It’s the rare individual who never procrastinates, so I’m going to go with the assumption that we could all improve in this area.  That means that I’m going to throw out some challenges instead of having you think about your procrastination.  C’mon!  We all need to quit putting off something.  Time to quit thinking and start doing!

Here we go…

• Scrub your to-do list.  What’s been on there the longest?  Dig deep and figure out why you’re avoiding that task.  Do what you need to do to get it done or give the task to someone else.  No to-do list?  Create one.
• Be honest with yourself about the last time you had to work under pressure because of your procrastination.  Recognize what you could have otherwise done.  Apologize to those you negatively impacted.  Resolve to behave differently next time.
• Perhaps you’ve identified yourself as a chronic procrastinator.  Go back and read the articles and books linked from each post this week.  Change.
• Identify something that you always delay doing – like my example of house cleaning.  Create or find a monitoring system to help keep you honest and timely with that chore.  Use it.
• Think about the biggest thing you’ve been avoiding.  Identify how it ties to your long-term goals.  Remember why it landed on your list in the first place.  Think about who your procrastination impacts and who will be impacted when you complete the goal.  Recognize the motivation this creates and take advantage of it to get it done.

Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone. ~Pablo Picasso