How you spend your time is how you spend your life. Procrastination is another way of saying what I am doing is more important than what I am not doing.
If you frame it in that language on each action you are procrastinating about, you should see clearly that, either you are right or wrong.
If you are right and what you are doing instead IS more important – stop beating yourself up. You’re prioritizing not procrastinating.
If you are wrong and what you are doing is less important, you need to identify why you are ignoring an important action in favor of doodling away time on an activity that has less value.
- Are you missing tools or learning? – find them
- It’s too big to tackle? – step one is to break it down into smaller pieces
- If it is something you don’t like to do but you have to do? – do it first and get it out of the way. You might try listing on side of a piece of paper all the reasons why you are procrastinating and on the other side all the benefits you will gain if you got it done – that can motivate.
- procrastinating on this task has become a habit? – create a new one by starting small – do one thing right now and then start each day doing one thing you have been procrastinating about.
- you are trying to swim against the tide – trying to do it in a way you have learned rather than one that fits your personal style? – there is more than one way to skin a cat – look at the outcome or objective first then ask yourself how you can get there in your own way
- if it needs to be done ask if it has to be done by you? – if not, delegate it by swapping your time for a payment to someone else or maybe a barter with someone who has something they need to do but hate doing that just happens to be something you love to do
The only difference between procrastination and prioritization is the guilt we feel when we procrastinate. It comes down to the value of your time and how you want to spend your life.