Jun. 6, 2006
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Procrastination
Procrastination
So you call yourself a procrastinator! I hear people labeling themselves this negative name often. And, there certainly are times that it may apply. More often, though, at least with the people I coach, this is not the case. They are not lazy people who love to put things off. They are stuck in taking action. There are some ways to move through this and get unstuck! Let's get deeper to the heart of what keeps you from taking action.
Usually, I find, the procrastination stems from one of two sources:
1. Either you are unprepared to take action
or
2. The action you think you should be taking is not something that is aligned with your values.
Let's take a look at how to stop beating yourself up as a procratinator and make some progress with the things you are putting off.
You Are Unprepared To Take Action
This "procrastination" can usually be solved by identifying what you need to learn:
Develop A Skill: For instance, you may have decided you want to work For Sale by Owners and you have names and are not picking up the phone to call them. If you haven't developed your strategy that goes along with these calls, you may feel worried that you will "blow" the call by saying the wrong thing.
This procrastination can be solved by developing some scripts, knowing where this call fits in with your system and plan. Perhaps even role-playing with another agent before you make the first call would increase your comfort level. Then you'll find once you are prepared, it will not be as hard as you imagine. And, as you find you can do it, you build your confidence level with each call.
Set A Deadline : Another example of this type of procrastination is failing to make a decision or choice.
For instance, failing to choose a computer for your business, even though you really need one. Sometimes there is just too much information and instead of that making it easier to make a buying decisions, it makes it harder. Set a deadline and research up until that point and then CHOOSE! This method works well with all decisions you are putting off.
Trust Your Gut: This one is a little tougher to pin down. I can't count the number of times that I have put off moving forward or making decisions because it just didn't feel right. Many of theses times I was hard on myself for "procrastinating." And then, some information came to light or another better choice appeared that would not have been options if I had moved quickly. I believe the universe has it's own timeline that isn't always the same as my mine. Practicing patience brings better results, sometimes, than unfocused action.
Not Aligned With Your Values
Check With Your Values: Let's go back to the procrastination in calling FSBO's scenario. For many people, they hate getting calls from people they don't know soliciting business and don't want to be one of "those people." They have a core value that is around respecting others and it feels wrong to them to violate this. What I find is that usually people are not aware of the conflict in core values and just berate themselves for not doing what they think they should be doing.
There are two ways to deal with this.
First, determine if it really is a conflict. Are you really doing something that is against your integrity? If so, give it up! You will never feel comfortable or make progress if that is the case.
More often, the second way of approaching this situation is more on target. Examine that core value and determine if it is the TRUTH that the action you are procrastinating about is in conflict. Here's what I mean: another perspective on the FSBO scenario: a real estate agent will usually net a FSBO more money than they will get selling it on their own. They need someone to help them through the complexities of the selling process. Instead of your services being unwanted hype, you genuinely can serve and help this person. If that is what you see yourself doing, instead of interrupting their dinner, your feelings about making the call and the chance you actually will take action on it can be seen in an entirely different light!
So, quit badmouthing yourself and get into action! Develop the skill, set a deadline, trust your gut and check in with your values. And one last tip.....do anything that can be done in 2 minutes or less, just do immediately and you'll have fewer things to procrastinate about!
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