Procrastinating 

If you hate your job and you are not doing anything to fix it, you are procrastinating. We all do it, so don't feel awkward. Just know you need to fix it.

Do you ever find yourself spending hours pondering your situation and not being able to get anything done? Not being able to act upon a solution? Frozen in the moment from fear, lack of confidence and plain old 'screw it' I'll do something about it tomorrow? You are procrastinating - the art of not doing the task at hand. The art of putting off today what you might do tomorrow. 

Hello! I’m talking to you. If you are fed up with your current job you need to listen to this. You need to take notes. If you are frustrated and the idea of finding another job and the act of quitting is too overwhelming you need to act.

Your emotions run wild. Will I get another job? How long can I sustain myself without income? The feeling of the not knowing is palpable. Trust me I know what you are going through I have walked the same path. It is confusing to say the least. 

If you have found yourself in this position, it could be for a couple of reasons. Either you were trying to do too much at once, or maybe you are not ready to quit and find another job.

Whatever it is you need to stop. You need to access what it is that is making you hate your job. Is it the pay, the commute, the lack of a future, the lack of advancement, the toxic environment, work colleagues or is it as simple as, "I've had enough and I not going to do this anymore"?

If your not doing something about it you are PROCRASTINATING. You had bettter do something and do it sooner rather than later. Make a plan. Any plan is better than none. Get help. Talk to someone who has been there and experienced the same situation you are in now.

Do What You Love

Maybe you should check out what you love to do. This is always a great starting point. This is generally your passion the desire to get totally immersed in the thing you love doing. When you do what you love procrastination is rarely an issue.

Empty chair in an empty officeProcrastination means you are not working on the things you love. Where are you? What are you doing?

If you are thinking of quitting a job you hate and you are procrastinating you need a clear plan of action. You are going nowhere any time soon if you procrastinate and do not get up off your ass and act. Make a decision. You stay with the job that sucks or you quit and go get another one. It is not hard. It may be the best decision you've made in a long time.

Why do we procrastinate?

These are the main reasons I have identifies when mentoring people over the years. The number one culprit is…drum roll please... Fear of making the wrong decision. It comes down to how much you hate your job. How long are you going to put up with the mental anguish you suffer every day when the alarm goes off to get up and face another day of mental torment.

How do you fix it?

So, what do you do?. Take a moment away from the environment and get yourself a notepad and pencil.  On the first page write a heading "Stay" on the other page  "Quit". Now one page at a time, write all the reasons you should stay. The other write why you should quit. This is not rocket science.

Now go back to the first page and expand each item. For example, "Stay" you might write something like, 'things might get better because'...or "I will talk to management about"...give a reason. Move down the items and write as much as you can think about. Don't hold back. Then do the same for "Quit".

Spend as much time doing this until you can't think of anything else. Generally the answer to what you will eventually do will be there in what you wrote. You see it is always there inside your mind it just needs to be seen in black and white. You now have a path forward. A decision to act on. Now be strong. Do not procrastinate. Work the plan. Do it.

man-sitting-in-park-writing-in-notebook.pngIt's amazing how powerful writing it all down in a personal notebook is.

Often, we take on many things, and since we are only accountable to ourselves in the short-term, many times we don’t finish any of them. This is because it stays in our head and not committed to writing it down. I can't stress enough how powerful writing it down becomes. Keep a personal notebook. Do not do this in a word document on your laptop. It has to be written in longhand. This is the key to getting things done and the answer to procrastination.

You Now Have a Blueprint

You were a part of an endemic issue of 53% of the work force that hate their job. Now with your decisions made and your plan written down you have moved to the other side. The 47% that do not hate their job. I have not touched on the 10% who love what they do. We will work on that later. 

Getting the plan off the ground. Moving to act on your decion to 'stay' or 'quit', you are moving forward to build a future. Building a future for the next 1-3-5 years with a clear vision of your dream job. Need I go on? You have overcome stress, fear and procrastination. The task is done now you need to execute. Stay or quit, your call. 

You need to change something. You know you do, and, as with most things in life, the change starts with you. Do not procrastinate.

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Why am I Making this Decision?

Your first responsibility is to get into the right mindset. Think - quitting your job or staying with your job. Ask yourself, “why am I doing this? If I procrastinate in the tasks that need to be done what is the point?” As I explained above. It’s all about fixing the problem and finding the answer to 'what is your passion and interests'.

Changing your mindset

This means changing. Changing your mindset, your attitude to your situation. Taking responsibility to deliver the answers to the best of your ability according to what you wrote in your notebook.

Since we are the product of our own destiny then If you haven’t the passion the get-up and go to do this basic requirement, you need to sit down with your mentor and have a brutal conversation. 

This is even more critical when the job is eating you up. Destroying your wellbeing, family life and confidence. In its infancy if you don’t STOP procrastinating, it will eventually foreclose on your vision.

FiredGet fired. That's the decision made for you. You don't hate your job anymore. You don't have one. Get on the front foot and stop procrastinating.

You will lose self esteem, money, time, energy and the probably get fired. Then that's the decision made for you. You don't hate your job anymore. You don't have one. Get on the front foot and stop procrastinating. 

Procrastination is a habit

Procrastination is a habit people develop in order to avoid doing something they find unpleasant or scared about. Watch for these markers in your day-to-day life. Above are just some of the internal issues that keep us running on the spot while accomplishing little or nothing. 

Procrastinators put things off until the last minute, or most profound the decision is made for you taking away any control you might have wanted or needed. Evaluating what really matters most and making sure it gets done are two important factors for overcoming procrastination.

I Am Not Perfect

Don’t think for one moment I am perfect. I am no exception. Sometimes I find myself caught in a self-imposed rut where I do not want to face the tasks at hand. I have all the excuses in the world. We are all human. I can think of a million reasons I should start today, but I put it off. I keep telling myself that I will get it done tomorrow, the next day, or the day after.

'Chunky Chievers'

For me, it is never about a lack of passion. I identified that part early on. With me, it is usually a shift in priorities that creates procrastination. Then I find I need to re-establish my priorities and my ‘chunky chievers’ helps me get back to doing what is the most important thing right now. 

I have figured it out. I become aware I am procrastinating and I call it out for what it is. This is the first thing you need to do. Self awareness. Do not come up with excuses.

man-looking-forlorned.pngDo not putt off what you know needs to be done.

If I find I am putting off what I know needs to be done, I immediately recognize it. It is all to do with my mindset. I change my mindset so that I am more likely to take the first step and begin working on my tasks. I know what I need to do to take the first step if I want to overcome my procrastination. 

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Recognize it.

Once I have recognized it I take steps to start working on the task. I have evaluated that the key to overcoming my procrastination is to work on it one step at a time.

Next, I set timetables for myself using my ‘chunky chievers’ method and make sure I am working on my priorities according to my goals. 

Diarize it.

I use my smartphone to do this by entering a reminder with a time and date. I’m an iPhone user so the Reminder app is my go-to. I’m sure other smartphones have similar apps.

I then prioritize my tasks and make sure that I am working on the most important ones first.

And finally, can I stress, be vigilant about this process. It will become a habit. A good habit.

Summary

Check your options. 'Stay or quit' in this instance. 

Write it out in your notepad. List the 'for' and 'against'.

Examine each component. Write until you have exhausted every angle. 

Change your mindset.

See procrastination for what it is and work through it.

Use my ‘chunky chievers’ method.

Set up a reminder app to help in the process.

Trying to make sense or it allSet up reminders

Experience isn't the best teacher, experience is the only teacher.

Climb the mountain

Confidence comes from experience

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