What have you done to further unleash your potential this year? I realised I was neglecting my oen self-development and as a result have done the following:

1. Attended 3 conferences/courses dedicated to self-improvement
2. Since August, have meditated for at least 20 minutes each morning, mainly simple “focus on the breath” style.
3. Read uplifting books at least 30 minutes each day, often much longer.

What have you started doing, stopped doing, are doing more of or less of this year?

A lot has been written and said about the need to stop procrastination. Most of it is common sense but here’s something you may not know: a survey (by the University of Chicago) suggested that those who relish challenge are more likely to live up to 10 years longer than those who spend their lives inhibited by timidity. So, procrastination not only gets in the way of success, it may even shorten your life!Logically then, it’s better to try to fulfil our ambitions, even if we don’t always meet them, than to not have the courage or motivation to take the risk. So not making any resolutions because we fear that we’ll break them is having a defeatist attitude, as we allow procrastination to become an insidious habit which stops us from leading more fulfilling lives.

10 tips for kicking the procrastination habit:

Ending Procrastination Tip #1. Personal Values.

Take the time to find out what you really want in life, what your personal values are. Do you want more time, more money, better health, greater self esteem and confidence, more fulfilling relationships, a different career, set up a business? When we procrastinate it’s often because what we are planning to do is not really aligned with what we truly want. We may be scared of our skills (or perceived lack of) or fear ridicule from others in which case, our procrastination is a tactic for avoiding what we fear.

Ending Procrastination Tip #2. Prioritise Your Health

Without good health we are less likely to have the energy and dynamism needed to make positive changes in our lives and it’s easier (and necessary if you’re very ill) to fuel our procrastination. So ensure that you have a nourishing diet, sleep well, exercise and meditate. Incidentally, it is thought that regular meditation helps delay the worst effects of the ageing process.

Ending Procrastination Tip #3. Visualisation

See and feel the benefits in your life if you said goodbye to procrastination. What could you do and achieve? Begin to act as if you’re not a procrastinator. Write down, draw, imagine your life as a film. Use affirmations to help you.

Ending Procrastination Tip #4. Squish The Inner Critic.

That little voice which runs on auto in your head – that dismisses any idea that you might have. It says things like “I’m not in the mood” “I don’t have time” “I can’t do this”. In other words, it a procrastination master! Stop running on auto, replace the “should’s” “oughts” “have tos” with “want to” “desire”. You have a choice. Acknowledge your choices and banish the inner critic. Again, using affirmations can help you replace the critic with more positive alternatives.

Ending Procrastination Tip #5. Over Commitment.

Saying “yes” to everything – often leaves you feeling tired and without the energy to focus on what is most important to you. This leads to procrastination as projects and tasks are dropped. Identify what is most important to you and only focus on those areas which will make the biggest difference to your life. It will enhance your focus and motivation. This was a biggie for me – my procrastination often stemmed from committing myself top so much, I didn’t know where to start! This leads us to…

Ending Procrastination Tip #6. Set Personal and Professional Goals.

It’s hard to motivate yourself when you don’t have a good idea of what you want to accomplish. So when setting goals think about what you want to achieve in the short term and long term. Many people know about the SMART strategy. S = specific M = measurable A= Action R = Realistic T = Time based. Use goal setting software to help you in goal planning and setting. Write them down and visualise yourself achieving them

Ending Procrastination Tip #7. Prioritise Your Goals.

Develop a plan or schedule to help you achieve your goals. In doing so you will begin to identify whether some elements need to be included or enhanced or dropped completely. Also remember to be flexible, revisit your goals regularly and modify or drop if appropriate. Just because a goal is written down doesn’t mean that it is set in stone! Rigidity can lead to procrastination.

Ending Procrastination Tip #8. Divide and Conquer.

Once you’ve prioritised your goals, divide them into smaller chunks. Sometimes, procrastination stems from a project seeming really large and the scale of it overwhelms us and puts us into a temporary form of paralysis – you don’t know where to start, so you don’t start at all! Approach each project – especially large ones – on a step by step basis.

Ending Procrastination Tip #9. Celebrate!

Once you start to complete tasks, celebrate! Reward yourself by giving yourself something that you want. So instead of seeing a film before you complete a task, see it afterwards and make it a reward for you. Start a success journal and write down your successes so that you can remember them.

Ending Procrastination Tip #10. Just get started.

No excuses. Procrastination is often disguised as waiting until you’re “in the mood”. The mood never comes! It is a clever camouflage and a delaying tactic. What you resist persists! Start with what is easiest, so that you experience immediate success, which will give you the fuel and motivation to upgrade and take on larger projects.

If you’re procrastinating over doing any of the above, remember,  life is the biggest deadline of all! So, start doing any of the above and can begin to be on your way to kicking the procrastination habit.