Archive for the ‘Goal Setting Articles’ Category

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Do you put off until tomorrow what you can – and should – do today?

Do you tell lies to yourself such as I work best under pressure?

Do you actively look for distractions from the task at hand?

If your answer to the above questions is yes, it’s likely you’re a procrastinator.

Every single person I know has been guilty of procrastination at one time or another.

Procrastination is putting off doing something for no valid reason. The cost of procrastination is high and can range from lost opportunity or income to stress, guilt, anxiety, and poor health.  Procrastination can be a minor problem or a major one, and can result from a myriad of reasons.

According to Psychology Today, 20% of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For these people, procrastination is a lifestyle.

If you’re a procrastinator, it’s important to understand that by putting off what you should do right now you’re holding yourself back from achieving your goals.  There are lots of tricks and tools to help you overcome the affliction of procrastination.  Here’s one: it’s a question I share with my clients who suffer from procrastination and managing their time. The question is this:  What’s the most important thing for me to be doing right now?  Ask yourself this question as you complete each task throughout the day. Answer the question, then take action.

Procrastination also has to do with ensuring your goals are really goals and not something you think you “should” do… but that’s a topic for another time.

Are you a proud multi-tasker?

If your answer to that question is “yes,” the power of focus is probably eluding you.

To focus means to concentrate attention or energy on something.

Focus requires discipline.  Focus doesn’t happen by chance.

Without the ability to focus, to concentrate on your goals, your chances of bringing your goals to fruition are slim.                     

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, are two of the co-authors of the book, The Power of Focus.  In the introduction, the authors note: “Remember, it’s all about focus. The main reason most people struggle professionally and personally is lack of focus.”

In an interview with Entrepreneur magazine, John Osher, serial entrepreneur, cites lack of focus as one of the most common mistakes that causes start-ups to fail: “Many entrepreneurs go in too many directions at once and do not execute anything well.”

The ability to focus is mandatory if you are to achieve your goals.  Personal goals or professional goals. It doesn’t matter. The bottom line: winning requires that you focus or you will lose.