How to Stop Procrastinating Once and For All
As small business owners, we’re constantly juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities, which can lead to endless to-do lists. I’d like to share three tips that help me take action and avoid getting stuck in procrastination ruts.
1. Prioritize and Delegate
When you are overwhelmed by a feeling of having too much to do, that feeling can prevent you from doing anything — everything seems impossible. To overcome this feeling, prioritize your tasks and put the tasks that will have the greatest impact on your business at the top of your list.
Once you have your priorities sorted, consider if there are any tasks that can be delegated or outsourced. This will not only free up your time to focus on growing your business, but you’ll also empower your employees to take greater responsibility.
2. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps
A large, complex project can also be overwhelming. If there’s no clear starting point, you may be tempted to put it off until you have more time to tackle it. But it’s the nature of the project, not the amount of time you have available, that triggers procrastination. To overcome this, change your perception of the project by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable steps with clear milestones. You don’t have to start the whole project, just the first small, actionable step. This mindset not only makes the project seem less daunting but also allows you to track your progress and stay motivated.
3. Set Realistic Goals and Deadlines
It’s great to challenge yourself with an ambitious project, but be sure you have time to do it. Setting realistic goals and deadlines is crucial to beating procrastination. Be honest with yourself about what you can accomplish in a given timeframe.
Deadlines are a useful tool to create a sense of urgency and hold you accountable for completing a task. Train yourself to set a deadline for every task you take on, and work towards meeting your self-imposed deadlines a high percentage of the time.
If you often miss deadlines, however, you may feel a sense of failure and be tempted to procrastinate. One solution is to set a midpoint check-in with yourself to see if you are on target to complete the task by the deadline. If not, try to shift the deadline to a more realistic date. This will give you a sense of successfully meeting a revised deadline and you avoid feeling the frustration of a missed deadline.
Don’t let procrastination hinder your business growth and prevent you from accomplishing your goals. Incorporate these three steps into your daily routine, and remember, consistency and perseverance are key to forming new habits.
If you would like to learn more about how this might apply to your business, let’s talk: