Posted by If procrastination was a virus – one which spreads through your business – how would you stop it?
What could you inject to counter it?
This question is so important that I want to share a situation here.
Imagine getting up very early, always being “at work” before everyone else.
Then staying very late and leaving after everyone else.
You had an idea of what you wanted to achieve during the day.
But, by the end, you are angry when you realize you have not done everything you had intended to.
Or even completed ANYTHING?
You had not done your best, because you actually had no idea what your best was. You had no real plan or way to make yourself accountable. This has a negative impact on your productivity. You start the next day (early of course) already feeling bad and it causes you to procrastinate. Never completing tasks and not able to focus on them. Switching from one to another as other people impact on your day. Not an enjoyable work/life balance.
So you need to start taking charge and using accountability to reduce procrastination.
Using accountability and taking action has been shown to be very powerful. When you are accountable for all the things in your life you get very clear on what you must do and what is not doable. This knowledge is powerful and important in your business.
Make a List
One suggestion comes from a mastermind group of like-minded people. This is Making Lists. Take time to list the jobs which need to doing and prioritise them. Then start with THE most important and FINISH it.
By doing one task at a time you are making sure that you complete every task to the best of your ability. You will soon learn that “putting in the longer hours” is not a solution. Once you start taking action, accomplishing each task one at a time, it becomes more enjoyable. It becomes more fun to work on a project. That is because you have the satisfaction of seeing it finished. It then becomes easier to get more done .
If you are able to stop procrastinating, start getting things done, you will have a lot more energy. Leading to more enjoyment working in your business. It also becomes easier for to delegate work. When you are accountable for everything you have no more excuses for not getting things done.
Your List now allows you to see which jobs you can delegate. You are not having to DO everything. You know something needs to be done. It then becomes your responsibility only to make sure it gets done.
This means that you are no longer bored and you are no longer tired.
You are fully engaged in the task at hand and can see the positive results.
My point is that we all love our businesses.
Yet, by being better organised, our life will be better. You will be living with a purpose. Accountability is not just essential in any business it is vital.
So, how do you handle your deadlines? Be honest ….