Eliminate Procrastination in the New Year!

Procrastination: putting off the important, essential tasks we need to do today and filling our time with distractions.

It’s a new year. Resolutions have been made and in some cases may already be broken however it’s only January 4th. You can get back on track! Don’t let procrastination get the better of you. It doesn’t matter whether you are an elite or recreational athlete, coach, event planner or office administrator; everyone procrastinates. What are you going to do about it in 2011?

An important thing to understand is why people procrastinate. The most common reasons are:

• Task is too difficult
• Fear of failure
• Fear of success
• Perfectionism
• Time management

Can you see yourself in this list? Perhaps you are a combination of several listed above. That’s ok! Let’s consider ways to overcome procrastination.

• Recognize that you are procrastinating
• Break a task into smaller achievable goals.
• Adopt the “15-minute plan” by committing 15 minutes a day to the project you are putting off
• Recruit the support of friends and family
• Reward yourself

Let 2011 be the year to overcome procrastination. Good luck making 2011 the most rewarding yet!

Additional Resources on Procrastination:
Association of Applied Sport Psychology: Procrastination and Student Athletes
Procrastination Research Group
Psychology Today: Procrastination
Savec, John. (2010) “Beating Procrastination.” IDEA Fitness Journal. July-Aug. p.97-101. (Available in SIRC Collection)