Hey, this is Rajiv Kumar Luv Trainer, Coach, Workshop leader, Author, podcaster, Youtuber and founder of The Personality Boss which conducts the Ultimate Personality Development Program, Course, Coaching, Training and Workshops in Mumbai. I help you design the life you want. The articles that I post on my blog also have one purpose in mind “Leadership through Personality Development” Now over to the article…

Let’s begin by first being clear about WHAT is procrastination? Procrastination in very simple words means PUTTING OFF important tasks for another day. We are all GUILTY of this habit. I remember when I had to start going for a walk, I would POSTPONE for reasons such as, I don’t feel good today, or my mood is not okay, I will start from tomorrow which never comes. In the workplace, You may procrastinate that report you have to submit, that angry customer you have to visit or that coaching you have to give your subordinate or that book you have to read.

WHY do we procrastinate? Most of us procrastinate to AVOID things that are UNPLEASANT, COMPLEX or OVERPOWERING. There could be a number of reasons why we procrastinate, let’s take some TYPICAL reasons: as you LISTEN to these reasons, if you come across some reasons that CAUSE you to procrastinate, STOP the audio and make a NOTE of them, and then find your own SOLUTIONS to overcome them.

so here are the reasons why we procrastinate or postpone important tasks:

• waiting for the right MOOD / TIME
• lack of clear GOALS
• underestimating the DIFFICULTY of the task
• unclear standards for the task OUTCOMES
• underestimating the time required to COMPLETE the task
• feeling the task is IMPOSED on us
• INCOMPLETE information
• poor DECISION making skills
• fear of FAILURE / SUCCESS
• PERFECTIONISM
• STRESS, FATIGUE, CLUTTER, NOISE, WORKLOAD, DISCOMFORT, DEPRESSION

once we KNOW the real cause of WHY we are procrastinating, then we can DO something about it.

Here are some technique you can use to OVERCOME procrastination

1. Break the UNPLEASANT TASK into small MANAGEABLE TASKS

For example, if think of reading a 300 page book I lose interest and I postpone, but when I decide to just read 10 pages every day, I manage to finish the book.

2. FIVE MINUTE PLAN

Promise yourself to do the task just for just 5 minutes Again there are certain task that we love doing and there are certain task that are maybe dull, boring or complex which we avoid doing, so resolve to do it just for 5 minutes and then do something else, then again come back to it for 5 minutes and do it again and before you know it you have done it.

3. WORST APPROACH first

Promise to knock off the worst task from the ‘to do’ list first My guru “BRIAN TRACY” suggests is eat a live FROG every day, he says, if you have to eat a live frog every day, it is probably the worst thing that can happen to you, and if you have to eat it, it does not make sense looking at it for too long, it makes you and the frog uncomfortable, your frog is that UGLY, CHALLENGING HARD task for example going to meet the angry customer, get the toughest task out of the way first, that way you will be more satisfied and you will have more energy to do the remaining tasks. So eat the frog, first thing in the morning.

4. BALANCE SHEET method

Take a sheet of blank paper, divide it into 2 vertically. One side write reasons you are procrastinating and on the other all the benefits of taking action right now. This will motivate you to take action.

5. GOING PUBLIC

Tell people what tasks are you going to complete by when. Ask colleagues /friends / family members to monitor when we do this we actually make a commitment and put our self under some pressure, we function better under a little pressure.

6. REWARD YOURSELF

I remember when I was in school, and when I would study, I would keep a pack of parle poppins with me, whenever I finished studying a portion of a lesson I would put one sweet in my mouth and enjoy, then continue with the lesson.. you could also Give shabashi, treat yourself to a movie, ice-cream..

7. Get rid of your EXCUSES

My Guru said, if you want to do something, you will find a way, but if you don’t want to do something you will find an excuse, so do you want to be a champion of getting things done or do you want to become a champion of excuses. Choice is yours.

It is procrastination that stops us from doing all the great things we want to do in our life, whether it is achieving our dreams and goals, doing exercise, learning, planning, developing new habits, improving our skills and attitude. If we can overcome procrastination we become unstoppable.

If you are really SERIOUS about overcoming procrastination then here is some ACTION you can take. Make A LIST of things you are procrastinating in your PERSONAL LIFE, PROFESSIONAL LIFE, FAMILY LIFE and SOCIAL LIFE, write atleast 3 things in each and then make a PLAN and then ACT UPON that plan. What are you doing, GET UP start making your list, RIGHT NOW. Come on I am watching….

I am Rajiv Kumar Luv. My passion in life is to make a difference in the lives of people so that they achieve their personal as well as professional best. I am absolutely committed to specially helping youngsters become leaders in their chosen fields. In the past 28 years, I have trained over 100,000 people from all walks of life. Through my two-day program “Leadership Through Personality Development” I help the youth plan their career, build confidence, make better decisions, manage time and develop their employability skills to meet today’s real-life challenges. You can learn more about me and the work I do by visiting: http://www.thepersonalityboss.com