Knock out all excuses.
Quick! What have you been procrastinating today, perhaps even right now? A work report or phone call? Laundry or tidying the house? A family scrapbook you nearly-but-not-quite finished?
What about something bigger, such as finding a more fulfilling career or releasing excess weight?
There’s a phrase I’ve learned in coaching: “What you resist, persists.” Boy is that true.
Consequences
You momentarily finagle your way out of an uncomfortable task or commitment, but what remains? When you don’t uphold a promise to yourself, it feels like a breach to your integrity, so at best you’re left with guilt (not to mention the item is still undone.) Procrastination can also cause shame, further inaction, and even depression, such as that experienced by someone who unexpectedly loses his job and then spends his days watching TV instead of submitting applications.
It causes a state of stuck-ness. (If you started something and then stopped it indefinitely, you, my friend, are living in the past—and likely re-living what you haven’t completed with many moments of worry.) It’s not surprising if several areas of your life feel similarly stymied.
