If you are procrastinating doing the things you want to do, you are not alone. Many people have a hard time making new activities a priority. It is completely normal, but fortunately there are ways to overcome it.
These are six of the biggest reasons I’ve found that people procrastinate and some effective ways to work through them.
1) Things we Want to do are not Given as much Importance as Things we have to do.
It is easy to procrastinate doing things we want to do if they are not seen as important as things we have to do.
Most people have been taught that things that are not necessary are not necessarily worth doing.
In order to start doing things we want to do we have to start giving those things more priority in our lives.
Remind yourself why you want to do something and what you will gain from setting aside to do it. Remind yourself what you will lose by not doing it.
This will give you energy to push through the resistance of incorporating something new into your life.
2) We Often don’t put Things we Want to do into our Schedules
If we are going to do anything consistently it needs to be put into our schedules at first. This is for the simple reason that we already have our days filled with things we are used to doing.
Things that we are used to doing are already built into our schedules and don’t require the same amount of planning.
If we are going to do things we want to do, then it is important to plan the time we are going to do them.
This can sometimes mean that another activity has to be replaced. It might mean watching an hour less of t.v. at night or getting up earlier, but without planning the activity, it will most likely not happen.
Pick a realistic time within the week to incorporate the thing you want to do, and see if that helps work through the procrastination.
3) Fear of Failure
Another reason for procrastination could be a fear of failure.
We may be afraid that we won’t actually be good at the thing we want to do.
Ask yourself if that is the reason.
The reality is no one is good at something at first. It takes time to develop skills.
If we don’t actually do the things we want to do, then there is no chance of getting good at them.
4) Feeling like we don’t know enough about the Thing you want to do
Trying to learn everything about the thing we want to do is a huge cause procrastination.
We don’t have to know everything to get started at something.
Even just dedicating five minutes to doing the thing we want to do can help overcome that hurdle.
Start with the basics. It is better than never starting at all.
5) Feeling Selfish for Doing the Things we Want to do.
Another reason we may be procrastinated is that we are taught to put others first. We can sometimes feel guilty when we are doing something for ourselves rather than helping others.
There is nothing wrong with spending time doing things for ourselves simply because we want to do them.
Remember that If we don’t dedicate some time to ourselves and our own needs then we’ll have nothing to give to others.
6) We might be Telling Ourselves we Want to do Something when we Actually Don’t.
Ask yourself if the thing you aren’t doing is something you actually want to be doing.
Sometimes we don’t really want to do something but we think it is necessary to achieve a goal.
If that is the case, then getting more excited about the bigger picture can help you get through the procrastination.
There are many reasons for procrastination, but that doesn’t mean that we are lazy. Be easy on yourself for not doing the things you want to do at first.
Habits take at least 30 days to form, so it actually takes a lot of energy at first to do the things we want to do.
Just remind yourself that it is normal to procrastinate and start to make doing the things you want to do more of a priority, and eventually you’ll be able to work through it.