I think most of us procrastinate at least sometimes. (If you never procrastinate, you can go ahead and skip this post.) I used to be a terrible procrastinator, back when I was a writer. Since becoming an organizer 15 years ago, I’m better about it. But there are still tasks I put off. They’re usually tasks I don’t think I’ll enjoy. If they don’t have a deadline I have really hard time getting started on them.
I learned that enjoyment was my barrier to getting started on a task when I took the quiz that my friend, life coach and podcast cohost, Shannon Wilkinson, created. Shannon is a wizard when it comes to helping people get over procrastination. She created the six-question quiz so you can identify the source of your procrastination. (The four barriers are confidence, reward, enjoyment and distractibility.) And she created a six-page guide and worksheet to overcome each type of procrastination. It’s yours free when you visit her website.
Just check out Shannon’s Less Angst More Action: The Anti-Procrastination Guide to get started.
Once the quiz helped me identify enjoyment as my barrier (I’m kind of shocked that’s not why everybody procrastinates), I’ve been able to use her worksheet to help me get in touch with the benefits of doing the dreaded task. And then the barriers just vanish. It’s a little like a miracle.
I haven’t read the other guides, but I’m sure they’re equally great and I encourage you to take the quiz and check out the guide that pertains to you. You may find yourself, like me, doing important things you’ve been putting off forever.
And if you come away from the whole thing with an appreciation for Shannon’s particular brand of genius, I encourage you to tune into our podcast, Getting to Good Enough where you can benefit from her wisdom every week!