Ways to Beat Procrastination Now

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Do you struggle to find ways to beat procrastination? It’s a common problem which  frequently crosses our paths.  We often think that we’re doing the best we can in the circumstances, but often we pay too much heed to our perceived obstacles that then hold us back from achieving our goals.

One of the things you’ll often hear me saying is that nothing will happen until we take action on our goals.  However if you often find yourself wondering ‘why do I procrastinate‘ then you’re in good company!  To illustrate this I’m using some famous quotes which will hopefully emphasize the fact that slow or no progress can be common to us all.  Frankly, we’ll never cure procrastination, but there are ways to beat procrastination!

So check out these 5 ways to beat procrastination quotes and work with the one (or more) that resonates with you the most!

Ways to Beat Procrastination #1 – You Don’t Follow Through

Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It’s commendable that we take the time to define our goals; that we’re happy that they are appropriate for our lives and where we want to be, and that we follow up with some definite plans.  But having taken the time to identify our goals and put some meticulous plans together, we then appear to stall.  Taking that first action step becomes a stumbling block in itself and the goal dies even before it’s been started.

This could be symptomatic of someone who’s a great starter, but not necessarily great at following through.  If this is the case, being aware of this tendency will go a long way to overcoming it, alternatively, teaming up with someone else, or maybe a group might be the way to ensure that thoughts become actions in this case.

Ways to Beat Procrastination #2 – You Love Being Busy

Never confuse motion with action.  Benjamin Franklin

Do you love to be busy?  Do you find it hard to slow down and relax?  Being busy is almost a disease in western culture, and it’s something that I could be suffering from!  But sometimes we need to take a step back to make sure that we are being busy with the right stuff.

If we’ve taken the time to identify our goals, then we need to take action to achieve them, but taking action, as Benjamin Franklin tells us is not the same as being in motion.  If we’re in motion, working on tasks that are unrelated to our goals, then no meaningful progress will have been made, and we will end the day feeling tired and possibly resentful at the fact that we didn’t get around to our goal tasks.

The solution – prioritise!  If you have a list of tasks to complete that’s as long as the Nile, then make sure the first tasks to be tackled are those related to your goals.  Once complete, then move on to the less important tasks.  Always aim to end the day having completed, or at least progressed, your goal tasks.

Ways to Beat Procrastination #3 – You’re An Information Collector

At the Day of Judgement we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done.   Thomas A Kempis

So we’ve identified our goals, but now we feel that we don’t quite have enough information to get into action.  The answer:  more research…and more…and more.  The problem of course is that we can research our intended goals to infinity and still not take any measurable steps.  We might tinker around the edges a little but we never seem to make any significant progress until eventually we give up.

There can be many reasons for needing to find more and more information, including perfectionism and fear, but in the end, we just need to take the first step…then the next…and then the next.  Yes, we may have some initial failures, but then we adjust and move on.  Remember, there is no perfection and fear is within not without.

Ways to Beat Procrastination #4 – You’re Worried About the Change

 Every action triggers a reaction.  C G Watson

Taking action inevitably means initiating change, and of course, change can be scary.  That statement in itself can be enough to stop some people moving forward with their goals, but cast the net a little wider and we see that in fact, even if we are willing to take action, those around us are likely to experience a reaction of some sort.  Sometimes this will be a supportive reaction, but at other times there will be negative reactions, which, if we don’t feel the strength of our convictions to carry the change through, could actually slow us down, or ultimately stop us from pursuing our goals.

At best, that’s all we can do is to be mindful that a reaction from others is predictable, prepare ourselves and then be willing to continue with our work with or without the support of others.

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Ways to Beat Procrastination #5 – You Want the Whole Plan

Follow effective action with quiet reflection.  From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.  Peter Drucker

So, we have the goals, and we’ve made a start on a plan, but, we’ve not been able to figure out all the steps that will get us from our starting point to our ultimate destination, so how can we start?  In truth, we don’t need to know all the steps in order to progress our goals, we only need to know the next step.  However, as we take each step, the next action will become visible to us.  It’s imperative that we trust that this will be the case and we act with faith that our desired outcome will appear once we have taken a series of hitherto unknown steps.

So, having seen the quotes, we can see that ways to beat procrastination have been with us for years but sadly it continues to be alive and healthy!  I’ve been known to succumb to procrastination too! However, always take action like Brunel, Madonna and Newton and don’t let procrastination hold you back like they did for Jake Bridges…no, I’ve no idea who he was either!

Do you recognise yourself in any of these quotes?  What ways do you use to beat your procrastination?  Let us know by leaving a comment!