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

Strategies to Further Improve Your Work Productivity

 1. Undertake the most difficult thing first. As soon as you arrive at the office, you may be inclined to first check your emails, go through the day’s mail, or furrow through some easy admin activities. Instead, try doing the most challenging, trickiest (or least satisfying) action early in the day. You’ll be approaching it when your focus level is raised and your mind is sharp.

 2. Prepare for tomorrow at the close of today. Take 15 minutes at the end of every day to make tomorrow’s to-do list. This routine of preparing will give you the gift of focus, allowing you to get a jump-start the next morning. In a sense, you’re building a plan for the following day.

 3. Transfer all ideas, actions, and goals onto paper. Clear the muddle out of your brain by taking pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and make it possible for to-dos and brilliant ideas to become more tangible.

 4. Use your email proficiently. Avoid skimming emails and leaving them to act upon “later.” Instead, plan time just twice each day to check and handle emails. Go through each email message thoroughly, then act, file, delete, or forward.

 5. Enjoy a lunch break every day. You may not feel you have time for one, but schedule the time. Poor nutrition while at work is costing countries (and their businesses) up to 20% in lost work productivity! 

6. Become a proficient time estimator. Most undesirable activities don’t take as long as you think they will. And most enjoyable things tend to draw out a bit longer than you'd think. Have a timer to get an accurate measure of the exact time it takes to finish several different everyday tasks.

 7. Setup an effective work space. The standard office person spends 2,000 hours per year at her workspace. Make sure that space is easy to work by simply gathering things you use most often and housing them within effortless reach of your usual seatedea.

 8. Tackle paper effortlessly. Resolve to deal with your papers on a scheduled cycle. Whether first thing in the morning, at the end of the day, or somewhere in between, set aside 30 minutes each day so you don't end up with overwhelming piles.

 9. Be more efficient by avoiding distractions. Try using lower-energy hours as your open office hours so you don’t squander peak work productivity with distractions.

 10. Understand the many benefits of staying organized. Getting organized goes way beyond having a orderly and uncluttered space. By becoming more organized, you’ll not only help your business run more effective, but you’ll enjoy many personal benefits as well.

 11. Stop procrastinating. Break activities down into realistic-sized parts and write these down Each day’s achievements can give the motivation so you can keep going.

 12. Master how to say “no” and delegate. Take control of your schedule and tasks by creating a list of all your commitments, both daily and special undertakings. Even if it takes a little more effort on the front end to teach someone else, it may pay off by providing you increased time and energy to focus your attention on more substantive responsibilities.

Turn a Bonus Room into a Home Office

Post by Strategize and Organize.

Set Expectations to Improve Time Management

Post by Strategize and Organize.

Investing in a Business Coach or Professional Organizer

In an interview, I was asked how do I help people see the value in investing in personal productivity?

My response was that I learned to be very focused on what I am truly passionate about and to concentrate on the outcome and the completion of what it takes for individual personal productivity. Like my clients, I strive to not get distracted by the shiny objects. Just as I coach my clients, I avoid the peripheral “things,” the “maybe we should look at that too or look at this.” I focus on the simplified methodology for the issues they are dealing with, and that is really where I am the most successful.

I have clients who ask me to do things that are off my radar screen and although I may have a good experience, professional or personal, it’s really not in the mainstream of my core competencies. In those instances, I’ve learned that I have to say no and work with my wonderful network of colleagues from mastermind groups, The National Speaker’s Association, and other associations. I find other professionals and recommend my clients to those individuals and let it go. That’s where I feel I can be most of service, and I really learn from that. It doesn’t have to be all about me; it’s really all about the client.

People sometimes feel ashamed of where they are, and they are embarrassed to say that they need help. Oftentimes, they think they should have figured it out by now. At other times, they believe that someone in their organization, who already shares in their pain and knows the challenges, will be able to fix things. They consider using someone from the inside rather than bringing in an outsider. The issue with using insiders is that they may be enmeshed in the problem themselves and lack a sense of objectivity. Having an outsider, such as me, come in and take a look offers the organization that objective, non-judgmental, bird’s eye view. I am there to assess and analyze the problem, identify the root causes, and offer solutions that, once implemented, will result in consistent, positive, and efficient outcomes.

I always like to remind people that they're in business because they wanted to do something they care deeply about. Maybe they run an international nonprofit organization or want to be a physician heading up a healthcare company. That’s what their passion is, and my passion has always been analyzing methodologies to help people be more efficient. I’ve worked with so many different people through different industries—entrepreneurial to large organizations—that I can make more expedient decisions and not just set up little packages of quick fixes or band aid containers for how things should look. I can really give them systems that are repeatable and transferable to other people. Once those systems are in place, they will be there for the long haul. Their investment in me and my services is really a significant and worthwhile value to them and their organization.

Are you committed to change?

In an interview I was asked, "as a business coach, how do I get commitment from clients?"

            I gain commitment by influencing and persuading clients about several objectives and by having them buy into the process. I have a plethora of methods. As I said earlier, every client is unique. I figure out what works for each individual one. I do have one client in particular, and even though her company is no longer keeping me on retainer, she still emails me weekly. I had this company for about eight years, and due to a reshifting of their priorities, my services were put on hold. Even though I’m no longer on retainer, this individual still emails me every Friday with her successes for the week and a quick note about the lessons she’s learned that week.

I had just started working with her prior to the budget cuts, so we really wanted to keep this going. We established a spirit of cooperation and cohesion for goal achievement. I couldn’t let her go because I saw how much she wanted to change. The method I used with her was for her to write an “accountability” every week of what her goals were, what she’d accomplished, and what lessons she’d learned.

I inquire which methods my clients have previously used or considered using and what they want to accomplish in using those resources. In the process of questioning them, I validate and acknowledge their desire to learn more, to do things more efficiently, and to help themselves. I then help them identify which resources will best address their needs, taking into consider ease of use and cost-effectiveness. Once we establish that I’m listening to them, understanding their needs, and looking at what’s best suited for them based on where they are, then they’re ready to make the time commitment to learn and incorporate these new methodologies into their work practices.

I have heard lots of speakers over the years and recently have been on calls with Michael Bernoff. He talks about asking people to commit to the time they schedule with you. I learned from him that just using the words, “Do I have your commitment that you will accomplish such and such?” has a strong emotional affect for people. They hear commitment and know they need to show up. 

Also, I have found that if a client isn’t committed to keeping appointments, I have to fire them. I guarantee my clients that I can help them and if they are not willing to commit to the work or systems that we define are best for them, then I tell them that they are setting me up to fail in helping them. If that’s the case, then either they get on board and become accountable or we work together to get them help elsewhere. Sometimes, they are just not ready, and I let them go with love.  

How to File and be Guaranteed to Find It!

Did you know that the average executive spends six weeks per year retrieving or replacing lost documents?  Naturally, it makes sense to create a system that is quick and easy so you can save that lost time.  Here are some ideas to get it done now once you have The Paper Tiger.  If you don’t have The Paper Tiger now, download this link to get started.  Here are the top ten tips I recommend:

           1    Look at the “hot spot of files”.  You know the pile that seems the most urgent and makes your stomach churn every time you look at it.  Take the paperwork and make a decision on each piece and separate into four piles:

            a         Reference, those items you need, just not right now

            b         Action, current projects, ongoing projects

            c         Toss, you know where those are going

            d         Timed, you need these on a specific date.

            2    When deciding on whether to file something or throw it away, ask yourself if how difficult would it be to find this information again?  Does it have any legal or financial ramifications if you were to throw it away?  If you can live with the answer of throwing it away after those thoughts, let it go.

3    Set up the Paper Tiger Filing System Software and Document Management, an indexing system that works like a search engine for paper files to help you get organized and stay organized.  It’s essentially creating an inventory for all of your files.

4    Use names that you will be able to recall easily.  The obvious file names that you’ve used in the past.  Then the interesting thing is with The Paper Tiger is that will also be able to add keywords into the database so that any name you think of when you need to find a file, the software will be able to tell you where it is in seconds. So in the case of “Auto” the Item Name would be “Ford Explorer”, and in the keywords section, you would input the name of the company, i.e., “Vehicle, Car”, possible the name of the dealer, the service person’s name, etc., and you might use “Personal” in the Category section.

5    Oftentimes, people receive notices of an event and they never know what to do with the postcard. Set up a monthly filing system (a Tickler File) to keep track of when to throw them away.  Create 12 hanging file folders, one for each month.  As you rsvp or pull the information for “dress code” or directions. When the day rolls around, you can retrieve it for a reminder. This will ensure that you never miss an event or an expiration date on an rsvp or offer.

6    When sorting through paperwork make a decision. If you’re not in a decision-making mood, have a place set up for “unprocessed paperwork”.  Then when you’re ready, if you need to take action, do it now or place it in the appropriate action file.  If someone else needs to attend to it, give it to them.  If it is something to reference later on, add it to a reference file and place it there. Putting it back in the pile to address later is no longer an option for you as an organized person.

7    When you have a lot of tasks to do for the day, quickly sort the tasks in order of importance.  Do what is most profitable or important to you first, then move on from there.  Therefore, if you only have a little bit of time you will be addressing the most critical issues first.  All other tasks need to be scheduled for the when it makes sense.  This final step is critical otherwise you’ll be starting a new pile.

8    Print out reports of what you have inventoried in your filing system, place a folder in the front of each door labeled “File Index”.  Having a quick and easy reference when you don’t want to open your computer makes it easier to find quickly.

9     Get into a maintenance habit of printing out a report of all of your files, quarterly or no less often than annually, and identify what you no longer need and purge or create steps to archive via off site store or scanning. 

10 .Finally, create a time management habit.  Take 10-15 minutes every morning looking at your priorities, including your Actions within your Paper Tiger system and pulling files from your Tickler File.  Do the same thing each evening by placing all documents collected through the day back into your systems. 

Congratulations on your progress, if you haven’t done it yet.  Set up your Paper Tiger system now and get started.  As you go throughout your day, keep in mind the task at hand and focus on completing that one task.  Remember that “things don’t clutter, people clutter”.  When we make simple decisions and take action, we can improve the quality of our life at work and at home.