Procrastination is the root of unachieved dreams and success. It’s the most important factor between you and the prize you’ve set your eyes on. But somehow it’s difficult to eliminate it.

For some reason, you may be magnetized by delaying the tasks at hand. The sense that there’s enough time to get things done can be misleading. It can be the difference between celebrated success and shattered dreams.

End procrastination once and for all by slowly taking some steps towards a renewed approach:

1. Prioritize opportunities. If something isn’t important to you, you’ll probably spend very little time trying to achieve it. That reality is the basis of your priority list. The achievements that really matter most belong at the top. Everything else can fall whenever. And that might even mean falling off the list!

    • Focus on the things that give you the most inner joy and happiness. Never mind what popular opinion thinks. If something gives you butterflies every time you think about it, that’s what you want to work towards.
    • Once your list is in place, start at the very top. The most important thing deserves the most attention. You’re guaranteed ultimate satisfaction once you achieve it!

2. Break down tasks into achievable bits. It’s easy to put things off because they seem too overwhelming. Your natural instinct may be to shy away from things that are too complex. You can fix this by breaking down your tasks. This makes the prize seem more attainable.

    • Set very small tasks. You may even want to make them daily tasks. Give yourself some time each day to work towards something.
    • Once you’ve checked something off your list, you’ll be one step closer to the prize. The feeling of progress is incomparable!

3. Renew your commitment each day. In order to stay on track, it’s important to maintain commitment to the goal. That can be easily achieved by renewing your commitment each day.

    • When you wake up, remind yourself of your purpose. Take a look at what you’re motivated to achieve. The feeling of excitement about achieving a desired goal is constantly alive. You just need to re-engage it regularly.
    • This exercise also helps you to maintain focus on what’s important to you. In fact, you may even find that the spark of a goal fades. This can happen when you realize something you thought was important really isn’t.
    • Daily renewal helps you to zone in on what means the most to you.

4. Reward yourself for each achievement. It’s important to keep yourself engaged and focused on the goal. A great way to do this is to reward yourself. As you achieve each small task, celebrate the progress you’ve made.

    • Make a significant effort to celebrate your achievement. A half-hearted effort isn’t really enough. To maintain commitment, you have to reward yourself well every step of the way.
    • Treat yourself to something you’ve always wanted. Maybe in the past, you avoided spending on it because it “wasn’t worth it.” But now you have every reason to go get it!
    • Being kind to yourself is the best way to motivate continued focus on goals. When you know there’s a reward at the end, you’ll likely commit every ounce of effort necessary.

There are more than enough reasons for you to go after meaningful goals. If you’re honest with yourself, you can easily list them all on a piece of paper. Focus on doing something to move towards your goal today. Leave tomorrow for celebration of today’s success!

About The Author – Ed Gough, Jr.

Ed's experience working with fathers and men injects an extra dose of thoughtfulness into all of his conversations in these areas. His mission is to bring purpose and clarity to fathers' and men's lives. He believes that "the better men are, the better the world will be". 

Ed has been a member of Dad central (Ontario) Steering Committee since May 2019. Ed hosts Dad Central's monthly epic events and was the moderator for the "Dad's Panel" at the 2019 Side-by-Side: Fatherhood Matters in the Early Years" conference.

Ed has been the host and producer of his own award winning online show The Dr. Vibe Show™ for the last decade. He's done over 2000 interviews with people from all over the world. In 2018, The Dr. Vibe Show™ was the recipient of the Innovation Award by the Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA). Since May 2013, The Dr. Vibe Show™ is the first and only online show to be regularly featured on the popular U.S. based men’s website The Good Men Project.

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