"Procrastination May Prevent You Becoming Successful -
This Is How To Beat It"

Is Procrastination The Biggest Obstacle To Your Success?

There aren't many people whose lives aren't plagued by the problem of procrastination. If you are one of those lucky few, you should consider yourself blessed. The rest of us just have to work at it!

It's not a new problem. A hundred years ago, Orison Swett Marden said "The greatest thief this world has ever produced is procrastination - and he is still at large". It's so insidious. You find yourself quietly robbed of precious minutes, even hours, before you realize they're gone. However hard you search for them and wonder where the time has gone - it's too late. You can never get that time back.

Today's tasks were left unfinished for some reason or another which you just can't remember right now. So the list of things you need to do tomorrow continues to grow. Procrastination can be hard to recognize. Sometimes, you see it as being rational. You think, "I didn't get started on that project because the weather got too bad" or "I didn't have the right tools." It's always possible to come up with good reasons to delay a project.

Procrastination can become a habit. Without conscious effort, procrastination will become your constant companion. Delaying a task because there are other "more important" things to do, is often merely an excuse. Checking your email, surfing the net or playing games should all be saved until you're up to date with the tasks at hand.

You must find a way to recognize a genuine reason to delay finishing things on your "to-do" list. How can you be sure it's not just an excuse to avoid something you don't want to do? Ask yourself if that job really needs to be done or not. If the job really does need to be done, ask yourself when, exactly, would NOW be the right time to do it? Get it done and then reward yourself - you have won one battle in the war against procrastination!

Many people's procrastination is due to lack of planning. Wasting time is almost inevitable if you're not sure what to do next. Disorganization almost always leads to procrastination. Getting organized will go a long, long way to eliminating most procrastination. The simplest, most effective tool is a to-do list with the most urgent jobs at the top. Make a deal with yourself to stick with number one on that list until you get it done. Don't dilute your efforts by doing anything else until you accomplish at least that first item on the list.

Huge projects can be daunting at the start. Whether you're writing a book or building a house, the job just seems overwhelming. But once you break the job down into a series of individual steps, arranged in the most logical way such that each builds on the other, you'll soon see the light at the end of the tunnel. Chipping away at the list, one day at a time will soon result in progress. Tackling a small manageable task each day, the next logical step in the sequence, is another step toward completion.

Making a decision on what needs to be done is the most important step. Then commit to doing it. A weekly plan, made on a Sunday, often works best. Then plan each day's specific tasks the night before, in order of importance. The job at the top of the list is the one you absolutely must get done that day. Everything else can fall into place around that. The commitment to getting the one job done can provide a momentum that overcomes the procrastination that has been holding you back. You'll often find that having a "top of the list" task at hand is quite liberating - you can devote all your effort to that project. Once completed, the sense of achievement becomes a tonic to encourage you to take on the next task.

You may well find that it's simply indecision which has caused major delays in your life. Once you've made a decision with a list of what needs to be done, you have a definite direction. Your mind is clear of all the background noise and you are more able to concentrate on getting things done.

Fear of failure can be a cause of procrastination. But failure is guaranteed if you never get started. Difficult and unpleasant tasks are rarely as bad as you imagine. Stop procrastinating ... today! Don't you dare say "I'll get around to that tomorrow!".

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If you want to know more about Orison Swett Marden and how his works inspired Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone, Norman Vincent Peale, Anthony Robbins, and many others then visit http://www.MardensKeysToSuccess.com where you can also gain FREE access to Brendan McKeogh's mini-course on Marden plus a FREE copy of the first chapter of "Marden's Keys To Success."
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