Summery:
You have a ton of things to do to get your desk out from under the mountain of paperwork
that covers it. Yet you put things off. Read this article to discover how you can find the
root of your procrastination and eliminate it so that you can enjoy more business success.
You have a ton of things to do to get your desk out from
under the mountain of paperwork that covers it. Yet you put things off. You find yourself
making social phone calls, visiting Starbucks several times a day or surfing the internet.
Then the stress builds, you start the negative self talk. "I should be accomplishing
more. What am I going to do if I don't get it done?" Then comes the last minute panic
and you end up working a 24 hour stretch to get the report to your client in time or you
miss the deadline... again. The aftermath includes mentally beating yourself up and
promising your client that it won't happen again!
Procrastination is the thorn in our sides, the burr under
the saddle and the pea under the mattress. It can be a persistent bad habit. Some people
make procrastination a drama that is a daily battle and others find it getting in the way
of real business success. You might call yourself lazy, but is it really laziness? I don't
think so. I believe it is a deeper issue and has many components to it.
So what drives us to procrastinate if it isn't laziness?
Procrastination is driven by perceived internal and external motivators. Perceived
internal motivators are thoughts, feelings, and beliefs we create or perceive within our
own minds. These include feeling inadequate (in intelligence, know-how, attention span),
experiencing apprehension and fear, having a mind that gets distracted easily, a need for
gratification, a feeling of powerlessness, and experiencing a lack of control.
Procrastination is also driven by external motivators which
are things that are outside of us and not always in our control. They include having
inadequate resources (education, tools, technology, time), financial issues, legal
problems, other people at work who influence our behavior or obligations we have to
others.
Believe it or not there are also procrastination styles! We
have the Perfectionist Procrastinator who is reluctant to start or finish a task because
they don't want to produce anything less than perfect. They tend to be self critical and
all or nothing at all thinkers. "I should" or "I have to" are big in
their vocabulary.
We have the Dreamer Procrastinator who doesn't like details
which make implementation of tasks difficult. They are passive, fanciful and vague but
often creative and have "I wish" on the tip of their tongue.
We have the Worrier Procrastinator who has a huge need for
security so they fear risk and change causing them to avoid finishing projects. They are
fearful, indecisive, cautious and are concerned with "what if?".
We have the Deifier Procrastinator who is the rebel that
bucks the rules. They set their own path that no one can predict or control. They are
passive-aggressive, resistant, oppositional and non-conformists. Their most powerful
thought is "Why should I?"
Then we have the Crisis Maker Procrastinator who is
addicted to the adrenaline rush of living on the edge. They create drama and tend to be
over emotional and need attention. You might hear them exclaim "Unbelievable!"
Finally we have the Over Doer Procrastinator who is unable
or unwilling to make choices and priorities so they say yes to everything. They feel
compelled to keep super busy, are self reliant do-it-alls and can't say no. As a
consequence nothing gets done.
It is a cop out to call someone lazy or to consider
yourself lazy and accept procrastination in your life. You won't like the end result which
is anxiety, stress, financial instability and unhappiness. As you can see, the issues are
not always conscious ones. The procrastination driving motivators and issues lurk within
our inner subconscious minds and need to be rooted out and resolved. The best tool to beat
procrastination is hypnotherapy, a process of 'turning inward', learning about your
personal blocks and sabotage, and finding that you are completely capable of overcoming
them!
Next time you find yourself procrastinating think about
possible internal or external motivations. Decide what procrastination style(s) you
exhibit. Understanding your behavior is the first step to resolving it. You are capable of
learning and adopting new ways of thinking which translates into less procrastination with
new ways of organizing your life. The resulting relief allows you to feel free to create
more success at work and at home. So STOP calling yourself lazy!
© 2011, Hypnosis Concepts. |
