Yes, I know. YOU don’t procrastinate – but everyone around you does! Me, included. So for the good of a “friend” you’ll want to read this short email.

I’ve observed that there are three reasons that people put off doing what they want to do – or what they know they should do.

Reason #1: Fear

We are all afraid of making a mistake – appearing foolish – being criticized. So if you’ve been thinking you’re the only one – get over it!

When we’re not sure what will happen when we take a particular action, we feel fear. For example, if you’ve never published an article – you may get butterflies in your stomach and think “I’ll just polish it a bit more before I publish it.” That’s fear.

If you’ve never sold a product online, you may be afraid you will make a mistake. Or not do it perfectly. Or have someone email and ask a question you can’t answer.

That old adage “Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway!” is never more true than when working in your own business. You just have to suck it up and Take Action!
 

Reason #2: Lack of Knowledge

When we don’t know how to do something we put off doing it. Case in point: I have long admired and used brandable reports created by others. And I would love to provide them for my affiliates. But I didn’t know how to create them – until today!

Now that I see how easy it is to create a brandable report, my mind is going wild with the possibilities. If this is something you’ve always wanted to learn – and you’re willing to invest $10 in doing it, go here now.
 

Reason #3: Habit

Over time we fall into bad habits. We put one thing off, then another, until it gets to be a habit. For years my husband and I had a habit of never making a decision on an offer the day it was presented. We didn’t want to rush into anything – and we wanted to be sure we had all the facts. That cost us a LOT of great opportunities.

When we changed the habit, turning it into making quick decisions, we have been able to move forward much faster.

Recently we decided to look at hybrids, knowing it was a 5-6 month waiting period to order one. We went in to look at the models and drove a new car home within an hour! Had we put off buying it, there were 2 other people in the showroom waiting to take advantage of that deal. But because we had trained ourselves to make quick decisions, we were the ones who got the ONLY hybrid within 500 miles – with no wait!

Here’s an easy exercise to give you practice in making quick decisions. The next time you go into a restaurant, look over the menu and make a decision. Give yourself one minute total. You’ll be amazed at the results – and you’ll start to form a new habit.

What about the habit of setting aside an email for “later.” Break that right now. Either take action on this email or delete it. Saving it to open again later won’t change what’s inside. You either want that Brandable report product or you don’t.

Here’s to Taking Action!

P.S. I’ve just created a new site – with a growing collection of articles about procrastination and related topics. Take a look at Procrastination Articles. 

P.P.S. You’ll get a kick out of this – I wrote this article a week ago – then put off posting it. LOL (laughing out loud!)

Share the ways you procrastinate in the comments below.