say. No one liked homework and term papers, of course, they’re going to put it off until the very last minute – it’s natural.

Actually, there is no such thing as healthy procrastination. To understand, let’s get to the root of the issue.

Why do people procrastinate to begin with?

It’s because the thought of completing the task causes them discomfort, such as fear or anxiety. Notice I said the thought of completing the task. This is an important point.

Take term papers for instance. There is no real discomfort involved with writing a term paper. Can it be tedious? Sometimes. Does it require research? Definitely. Does it take time away from something you would rather be doing? Certainly. Can it be intellectually challenging? Absolutely.

But is it impossible? No. Does it cause real discomfort? No.

In most instances, our anxiety causes us to procrastinate with a task we perceive as difficult or impossible, when it is much easier in reality. The problem comes in when you repeatedly procrastinate – allowing your anxiety to build until it is much bigger than the task itself.

The root of our procrastination and lolly gagging comes down to exaggerated anxiety that we allow to spin out of control. To make matters worse, our anxiety is based on our perception of an outcome that has not even happened yet.

So how to stop procrastinating?

Just DO IT!

Step 1: DETERMINE specifically what is causing your fear or anxiety. What is it that you are really afraid of? Fear of failure? Fear that you’re not smart enough? Fear of disappointing someone? Fear of the unknown? Fear of not knowing how to respond to a question?

Step 2: OUTLINE an easy to follow, step-by-step plan for accomplishing the task. Break each step into small, non-anxiety inducing steps and write them on a list.

Step 3: INTEND to complete the task with ease and success. We’ve all heard about the power of intention – use it to your advantage by intending what you would like to see. You’ll be amazed what you can accomplish when you leave the anxiety behind. Believe it can happen and many times it will.

Step 4: TACKLE the task without further delay. This is the time for action. No excuses, no over analyzing, no talking yourself out of it. Stop getting ready to get ready.

The Just DO IT (Determine – Outline – Intend – Tackle) system allows you to understand the root of your fear, so you can address it – and correct it – relieving the anxiety that does nothing but take away from your potential. Moreover, when anxiety no longer occupies your energy, you can focus on the goal at hand and accomplish it with confidence, peace of mind, and ease.

By using this system, you will not only gain confidence, it will improve:

• Peace of mind: reduced anxiety means less stress
• Skill expansion: learn how to break down the most difficult task and set it up for success
• Time management: with easy steps to follow, you accomplish more in less time
• Focus: when you eliminate the fear, you can focus on the goal and get to it!
• Adaptability: the DO IT system can be applied to any project in any industry
• Overall success: When you overcome fear, intend the desired outcome, and tackle without excuses you become unstoppable.

Speaking of peace of mind, when you think back to all the times you put something off because you thought it was going to cause you great discomfort – was it really as bad as you thought it would be? It probably wasn’t, but you worried about it – put it off – worried about it some more – put it off longer…

It doesn’t have to be that way. Just DO IT!

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Aim for what you want each and every day!

Anne Bachrach

The Accountability Coach™

The Results Accelerator™

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Author of Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, and the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit.