Are you looking to overcome procrastination in your life?

Do you want practical time management tips to help you

You’ve got lots of paperwork to complete, but for some reason, vacuuming the dust bunnies under your desk seems to take top priority…

You’re ready to sit down and write an email to your boss, but you start thinking about whether it will rain over the weekend.

You then check to see if that new productivity app is finally on sale.

Next, you end up watching the music video of a song you just can’t get out of your head…

What do these scenarios have to do with one another?

You guessed it: they are all forms of procrastination.

Now, you may have a sneaking suspicion as to when you are procrastinating.

But figuring out why you are procrastinating in the first place, however, is something that requires a bit more effort.

In this post, you’ll find a few different factors that may be contributing to your avoidance of getting things done.

You don’t know what to do next.

One of the roots of procrastination is that of task paralysis.

You are literally frozen in your tracks because you’re not sure what you should do next.

You might have a few different projects or assignments happening at once.

Maybe you have a list of specific tasks to take care of, but you just can’t seem to make a decision. 

If this is the case, it’s very important that you take action.

You may think you have to strike off a gigantic task from your to-do list in order to be productive, but actually, it’s much simpler than that.

All you have to do is something.

Sometimes, the best course of action is to simply move forward.

And don’t worry: you can always correct your path as needed. 

You’re afraid.

Fear is a perfectly normal emotion. And if you’re wondering, yes, it is perfectly okay to be afraid!

You might even be afraid of something without even realizing it consciously.

This then begs the question: what fears are you bringing to your procrastination party?

It’s important to note that only you can truly answer this question. Think about whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing. Where are any red flags coming up?

Is it in the work itself? Is it a particular task? Is it the execution of the task? Does it have to do with something that will happen when you complete the task?

Be brave and dig down to the root of your fears. Doing so will help you blast through that cloud of procrastination.

You’re bored.

Is your work repetitive, mind numbing, boring, and oh-so tedious? Is the thought of doing your work making you long for wrestling bare-handed with a hungry alligator?

If this is the case, you have a couple of options at your fingertips. These ideas are all about making the work move forward.

For instance, you could devise a way to automate the task or do some research to see if there’s a more efficient way of doing your work.

Additionally, you could turn your work into a type of game or contest with yourself, or you could just simply delegate the work to another person.  

You’re being influenced by a person, place, or thing.

Procrastination can be riddled with influences you don’t even think about.

Whenever you perform a task, you’re dealing with different people, visiting new locations, working with various materials, programs, systems, and so on.

Think about this for a moment. Is there something that’s bothering you above and beyond the actual work you have to do? You may not like dealing with any one (or more) of these things.

In fact, one of these things could be the precise reason as to why you’re procrastinating. How can you handle this person, place, or thing? Can you find a way to work with or modify your relationship?

How about you? How do you overcome procrastination? What steps do you take to break through the wall and get back on track? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!