Procrastination strikes even the most successful entrepreneur from time to time. It can strike when we’re overwhelmed. It can hit when we’re tired or exhausted. And sometimes it can hit us because we’re working alone and there’s no-one to question why we’re going to the fridge for the tenth time today.
So here are my top tips, on how to overcome procrastination:
Be Clear On Where You’re Heading
“People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going” – Earl Nightingale
If you don’t know where you’re heading, it’s going to be impossible to get there. What is your revenue goal, and what are the projects you need to complete to hit those revenue goals? What are your lifestyle goals, and who do you need to bring in to your team to ensure you are designing your business to suit your desired lifestyle?
Break Down The Projects
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible, visible” – Tony Robbins
Once you know where you’re heading, break your bigger projects into bite-sized tasks. This will help you gain clarity on what needs to be done, in what order, and who you can delegate specific tasks to, so you can complete your bigger project goals.
What’s The Next Step?
“Faith is taking the next step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase” – Martin Luther King, Jr
Sometimes we procrastinate because we have no idea how to achieve our entire goal. If this is you, simply ask yourself, “what is the next step? If I only needed to take the next step now, what would it be?”
Just by taking this action, you will slowly start to see the bigger picture and you will have momentum on your side.
Give Yourself A Deadline
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment” – Jim Rohn
Assign a date and time that your tasks need to be completed. Decide at the beginning of every month, and every week, what you want to accomplish, and enter these tasks in your project management software (we use Asana). Give each task a completion date, and you will be emailed a list of tasks each morning which need to be completed. This frees up your mental space as you won’t need to be thinking about what to do each day, you’ll just follow the list and start ticking your tasks off one by one.
Be Accountable To Others
“Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to your goals” – Bob Proctor
Get yourself an accountability buddy, and share what you’re each committing to accomplish in your week. Find someone who is happy to talk through any challenges you’re having so you can find clarity to move forward, and someone who is willing to call you on your excuses.
Check In Regularly
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards” – Steve Jobs
Make a time in your calendar to stop and check in regularly, and assess whether you’re still on the right path to achieving your goals, or whether you’ve deviated slightly off course. Reflect weekly on your tasks, and monthly on your projects. Make a note of the key performance indicators in your business like revenue, leads and conversions.
Now this might be the end of this article, but it’s not the end of your journey…
The steps mentioned above are how we help our clients in Business Success Academy to make constant progress.
Next month, the doors are re-opening to Business Success Academy, and if you’re ready to really grow your business in 2019, then I invite you to join the waiting list so you can be the first to be notified when the doors open. You can join the waiting list at https://samanthariley.global/success/ or by clicking here.
See you on the other side,
Sam 🙂 x
Image Credit: Ylanite Koppens
