Procrastination is common for many of us and according to Pier Steel, a human resources professor at the Univ. of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business, 95% of us procrastinate  with 15% to 20% being chronic offenders.*  His study also shares that people who procrastinate underperform in every area of their lives from health to finance. What this screams out loud is that because we are all prone to it, we should really beef up our ability to manage through procrastination.

Knowing the end result or negative impact of procrastination helps in our ability to manage this challenge.  Procrastination can result in: missed opportunities, increased stress, poor performance, and wasted time that will delay your progress towards your goals.  It is often rooted in distractions, fear of failure and lack of self confidence.   Sadly, each time you put off tasks, you are strengthening your habits around procrastination. 

Try doing the following in managing procrastination:

1)   Be clear on what it is you are giving up by procrastinating. In many cases, it is your dream job, advanced education and growth opportunities and/or reducing your quality of life.

2)   Eliminate your distractions.  What’s pulling you away from the prioritized tasks?  This may include shifting some of the hours spent on facebook or TV to hours spent on key tasks that are on the path towards your life goals.

3)   Address the “thinking” behind your procrastination at the root.  We are what we think. Are your thoughts getting in the way of your success?

4)   Make a complete list of all of the things you have been procrastinating on.  Commit to completing 1-2 items per week or an appropriate schedule that you can accomplish and stick to like glue to keep things moving.  Set up small celebrations and/or rewards that will keep you encouraged to continue moving forward.

5)   Enlist a coach or friend. Share your list with them and ask them to aid you in staying accountable to your list.

Don’t let procrastination get in the way of your destination.  We become our habits and procrastination is not something we want to become because “procrastinators underperform in every area of their lives.”

 While we do this for our companies and our big projects at work, many of us do not prioritize this very important annual exercise for ourselves and neither do we apply the same level of diligence in the planning for our very own personal goals or our longer term vision for ourselves.

What if you were asked about your company’s plan for the next quarter and in the same conversation asked about your own personal goals for the next quarter?  Many of us would be fluent on the company’s goals but would flounder on our personal goals.

Just supposed we took the same care and diligence this year to perform a strategic planning session for 2010 for us, for our personal goals.  What if we stopped to assess our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities or threats in the way of our personal success?  What if we simply stopped ourselves to reawaken the vision within us that we’ve allowed to stay buried underneath layers and layers of fear?  What if we took some positive steps in the direction of  realigning our day to day activities towards those tasks and habits that will move us closer to our longer term personal goals and dreams?

Try the following steps as a part of your upcoming budget and planning process for you!

1)  First, draw up your vision board or key vision themes of what you want success to look like in a finite period of time.  Start with over the next year just to ensure the goals are tangible.  You may want to ask yourself some key questions that will aid you with your vision.  Ex.  What would I be doing if I knew I could not fail?  What am I crazy passionate about?  If I am being successful in 2010, what would that look like?

 2)  What are 3 things I can do in the next quarter that would move me closer towards my success goals? 

 3)   What does my support structure need to look like that will enable a faster speed and steady path toward achieving my goals?  Who or what things do I need to move out of the way that are no longer serving me?  Are there habits that need to be broken or new habits that I need to create to aid me in my journey towards getting closer to my end state goals?

 Once you’ve completed these 3 steps, consider enlisting a coach or a support buddy that will keep you on your toes and inquire frequently about your progress.  You do not want to share your vision with just anyone.  Make sure it’s someone you trust versus a vision buster. 

 This will be a great first start towards you moving closer to your dreams and I wish you well as you start this very important journey. 

 Unless you have a definite, precise, clear set of goals, you are not going to realize the maximum potential that lies within you. -Zig Ziglar