“Never put off for tomorrow what you can do today.”

– Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States (attrib.)

Image from Flickr by Brett Jordan.

Procrastination is one of the primary reasons many people enter a coaching relationship. They just can’t seem to produce the professional and personal results they desire, and this pattern has been very familiar for years.

It’s common to think that coaching will break the habit of procrastination by bringing a level of accountability and a “just do it” perspective. Yet, while valuable, this support alone is rarely sufficient and is almost never sustainable. Instead, it’s important for each individual to gain a greater understanding for the reasons behind their painful and debilitating habit.

Exercise:

Explore the list below to see what may be the source(s) of procrastination for you:

1. Your circumstances are not optimal: the time and resources you need aren’t fully available.  The bad news is they rarely are.

2. You have no passion or desire for the activity, or no longer want to put in the effort to pursue what you may have wanted in the past.

3. You might even be sabotaging your own success because you feel unworthy of your dreams and aspirations.

4. You are afraid. This is perhaps the biggest reason people procrastinate. We are always simply afraid of the unknown, failure, and being vulnerable.

How can enhanced self-awareness, combined with your commitment to a better future, improve your orientation to action so that you don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today?