As
children most of us learned, or at least heard it said, “Never put off until
tomorrow what you can do today.” Many
fall way short of their potential in life, not because they don’t have great
ideas, abilities and desires, but because they are caught in the habit of
procrastination. The road to success is
littered by people that had great intentions.
There can
be no success without focused effort.
Procrastination is the result of inaction not action. High achievers are not just dreamers they are
doers. Cavett Roberts said, “A
constructive life is built on things we do—not the things we don’t do. Never forget that the only material that can
be used in building a life is positive action.”
I read an
interesting chapter title not long ago.
It simply said,” you can’t get to the top, until you get off your
bottom!” The message is clear, there can
be no success without action.
Nolan
Bushell, the founder of Atari, was once asked what made him a success. His response is worth repeating. “The critical ingredient is getting off your
butt and doing something. It’s as simple
as that. A lot of people have ideas, but
there are few that decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow, not next week, but today. The true achiever is not a dreamer but a
doer.”
The Bible
is full of admonitions for us to be people of action. Faith is not sitting around waiting for
something to happen. When you truly
believe in something you pursue it. What
too many Christians call faith, God calls slothfulness or laziness.
In my
study of human achievement, I have found there are four types of people. There are the ones that make it happen, those
who watch it happen, those who wonder what happened, and those who keep things
from happening! Everyone falls into one
of these four categories. Which are you?
The following tips will help you overcome
procrastination and become more productive:
Recognize procrastination
for what it is.
It is a
thief. It robs you of your time, your
treasure and your talent. It takes form
you the joy of accomplishment and the thrill of success. It robs you of your ability to be
productive. It causes you to miss out on
great opportunities.
Make the decision to be a person
of action.
Accept
personal responsibility for your life. If you are going to live your purpose and enjoy succcess in life you must take responsibility for your actions. No one else can make you a success. It is your responsibility to do what must be done in order to experience it. There is no growth or productivity without action. The Bible says “Faith without works is dead
being alone.” Believing you can achieve
something without taking the necessary actions is valueless. You must be a doer not just a talker.
Analyze why you
procrastinate.
What are
the underlying factors that cause you to put off until later what you know you
should do now? Is it a lack of
information, lack of talent, lack of resources or fear of failure?
Make a list of things that
need to be done.
Write
down everything you have put off doing.
List the reasons why you have put them off. Every night before you go to bed you make a
list of what you need to do the next day.
In the morning you should review the list. Start with the hardest thing first. The motivation you have after having done the
hardest thing first will carry over into what else needs to be done the rest of
the day.
Commit to being a doer.
A lot of
people talk a big talk yet never make the decision to walk the walk. Nothing great is ever accomplished without
positive action. Commit to doing what
has to be done to have the results you desire to have. Make the decision to
begin doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done.
Work on one thing at a time.
Don’t try
to do everything on your list at once.
Trying to do too much causes your focus to be scattered and you to be
less productive than possible.
Multi-tasking sounds good, but most people don’t have the ability to do
to many things at once. I once tried
juggling. As long as I was only juggling
two balls things were all right. When I added
a third ball I looked as though I was having some kind of fit. I didn’t have the concentration or the skill
to keep three balls in the air. The same
is true, for most of us, in all areas of life.
When we try to do more than we are capable of we lose concentration and
end up not completing any task that needs to be done.
Don’t over commit.
This goes
along with the last point. You are only
one person. You can’t do
everything. Recognize your personal
limitations. Don’t say you will do
something unless you are certain you can.
One of the most important words you can use when others are wanting or
demanding more of you than you are capable of, is the word “NO!” Sometimes you have to say no to what seems to
be urgent in order that you don’t fail to do what is important. Refuse to commit to tasks you are not sure
you can do or have the time to accomplish.
Get help.
Enlist
the assistance of others. Find others
that are strong in areas you are weak. Believe
it or not, most people when asked for assistance are quick to help. Part of getting help is learning to
delegate. Allow others to use their
skills and knowledge to assist you in accomplishing what you need to get done.
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