Is Procrastination Stalling Your Small Business’s Growth?

Procrastination can be hard to avoid. It is easy to put things off until the last minute. Plus, there is plenty of other things to do in the mean time. I feel like it is easier for me to be distracted NOW than it ever has been before. These little handheld computers we call phones are constantly calling us (pun intended) away. More than ever we all want something now and because of that, most things are available to us at all times. This makes a productive, structured and focused day even harder to achieve.

The Problem With Procrastination

I used to think I worked “better under pressure” – sound familiar? This is a nice way of saying “I procrastinate all the time and it hasn’t hurt me too bad yet.” I still agree that I can operate well under pressure. But this is no longer a badge of honor when it comes to tasks. Procrastination does put me on edge. It doesn’t give me time to reflect and think about the quality of my work.

After all, if you finish something with 10 minutes or 1 hour to spare, what can you really do about it? It is an easy way to justify sub-par or “good enough” work quality and fool yourself into thinking it’s great and you won some kind of race. Not only are you selling your small business short, you are selling yourself short. You are challenging your time and not your level of work or the quality of your presentation.

Tips To Minimize Procrastination

My to-do list used to include all of the things I needed to get done on it. Now, I put the long list of tasks that need to be done on one page. Then I allot ONLY the things to my calendar separately that I plan to achieve that day. This is a less overwhelming plan to greet me each morning and it helps me to accomplish my main tasks for the day.

I used to find it better to start my day with the easiest tasks. Over the last year I have switched that around and now try to begin my day with the largest, most-hated or difficult task. Once I get that done, the rest of my day flies by more easily.

Last but not least, I try not to overshoot things anymore. Often I was building up a task in my head to be worse than what it actually was. Whenever possible, I try to do something right when the need appears as opposed to adding it to an ever growing list. Being actionable in all circumstances has minimized my procrastination.