• Write down an ideal weekly plan that includes family and social time, leisure activities and personal time.  You can do this in the form of a pie chart if you want to have a visual image of how you would like to spend your time.  Choose one or two areas and develop action steps that will help you make the areas a reality.  When that is going well, add other areas until you are getting closer to how you want to be spending your time.
• Set regular work hours and stick to them except for emergencies.
• When you say “Yes” to something, think of what you will say “No” to in order to keep your commitment.
• Learn to delegate some of your responsibilities.
• Say “No” if you are over-committed or before you become over-committed.
• Make sure your goals are reachable; avoid perfectionism.
• Learn to savor the moment in order to enhance your level of satisfaction and happiness.

True workaholics often unconsciously use work and busyness to avoid intimacy.  Also working long hours can make them feel important.  Some people put in long hours, but they are not workaholics.  They enjoy having free time and being playful at times.  If you are one of these people, you may find several of the strategies listed above helpful also.  

In reality, living a more balanced life enhances well-being and increases your energy.  These are qualities we can all benefit from.

Action Steps:  To stop being a workaholic, begin by taking “baby steps” that are not threatening.  Choose the easiest suggested strategy or come up with something you want to try that is not too much of a stretch for you.  When you are successful with one strategy, it is easier to focus on another one.  Think of this as beginning a process to bring more balance in your life.  You will not regret it.

Maurine

Using competencies from Daniel Goleman’s model for Emotional Intelligence (Primal Leadership, 2002), the antidotes for procrastination are:

• Accurate self-assessment and awareness.  You need to know your strengths and what is important to you (your values).  It is easier to start a task that requires your strengths and is important to you. When you need to do something that is not one of your strengths, allow more time to complete the task.  Make sure your expectations are realistic.  Avoid negative self-talk.
• Self-confidence.  You need to have a realistic sense of your capabilities and healthy sense of your self-worth.   Also, you need to believe that you can do the task.  Use positive language (I can…, I will…, by…).  The best way to build confidence is to begin doing what you need to do.  Action precedes confidence.
• Self-management, emotional self-control, and adaptability.  These competencies help you keep impulses under control, stay calm, and clear headed while adapting to changing situations.  They are necessary in overcoming obstacles and juggling tasks without losing your energy or focus.  Build in meaningful rewards and breaks to recharge.
• Achievement and initiative.  You need to set realistic goals, accurately calculate risk, be ready to act and seize opportunities.  Break tasks down into small steps; keep your to-do list short.  Picture the finished task to keep you motivated.

If you use the above antidotes, you will move forward.  You may need to start by choosing one antidote to work on.  As you improve, add another one.  If you need support, hiring a coach who has training in Emotional Intelligence can help hold you accountable and increase these important competencies.

Action Step:  To avoid the procrastination epidemic, stop listening to the negative voice in your head.  Begin with small, doable tasks, and control your urge to jump from one thing to another.  Motivation and confidence will follow.

Maurine

How motivated are you when you have to do something that is not important to you and/or does not use any of your strengths?  Have you noticed that it is easier to do things that allow you to use your strengths?

According to a study by Dr. P. Steele (University of Calgary) published in the American Psychology Association’s Bulletin in 2007, we are at risk of a procrastination epidemic.  In 1978, only five percent of Americans thought of themselves as chronic procrastinators in comparison to twenty-six percent in 2007.  In addition, ninety-five percent of those surveyed said that they procrastinate occasionally, and that number appears to be growing.

Which of the following reasons stop you from getting things done?

• Tasks do not utilize your strengths or match your values which can cause you to underestimate their importance.
• Lack of confidence may contribute to procrastination.  If you have difficulty believing you can do something successfully, you are less likely to begin a task, let alone stick to it.
• Disorganization and distractions make it harder to start a task and stay focused.  Advances in technology add to the distractions: iPods, cellphones, email, Twitter, Blackberries, Video games, and the internet to name a few.
• Difficulty prioritizing the increasing number of tasks creates feelings of “overwhelm” which decreases motivation.  You have to know where to put your focus and energy in a timely way to feel a sense of accomplishment.

The consequences of procrastination affect you physically, emotionally, and financially.

When you delay a task that needs to be done, you increase your stress which can affect you physically.  Stress hormones lower your immune function.  Can you remember catching a cold after studying hard for tests or completing a big project?

In addition, procrastination can cause feelings of guilt which trigger anxiety.  It is difficult to concentrate or focus when you are anxious.  It takes longer to complete tasks.

Missing deadlines at work may prevent you from getting the raise you wanted or cause you to lose your job.  If you miss a financial payment, a penalty fee is charged.  Dr. Steele’s study estimates that delays in filing taxes can cost people up to $400 a year.

Action step:  Notice what kind of things you put off.  In my next post, I will give some antidotes for this malady.  Until then, notice what you say or do to begin working on something you need to get done.