Does your daily “to-do” list turn into a weekly or monthly “to-do” list? Too much to do and too little time is often the excuse we use when this happens. The truth is our procrastination output is higher than our productivity output. It’s very similar to the formula used to lose weight. You have to expend more calories than you take in. The same is true when it comes to getting things done. The less you procrastinate the more productive you can become, that is if you can understand why you’re procratinating in the first place.
Procrastinate – Delay; postpone; stalling or not carrying out a task in a timely manner.
Here are some reasons why we procrastinate:
1. The task at hand is too overwhelming, complicated, or tedious.
2. We don’t know what we should be doing, so we don’t do anything.
3. We aren’t clear on how to maximize our time.
4. We don’t have clear cut processes for what we need to do.
5. We’re fearful.
6. We get distracted or would rather do something else.
7. Lack of goals.
8. Little motivation.
9. Difficulty making decisions.
10. Perfectionism.
Most of us suffer from the occasional procrastination. However, procrastination can be a huge problem if it’s stifling your productivity and momentum on a daily basis. Think of all the things you want to get done that you haven’t, then ask yourself: Is procrastination winning out over productivity? Now ask yourself why.
You can get out of a procrastination rut, gain more time, and complete more tasks if you make a few modifications in both your thinking and behavior.
Why Your Daily “To-Do” List Isn’t Working
Most of you are working by a daily “to-do” list that isn’t working, it’s overwhelming at best and only aids in the procrastination process. If you have one, take a look at it. Your items probably fall in two or three categories:
1. Errands, which contribute very little to growing your business.
2. Reminders, such as requests, things you’ve promised to get done, etc.
3. Projects, which will take more than a day or so for completion.
The projects are longer term activities and too time consuming so you ignore them and tend to the errands. You finish your errands, then move to your reminders, which are most likely already overdue. You move your projects to tomorrow’s “to-do” list, add more errands and the cycle starts over, which then leads to what I call busy-ness.
Busy-ness Is Irrelevant
I see so many people engaged in busy-ness, they’re always busy but they’re not accomplishing the things they really want to accomplish. In other words, they’re doing a lot of stuff, but it’s not leading them in a focused direction towards a specific goal. In this case you want to ask yourself: Are the things I’m doing on a regularly basis lining up with the goals I’ve set? If they’re not you need to change the approach you’re taking towards your business. Look back at your list, which of your activities can you categorize as “growth activities“, activities designed to help you build your business.
Learning to Focus Your Energy
Learning to focus your energy means you have to focus your thoughts and you can’t do that if you are scattered. Solopreneurs and small business owners are more challenged than most because they are often managing a great deal with limited resources. If you have a very small staff or no staff at all, it’s increasing important that you are able to focus clearly on what you need to do, which are those things that will help you to grow your business. Marketing for example, fundraising, selling, or customer retention. If you’re having trouble focusing, here are some questions you want to start asking yourself:
- How well am I managing my calendar? The question is not if you have a calendar, it’s how well you manage it.
- How relevant are my daily activities? Being busy all day every day doesn’t equate to relevance. You have to seriously ask yourself if you’re making real progress.
- Am I moving in a clear and focused direction or am I being pulled in places that don’t line up with my core objectives? Opportunities abound all around and it’s easy to get distracted if you’re not focused.
- Am I following a plan or randomly operating hoping it’ll all work out? If I ask you what’s your overall strategy and what you want to get done in the next quarter, will you have an answer?
- At the end of the day, week, and month, do I feel accomplished? I hope so. If not, then what’s the point, you’re just spinning your wheels.
- Can I see where I’m going this year? I’ve heard so many people talk about how awesome 2011 is going to be, yet I’ve heard very few people express this in terms of a specific goal or what they will do differently.
Biz Practitioner
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