How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Excelling in Your Goals -

Tomorrow never comes.

When I was younger I remember passing by a bar not far from home with a painted sign that said, “Free Burgers Tomorrow”. That sign was never moved for as long as I can remember. I passed by it almost daily. As a child, I was so confused about why a restaurant would serve free burgers daily. I remember my dad breaking it down to me one day. I don’t know if this place actually ever served a free burger but my dad used it as a teaching lesson, tomorrow never comes. He told me that if we went inside and asked for the free burger, the staff would say to us, “Free burgers tomorrow, not today”. No matter what day you ask, the answer will always be tomorrow, which is not a real day. Tomorrow never comes. Little did I know, he was giving me a lesson on procrastination.

How often have you told yourself “Oh I’ll do it tomorrow” and continuously repeat that phrase instead of getting a task done? I sat on the idea of launching this blog for so long because of procrastination. I can be the Queen of procrastination at times. So why do we procrastinate? There are several reasons we delay tasks.

self-doubt
anxiety
insecurity
boredom
something unpleasant about the task
life distractions

Anytime I put a task off, I’m consciously aware that I’m doing it and continue to do so. Avoiding a task that we know is important is self-sabotage. Let’s explore a few ways on how we can work more towards productivity and break the procrastination cycle.

Write the goal down

Write your goal down and post it visually so that you can see it daily. We often procrastinate because we haven’t defined a clear, achievable goal. When you have a clear vision of what you’re seeking to accomplish, you’re more motivated to work towards achieving it.

Set a goal end date

Without a hard date on when you want to achieve something, the less likely it’ll genuinely happen. After setting the goal to launch this blog, I played it safe by saying “I’ll publically launch when I’m ready”. Truth is, I didn’t have a definition for what “I’m ready” meant for launching. If we wait for the moment to truly feel ready to attack a plan, we’ll be waiting forever. I didn’t take it seriously until a specific date was set. The pressure and excitement were on then.

Commit and believe in yourself

Self-doubt is a big reason why we procrastinate. I didn’t believe I could be a lifestyle blogger, but now looking back my mindset was in the wrong place. No one is successful on day one of doing anything. A marathon of consistency will lead you in the direction of where you want to be. We have to change our mindset and eliminate self-doubt and insecurity.

“Oh, no one will like what I have to say” – How do you know if you haven’t even begun? Don’t quit before you start.

“This is too hard” -Every challenge in life won’t be easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Don’t sleep on your gifts

Think about a goal you’ve been putting off for some time and create a quick action plan that consists of:

Set a date
Write the goal date on a sticky note
Post it on your fridge or bathroom mirror
Tell a friend about your goal (now you have an accountability partner to help push you)
Put the work in and watch it come to life

Don’t let procrastination keep you from your next adventure. Remember, tomorrow never comes.