Figure Out Why You Procrastinate and Take Action Now

After you read this post, be sure to check out the other selection of take action now articles and books shared at the end. Both are great resources that will help you do what needs doing in your life.

If you are a person who chooses to procrastinate, stall and make excuses rather than take action now, find out the reason. It is important to find out why you don’t take action when you should. Once you know and understand the why, you can do something about it

Procrastination is not invincible, figure out why you do it so you can stop procrastinating and begin to take action now.

Procrastination is commonly defined as what happens when you delay or postpone something. Almost every school child has heard the expression, “never put off for tomorrow what you can do today.” However, hearing the expression is not the same as following the words in the expression. People who procrastinate have reasons, excuses and justifications for their procrastination.

In order to start kicking procrastination to the curb, make a list of all the things you have been putting off doing. Be honest and list as many items as possible. The more complete this inventory is, the more you will have to work with as you try to figure out why you do not take action now when you should. It doesn’t matter if your list is with pen and paper or on your favorite electronic device. The important thing is that you need to make the list.

Now that you have the list it is time to figure out what kept you from doing each item on the list. Look at it as objectively as you can. Keep in mind, the list is just for you, no one else is going to be looking over your shoulder at the list. Write down the reasons you procrastinated on each item. There is something powerful about having information in writing so you can look back at it. As you identify the thing that kept you from taking action now on each item on the list, look for common themes.

There are a few common reasons that people procrastinate. These include:

• fear of success
• fear of failure
• lack of self-confidence
• past failures
• listening to others instead of yourself
• lack of prior experience
• lack of expertise

It doesn’t matter if your reasons for failing to take action now are not on the list. The list is not meant to be all-inclusive, instead, it is meant to spark ideas as you try to figure out your own reasons for failing to act. By looking at the list of times when you should have acted and didn’t and learning why you didn’t act, you are ready for the next step. That step is finding tools that help you move forward to take action now when you should.

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