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The Power of Now! Overcoming Procrastination

Many people have been robbed of their opportunity to live life to the fullest because of procrastination. They are no closer to their goals or achieving the desires of their heart because they have kept their plans perpetually in the future. Unfortunately, after a while these dreams and goals are abandoned in time. Brian Tracy says that many people never get anywhere in life because they are always vacationing in “Someday Isle”.

If you are going to achieve your goals and live your life to the fullest, you must learn to overcome procrastination. All men are dealt equal allotment of time, and what you do with yours is very important. Concerning your goals and your drams, the best time to start was yesterday, and the next best time to start is today. You must realize that “someday” is not a day of the week. Today is what you’ve got and you have to learn to make it your best day.

There is so much power in taking action now. If we borrow from the old maxim, “time is money”, we can illustrate the power of taking action now. If at the age of twenty-one you began setting aside $250 a month invested at 8%, at age sixty-five you will have over a million dollars in your investment account. If you had a friend who took a vacation at Someday-Isle for seven years and began his own investment at twenty-eight years old, this seemingly small $21,000 vacation will cost you him about $400,000 less than your own million. For someone reading, this may be your cue to open that investment account and start saving.

I believe this principle of compounding applies with the way we use our time. The little things we do to contribute to our vision and our goals compound, and over the long run, we are able to make giant leaps in life. Realize that one of the secrets to getting ahead is getting started now. Procrastination is an enemy of a progressive lifestyle.

For you to overcome procrastination, you must first starve the beast, and empower yourself to follow through on your goals and dreams with a strong decision and plan of action. The following are three things that feed procrastination in your life.

Depending on something or someone else rather than taking responsibility. Every time we wait for something to happen before we act, we make it easier to put off our goals and dreams to “someday”. There may be certain events that are beyond your control, but most times we have control in the midst of circumstances we face. All the pieces of the puzzle don’t have to fall into place before you act now.

Not seizing each moment. We all wish we had an extra three hours in a day, but the reality is that it won’t happen. You must learn to treat each moment in your day with much value. It’s amazing how much you can do in a day if you just decide to do little things with the little time we have in between our schedule. You can compose and send a quick SMS while riding up the elevator to that person you’ve been trying to have dinner with for weeks. You can make overdue phone calls to family while you stand in line at the grocery store checkout.

Making excuses. Excuses are the mother of failure. We can always find a good reason for something we did not do. For you to overcome procrastination, you must deprive yourself completely of the option of making excuses. This way you train your mind to do what’s necessary to get things done because for you there are no excuses.

Now that you know what to do to starve procrastination in your life, you can do the following to help you move ahead. Kinda like losing weight, it’s not just enough to go on a diet, but you also have to work out.

Decide to act. Nothing happens because we desire it, but things happen when we decide to act. Make a conscious decision to lose weight, save money, start blogging, spend more time with family, and write that book. Don’t let these things remain as a desire for you to do someday, but make a conscious decision to do it now.

Write down the plan. This is also an action step because it forces you to think critically about how you are going to do what you need to do. It takes what needs to be done from an idea to an action item.

Take action now! After all is said and done you must now act. Get going with the plan. It doesn’t matter how small the move you make is because the little things we do with our time compound over time and move us closer to our goals. Don’t wait till tomorrow or the New Year, rather, start now! Make use of every moment you have to do something that moves you closer to your dreams and your goals.

Here’s a challenge that if you take seriously, will move you closer to your dreams and your goals. Make a list of 10 things you’ve been putting off. It could be anything from getting a health check up, calling that friend or family member, going to the dentist, getting the car fixed,  replacing a broken door knob, cleaning out the garage, starting that investment account, starting a blog, etc.

You will feel more confident and powerful as you begin to take action now. Your goals and dreams will begin to feel more achievable because you have conquered procrastination in these little areas.  “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!” Dr. Seuss.