Like most people, I can get stuck with some of the projects that I have. When I get stuck, I find myself procrastinating. When I procrastinate, I start a vicious cycle of coming up with excuses and ultimately beating myself up for not getting anything done.
What projects or goals are you stuck on now? Have you said that you would get your email all cleaned up to inbox zero and still haven’t? Have you said that you would invest in yourself and learn a new skill and find you don’t have the time to take any online education? Did you plan to take the time to create an office procedures manual but haven’t given it any more thought?
Like you, I’ve got many excuses as to why I haven’t done certain things. But instead of wallowing in my guilt and pity, I decided to find a way to stop myself from procrastinating, and it worked!
[ctt template=”3″ link=”ebccM” via=”yes” ] I decided to find a way to stop myself from procrastinating, and it worked![/ctt]
Grab a piece of paper (real or electronic is fine). List your stuck project or goal on the top. Break your project/goal into smaller pieces.
Once you’ve done listing all the things you need to do, ask yourself what your excuses are. Be honest and real. Why have you stopped progress? What messages are you telling yourself that are getting in the way?
The next step is to write down what is required for you to do the task. Your excuses might be legitimately valid cause a stumbling block for you to continue. By looking at the excuses, we can often see the path forward.
Stuck Project: Increasing my profile at work
Smaller Pieces/Tasks:
– Attend meetings, so I know what is going on
– Volunteer for high profile committees such as United Way
– Speak up when I have an opinion instead of just thinking it
– Etc.
My Excuses:
– Attend meetings, so I know what is going on:
o I have no spare time at all
o If they wanted me there, they would have included me in the invite
o I’m worried that people will think I’m overstepping in my role
– Volunteer for high profile committee
o I have no spare time at all
o It’s a thankless job that I will never be able to get rid of once I start
o Does anyone even care that I do more? Is it worth it?
– Speak up when I have an opinion instead of just thinking it
o I’m afraid I’ll say something stupid which will affect my reputation
o I’m worried that once I say something, I will be tasked with more work. I don’t have time for more work
o I’m not sure they even want my opinion. If they wanted it, wouldn’t they ask for it?
What I need to do:
– Attend meetings, so I know what is going on:
o I have no spare time at all
- I’m never going to have any spare time. I need to force myself to go, even if it requires me to work a little more overtime or find more ways to be efficient. If this is my excuse, it will always be there, and if it is important to me to raise my profile, I have to find the time. Surely there are things that I’m investing time in that are not as good for me. I need to look at my workload with a clear view to raising my profile and prioritize accordingly.
o If they wanted me there, they would have included me in the invite
- I know that I can offer a lot of value and the reason that I’m not invited is they don’t know that I can offer the value. There is no risk to asking, and I can share why I think I should be there so they see the benefit to it.
o I’m worried that people will think I’m overstepping in my role
- I know that I’m growing my role and not overstepping it. I can permit myself to stop worrying about what my peers think and start worrying about creating the role I need to.
– Volunteer for high profile committee
o I have no spare time at all
- See above for an explanation that still applies
o It’s a thankless job that I will never be able to get rid of once I start
- Many jobs are thankless, but they still need to be done. It is an important job, and I’m more than capable of adding value to the role, and it offers me a higher profile even if it is thankless.
o Does anyone even care that I do more? Is it worth it?
- Do I even care if others care? I know the reason I am doing it is legitimate to me. It makes me feel better to give back, and it offers me the opportunity to network and communicate with people that my current job does not. If some don’t care that I’m doing more, that’s okay. I care, and I know senior leadership does too, or we wouldn’t have a United Way committee.
– Speak up when I have an opinion instead of just thinking it
o I’m afraid I’ll say something stupid, and it will affect my reputation
- I will ensure I’m prepared before every meeting I attend. While that will take me time, it will be worth it as I know that my opinion and insights are valuable. I am professional enough not to say anything that will affect my reputation, and that is just my insecurities talking.
o I’m worried that once I say something, I will be tasked with more work, and I don’t have time for more work
- See above for time concerns
- Saying something doesn’t mean I will always be tasked with something, either. Don’t let this excuse hold me back when I have value to add. It will always be worth it.
o I’m not sure they even want my opinion. If they wanted it, wouldn’t they ask for it?
- See above for insecurities. And I know that my perspective is valuable.
And so on. I’ve taken the project/goal and broken it down into bite-sized pieces. We already know to do that. That won’t get us unstuck. The final step will stop us from procrastinating; listing the solution or action to the excuse.
The magic is asking yourself what you need to do to get that bite-sized piece done and evaluating the excuse that is stopping you!
[ctt template=”3″ link=”AkneP” via=”yes” ]The magic to stopping procrastination is asking yourself what you need to do to get that bite-sized piece done and evaluating the excuse that is stopping you![/ctt]
Be honest, be realistic, break it into small pieces, and before you know it, your excuses are history!
