It's Time to Stop Procrastinating

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” - Edward Young

In 2002 I signed a contract with Leasing Power Tools Press to write a book on equipment leasing sales. Four years later, there was no book. I tried. I’d write, criticize myself, crinkle the paper up and throw it in the trash. I’d sit down with the intention of writing and then any other activity that popped into my mind would take precedence. Clipping my toenails suddenly became urgent!

We all know that procrastination can be a killer. It kills ideas, dreams and opportunities. Some people consistently avoid difficult tasks and play Words With Friends on their smart phones rather than taking steps that will bring them closer to their goals. Avoiding a difficult activity actually drains your energy. It usually takes a lot less time to complete the task then we imagine. Thinking that we will do something someday because now is too soon—often moves into: now it’s too late.

The easiest way for me to explain this is to give you a case study of how I dissolved my procrastination and finally published the book.

Case Study
Why did I procrastinate?
• Fear of Failure — I was afraid. Worried that people wouldn't like my work. Thinking “who do I think I am to write a book?”
• Boredom — The actual writing seemed monotonous and tedious.
• Confusion — Where do I start? What do I do next? I was overwhelmed with the size and complexity of the task.
• Poor Time Management — I’d think, “I’ll write after yoga class, I’ll write after I eat this sandwich...I’ll write after I tweeze this annoying chin hair”...you get the idea!
• Laziness — I couldn’t get moving on the project and discovered that procrastination is reinforcing - every time I delayed, it reinforced my negative attitude toward writing. Every time I put it off, I strengthened the habit of not doing it.

How did I Produce the Book?

I was training a leasing company in California, and one of the sales reps had published a book. Throughout the training I’m looking at this guy and thinking, “if he could do it I can do it.” Then I got my butt in gear and:

1. Made the Commitment to Get it Done - I called the publisher (took action) and asked if he was still interested in the project. He was interested and he wanted it to be a “tips” book. Easy for sales people to read. This I could do! I made the commitment and the very next day I met someone on an airplane who told me about the perfect software program to use. It’s amazing that once you commit, the right people appear.

2. Developed a Healthy, Positive Attitude about the Book - I wondered what were the best tips to share. “Many of the world’s inventions don’t come from people simply working hard and throwing themselves at a project,” says Kathlyn Hendericks, PhD. “They come from wonder. The best way to shake free of usual thinking patterns is to make the hmmm sound aloud. It’s impossible to criticize yourself when you’re making that sound. Follow it up with a question: ‘Hmmm, I wonder what the company logo should look like?’” I asked myself questions that started with hmmm, came up with good ideas, and just focused on helping people.

3. Visualize - I made a mock cover of the book and hung it above my desk. I pictured the book helping 5000 people.

4. Divide into Small Chunks - I love the idea of taking baby steps. I made the task look small and easy in my mind. ("I've written lots of excellent articles; this is just one more article.") Taking one baby step a day is achievable.

5. Five-minute plan - I’d tell myself to just work on it for five minutes. Most times I’d get involved enough to keep going.

6. Made my Commitment Public - I told my friends. The more public the commitment, the more pressure I felt to produce. By asking someone to hold me accountable in a supportive way I put “positive pressure” on myself.

7. Focused on The Not-Urgent & Important - Steven Covey in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People outlines four quadrants of time and activities: urgent & important, urgent & not important, not urgent & important, not urgent & not important. I made it a priority to carve out time to complete the book even if more activities were more urgent. Every salesperson knows that they have to prospect, but it’s not an urgent activity, same with exercise it’s very important but it’s not urgent.

8. Changed my environment - I learned to modify my environment - I couldn’t work at home...too many trips to the refrigerator. Most of the book was written at the library.

9. Set a Deadline - Deadlines are the ticket to freedom. Contrary to what most people think, a deadline can decrease stress by motivating action. Anxiety about completing a project is usually related to inaction and this anxiety uses an enormous amount of energy. Once a deadline was in place, it released the anxiety and it turned into positive energy. I set a deadline which inspired action.

10. Set Boundaries - I shut the ringer off on my phone, turned off my wireless and avoided email while I was writing.

11. Took Frequent Breaks - I started writing with a “do or die” mentality. It didn’t work. I learned to stop every hour to do something unrelated to the book like stretch, do a yoga posture, or eat a chocolate chip cookie. This gave my body (and mind) a chance to rest and it allowed me to return with a fresh set of eyes.

That’s how I did it. How can YOU stop procrastinating? Print out the following winning formula. Then, choose a project that needs to be completed and apply these steps:
1. Make a Commitment
2. Visualize
3. Take Daily Baby Steps
4. Tell Your Friends
5. Modify Your Environment
6. Set a Deadline
7. Set Boundaries
8. Take Breaks
I’m happy to report that the book has helped people. After four years of procrastinating it took eleven months to write it and in 2007 it was published. Neil Roth, from Key Credit Corporation in Atlanta, tells me that the book is always missing from his book shelf because his sales reps look to it for new ideas and pass it around the office.

There are many benefits to completing a project – the satisfaction of a job well done, the peace of mind that comes from no longer beating ourselves up for not acting, or the actual benefits, like more income. When you overcome procrastination the feeling of accomplishment and relief is amazing, life becomes a little richer, a little deeper.

Life is full of projects, make peace with the process, take action and you’ll spark new breakthroughs.