Why Do People Procrastinate?

Procrastination is a habit that does not go away easily. As an executive coach, I recommend to my clients to use technology to help make tasks easier. Although, even as the technology in our world today continues to advance with rapid speed, it only prompts us to become more laidback in our lifestyle letting others do the job for us.

Procrastination is the most expensive invisible cost in business today. A recent study of 10,000 U.S. employees polled, revealed that the average worker self-admitted to wasting 2.09 hours each day on non-job-related activities. Considering the average salaried employee makes $39,795, that means procrastination costs employers $10,396 per year – per employee.

It is extremely common for us to put off doing something simply because we are too lazy to do so. However, procrastination goes beyond that. It is a habitual and intentional act to delay doing or completing their responsibilities, and over time, can have severe negative impact on the person’s life. Their overall well-being suffers as well, as feelings of guilt, inadequacy, stress and depression may kick in.

Why do people procrastinate then? More often than not, people procrastinate not because they are lazy. There are many causes and reasons for procrastination, and below we shall identify a few of the more common ones. By understanding the reason and the emotions behind your procrastination, you can then go about getting rid of this bad habit.

Perfectionism

Some people have unrealistically high standards and expectations, and this causes them to procrastinate as they feel that they do not have the skills and abilities that are needed to complete it satisfactorily. They are afraid of attempting it, and not doing it perfectly, hence they make excuses that they need to acquire more knowledge before they can attempt it. The best way to break out of this cycle is to tell yourself that you can do it, and the task is easier than what you think it is. Or perhaps, you need to speak to your superior to draw up accurate and realistic level of expectations.

 Anger

This occurs when you find yourself avoiding the task, or simply refusing to complete it. The cause of this could be an argument with your superior, or your teacher or project team. The feelings of anger and resentment against them can translate into an unwillingness to do what they have assigned you to. Another common reason for procrastination could be the anger felt at having the task forced upon you, when you are either unwilling or uninterested in it, and have expressed so and been ignored. This would cause feelings of resentment and result in avoidance.  As a business coach, it's important to recognize that if the anger isn't eventually dealt with responsibly, it can be a major block to business and personal growth.

Negative Thinking

This one personally exhausts me!  When I hear someone start a sentence with "The problem with me (referring to themselves)" or refers to "see what I have to deal with all the time", I absolutely cringe and think, here we go with a victim mentality.  These people who constantly harbor thoughts that they are not good enough, or that they always fail, and are probably just lacking common sense and incapable. This kind of negative thinking makes it difficult for them to attempt projects, especially important ones as they feel so inadequate that they should not even be doing a task of this magnitude or importance. The root cause of this form of thinking could be previous failures, or abrasive and abusive comments from people around them, causing them to be labelled with their own inadequacies and perceived shortcomings.

Hence, there are many different reasons why people tend to procrastinate, and this is a bad habit that many people are guilty of. There is a difference between being momentarily lazy, and procrastinating as a habit. By identifying the reason for your procrastination, you will be able to eliminate it and finally get your work done on time.

Anne McGurty is CEO and Founder of Strategize and Organize, Inc. Productivity Expert and Problem Solver and author of the Amazon published "Lost in Your Own Office: Tips for Getting Organized." For more information, visit www.AnneMcGurty.com.


Source:
www.AnneMcGurty.com
480-442-2014
303-881-0174 mobile
amcgurty@gmail.com
Lost in Your Own Office; Anne McGurty, 2010-2015; Amazon.

3 Reasons to Keep Your Day Job

Watching people and their habits is something that I've done for years. Growing up on the east coast, visiting New York City, my parents owning a hotel, all were tremendous opportunities for me be curious about people's habits. As a business consultant today, I use those natural observation skills to identify problems that affect people's personal productivity. Lack of productivity often transfers to lost business opportunities, translating to losing money. Time management is always a hot topic. I hear people say all too often, I don't have time. I want to meet with you but we're too busy. When things settle down, we'll sit down and figure out what to do next. And I think in my mind, well when is the right time? NOW! The time is going to pass whether you do something or not. Stop right now and list out your priorities. Know what your long term goal is? Don't know what your long term goal is, let's take a look at why?

Why? What is your why. Why are you doing the things that you are doing? Are you you busy going to work everyday so you can have enough money to retire? so you have enough money to go on vacation? so you can have all the nice trappings of the latest gadgets and household comforts. None of these reasons are bad, they all motivate you probably to get up each morning. But do you have a plan to how to enjoy what you are working for. let's take a look at each of these possibilities.

Retirement:   You work hard so you can retire. Great! So have you met with a financial planner to know what you need financially to retire?  Ignorance and denial keep too many people sticking their head in the sand every day not wanting to deal with the reality of what they really need to retire. Put on your big girl panties, so to speak, and sit down with a financial planner to know how you can have investments, and products that will help you retire in comfort. I started my career with Merrill Lynch on Wall Street, and I learned some wise investment strategies -- unfortunately not all did I put into place.  Looking back now I have tremendous insight to help friends and clients today.  You may also find out that this will inspire you to get a better job, pursue some more business certifications or go back to school so you can earn more. There's also the opportunity to develop a entrepreneurial business for a some residual income. I encourage you to think outside the box to create hope and security.

Vacation: Does this just sound like a dream, something other people do? Do you just end up visiting family or staying home because your annual time off has come up and you had nothing planned. Or if you're an entrepreneur or business owner, are you thinking you 're too busy to leave or too broke to go anywhere. Sounds kind of pathetic doesn't it. Working so hard, that you can't enjoy what is supposed to be a vacation. Make an intention. I moved to Phoenix a couple of years ago and last year, i realized that the business climate slows down in the summer for obvious reasons. So I said "next year, I will work/live somewhere cooler for the summer". Funny how it all transpired because by putting it out there, I found an opportunity to stay in a country  village in New Mexico and work virtually. Now I'm enjoying an extended vacation while maintaining my income. Wouldn't you like to take some time off and know that it enhanced your life and rejuvenated your energy.

Materialism:  I'm not going to judge anyone for being materialistic.  I enjoy nice things too.  I've had the drive for the Gucci shoes, the Louis Vuitton handbags, and driving the latest Mercedes Benz.  The problem is, you don't want to be a slave to your work or job for the materialism.  Again, it's like working with the financial planner, work with an accountability partner, or someone like me a business coach, to help you plan out what you want your life to look like.  What provides the comforts to support your hard work.  I see clients randomly purchasing items, then repurchasing them because they either didn't know they had them or they were too distracted to take the time to understand or appreciate what they had, so they would just push their purchases aside.  They would continue the cycle because they had the money or credit available and would "crash" wondering why they felt overwhelmed, frustrated, or came home to clutter.

Wishing you the best as you keep showing up each day.  Should you want to improve the quality of your life at work and at home, call me NOW at 303-881-0174 or visit my website at www.annemcgurty.com to schedule a FREE 20 minute strategy session.

Anne McGurty, Your Productivity Partner
Project Manager and Small Business Consultant
www.AnneMcGurty.com  Mobile: 303-881-0174