Procrastination is Deadly to your Success”.

"Procrastination is deadly to your success”. As a former Director responsible for the management of million dollar projects and leader of large cross functional teams, comprised of internal and external team members and now a Consultant and Coach for many small business owners across North ..."Procrastination is deadly to your success”. As a former Director responsible for the management of million dollar projects and leader of large cross functional teams, comprised of internal and external team members and now a Consultant and Coach for many small business owners across North America , Gregory L. Burrus lists his daily dozen tips as part of his procrastination avoidance arsenal that leads to success.

1. Write it down, Write it down. There are many details that you have to remember in any given day. Why should you try to keep it all in your memory? The very moment you remember something needs to be done, write it down! That way, when you need to consult information about a task, the information will be available to you in an instant.

2. There Can only Be One! Keep all your notes in one place. Once you’ve developed the habit of writing everything down, your next step will be to keep all your notes in one place. Otherwise, you’ll end up spending your precious time procrastinating. Notice while you are searching for your notes, you are in fact procrastinating.

3. Stay fit, stay healthy. A keen memory is a well-nourished mind. Eat healthy; get plenty of sleep and lots of good exercise. These will all see you through to having the energy to do more and to having a good memory that stays focused and alert.

4. Get it out of your head. Record your every thought. You might find yourself driving when a good idea comes to mind or you might recall something that you really need to write down. No need to pull over and start writing, record the idea instead on that wonderful mp3 player that you received over the holidays. If yours doesn’t record, well get one that does! This will help you become better organized. Use your handy recorder as your second eyes and ears.

5. Deliver advance warning. Step into the future and call ahead to yourself. Let’s say you have an important task to do the next day. Call ahead to your answering device and leave yourself a message. That way when you listen to your messages the next day, you’ll be reminded of what needs to be done, and execute your task ASAP.

6. Have confidence in yourself. Avoid the perfectionist mode. Not everything has to be perfect. Notice that despite all its imperfections, that world has kept on moving. Another important point is to keep up your self-esteem. If you keep thinking ‘I have a really bad memory, I always forget everything,’ then chances are you’ll probably continue to have a bad memory. It is important to have a motivated, I CAN remember and I CAN DO attitude. Remember, some procrastination is a result of a lack of self confidence that is being covered up by the perfection syndrome. You end up feeling like you can’t get the job done. There is a simple solution to this: stop the excuses, have faith in yourself and stay motivated!

7. Build email reminders. Use your email to type in reminders for deadlines, tasks, and special occasions. Couple of days prior to the event, you will start receiving email reminders. This is terrific way to jog your memory by using internet technology.

8. Love those sticky notes. Want to remember something prior to leaving your home? Just mark it down on a Post-It Note and stick it to the inside of your door. Get the ones with the bright, neon colors; post them where you have to see them. Need to make an urgent call first thing in the morning? Leave a Post-It Note on your telephone. Need an oil change, need to pay a ticket; leave a Post-It Note on the windshield.

9. Create Visual memory joggers. Visual reminders will help you remember and stay focused. Use visual reminders for remembering your goals. If your goal is to take a trip to a Barcelona or Tahiti in a few years, keep a magazine photograph of Barcelona right on your desk or on your refrigerator. If your goal is to lose 25 lbs. in five months, use a picture of that outfit that you’d like to fit into. The point is, use visuals as a tool to motivate you to stop procrastinating and move towards your goals.

10. Use timers and alarms. Take advantage of all the electronics that you carry with you. Who doesn’t have an alarm on their cell phone? Do what I do, set alarm clocks and timers throughout the day. Have a 30 minute activity planned? Make sure it doesn’t run over its allocated time for the day. What I do to avoid this, is that I set my cell phone to beep a few minutes before the 30 minutes are up. This helps me mentally prepare myself for the next course of action planned, and helps me get to my next task on time.

11. Multi-task better. Not enough time in the day, but you need to get more done. The key to successful multi-tasking is to plan two activities in advance and to avoid giving precedence to all other tasks, no matter how easier or more interesting they may seem. Look at your to do list and combine activities to save time. For instance, you’ve included laundry and exercise on your task list. Instead of waiting for one to complete, to start the other; start exercising while your clothes are in the machine. The key to successful multi-tasking lies with planning

12. Don’t forget time is money. Time is a precious commodity. We use our time to work, which in turn makes us money and give us a sense of accomplishment. Stop waiting until the very last minute to start working. Why not make the most efficient use of time and improve your chances of making more money in less time. Procrastination means you are being inefficient and therefore stopping yourself from reaching your goals.

Remember, if you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it twice; it only makes a difference when you take action. Avoidance, procrastination, anxiety, perfectionism are all the daggers in the heart of efficiency. Learn to use your mind, your friends and your colleagues to help you stop procrastinating. We need to force ourselves to use the tools and technologies of the day to support us in reaching our goals. Want more advice?

Tips like these and others can be found at the Coaches Corner over at www.successismandatorytoday.com