Have you noticed how procrastination creeps up on you and builds up over time into all manner of unfinished business? All the things you avoid, deny, don't want to do, keep putting off, and won't make time for. And the excuses we come up with to justify the procrastination! "I'm too busy." "It's too difficult." "I'm not in the mood."
The things you procrastinate about are the things you don't really want to do. Plain and simple. And, they're the things that stop you from making as much money as you could from your business.
We have become a society burdened by lengthy "To-Do" lists and the constant expectation of instant response to phone messages and emails.
Well, I'm here to tell you that the more you are adding to your to-do list, and the more you are procrastinating on getting those things handled, the less money you will make in your business!
I want you to know that you can say "No" to the demands on your time, the burden of the "shoulds". These things are usually about other people's priorities and not your own.
What I want for you is to design your life and business around only what you really want to do, what you love to do; to not be bound by the "shoulds" and the by expectations of other people that drain your energy and block your creativity.
I have a challenge for you: eliminate procrastination from your life altogether. Today.
I want you to develop strong boundaries for your time and stop doing things to please others. I want you to start pleasing yourself instead of everyone else.
Make a list right now of all the "unconfrontables" in your life - all those projects, files, ideas, unfinished business, unreturned phone calls, incomplete relationships, books not read or returned, etc. - you get the idea. All the things you have been putting off, meaning to do, or thinking about.
Mark beside each a number to designate one of 3 choices you will make:
1. Do it
2. Delegate it
3. Dump it
Drop right now from your list all the items that have been outstanding three months or more. They are draining too much of your energy and you're obviously not excited about doing them.
Make the phone calls necessary to release yourself from the obligations, projects, and people that are no longer important to you.
Make the choice to take back control of your business and your life and do only those things from here forward that you're really excited about doing. Free yourself from the perceived necessity to return phone calls that aren't important to you. Let go of anything that's not "on fire" - that you're not passionate about, that isn't related to what you truly value in your work and in life.
WOW! Wouldn't that create lots of time for you? Time to take steps to achieve your vision or big dream, to make a difference in a bigger way, time and space to try new things, to explore creative projects, to pursue a hobby, to write a book, to travel, or to spend more quality time with yourself and your family.
Take out your day timer, and mark in time over the next three weeks to complete all the items you decided you really do want to do. Break them down into manageable pieces, schedule blocks of time to complete them, and get them taken care of! Enroll the support of family or co-workers where necessary to support you in this project.
Delegate anything you're not excited about doing. Pay someone to organize your office and files, handle administrative tasks, get your bookkeeping up to date, do your tax return, clean your house, do your grocery shopping, run errands, and cut your grass. Get these tasks taken care of once and for all. It's extremely freeing to let go of all this "stuff" that saps your energy and to know that it will be taken care of.
Experience the sense of relief that comes in letting go of all your unfinished business. Do whatever it takes to handle, delegate, or eliminate all of these items; they are draining your precious energy.
You can make the choice to have a more effortless, fulfilling business and a joyful life. The choice is yours to spend more time focused on the things that will make you more money. What are you waiting for?
About the Author:
Jan Marie Dore publishes the newsletter 'Success Secrets for Women Entrepreneurs'. She teaches solo professional women marketing and sales strategies to attract new clients, grow their business, and make more money. Subscribe and be invited to free teleseminars at
http://www.femalepreneurs.com
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362
Date Published :
Jan 5 2009