I should have…
I would have…
I could have…
(…but I didn’t)
Sound familiar?
Coulda, shoulda, woulda – three things that you rarely hear from the mouths of highly successful people. Lets face it, if most of us actually did all the great things we were capable of – the things we talked about and thought about – life would be pretty exciting indeed. So what’s holding us back? What creates the “all talk, no action,” coulda-shoulda-woulda phenomenon? There are a number of things – not the least of which is procrastination.
If you’re like most people, you’ve been guilty of procrastinating more than once. Most of us have put things off, delayed, ignored, etc. So what can you do to break through procrastination? Here are three strategies you can try:
1. List the Consequences
Make a list of all the negative consequences of putting the task off. Associate a lot of pain with putting it off. You’ll be surprised at how motivated you can become.
2. Set a Time Aside
Every time you catch yourself procrastinating, write it on a card, and put the card in a box. Set aside an hour a day specifically for doing things you’ve been putting off. Every day, pull a random card from the box and do it.
3. Make a Game of it
Set a little mini goal. Can you do it faster than the last time? Better? Less expensively? Turn it into a challenge.
