How is your procrastination list looking these days? You know the one I am talking about, that list of things that need to get done, your to-do list that is hanging on your refrigerator door or that you keep tucked away inside your heart and head. Yes, those lists, how are they looking these days?
You see, we don’t really call them procrastination lists, do we? We call them “Action Items” or “To-do” lists, we call them hopes and dreams, and maybe even some of us refer to them as goals and objectives. Yet when it comes to actually getting things done, we may find ourselves just a little behind on our plan or so far behind that we start to lose interest in our hopes, dreams, plans and goals.
If this feels like I am writing this just about you, please do not feel alone, because you are not. There seems to be a true fascination with procrastination. The question is, why?
Some of these reasons may sound familiar or ring true for you, “Well maybe if I just wait for a few more days, things will resolve themselves.” Or, “Today is only Thursday, I can get to this before Sunday and I’ll still be OK.” How about this one: “Maybe I was reaching too high or far; what made me think I could accomplish this?”
There are hundreds more statements and excuses just like those I mention above. And again, the question is, why? Why do we make excuses, why do we justify or rationalize away our hopes and dreams so easily when we know we really want to do more, be more, have more, experience more?
It comes down to commitment and prioritization. If we lack the 3 Ds — discipline, determination and drive — we will lack the commitment necessary to complete our tasks and projects and to fulfill our dreams and goals. And if we allow competing priorities to usurp what is most important to us, we deny ourselves the opportunity to achieve what is most important to us. What are you willing to commit to and how will you prioritize it against everything else you have going on?
And here’s the real deal about this: As much as I am referring to hopes and dreams and goals and objectives, it’s also about the little everyday chores, to-dos, and tasks. All of those little things we need to do each and every day that we postpone, put off or forget about. And then what happens, all of a sudden our Saturday and Sunday, which were intended for doing things for ourselves and our dreams and goals, become filled with the little things we should have been doing throughout the week. And you know what happens, right, that little voice inside our head starts getting in our ear, “Oh well, I guess I have to put off my hopes and dreams one more time because I have to go to the market, the dry cleaner, the pharmacy, I have to get the dogs to the groomer, and I have to clean out my car.”
Success can be as hard or as easy as we make it. Most of the people who have plenty of time to love life, enjoy life, excel in what they do, or just have time to chill out and relax are the people who don’t have a fascination with procrastination — instead they avoid procrastination like the plague. They are committed to what is important and they know how to prioritize their minutes and days to maximize results.
So how about you? Is there always something else to do that keeps you from reaching your goals? Or are you committed to your success and wisely prioritizing your activities and events? Either way, I would love to hear all about it at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we avoid our fascination with procrastination it really will be a better than good week.
Michael Norton is a resident of Castle Rock, the former president of the Zig Ziglar Corporation, a strategic consultant and a business and personal coach.