The Costco Connection - January 2014

small business
By Ranka Burzan

“Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.”—Unknown

IF YOU CONSTANTLY avoid making decisions or find yourself not completing the necessary tasks that are important to your business, it can create stress, financial loss and even family problems. At the same time, others may perceive you as lazy, uncaring or perhaps untrustworthy because you don’t do what you say you’ll do.

According to Piers Steel, a human-resources professor at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business, 95 percent of people procrastinate at times, while

25 percent identify themselves as chronic
offenders who constantly procrastinate in
every area of their life.

Two types of procrastination

I believe there are two types of procrastination. One type is deliberate procrastination. This is when you say, “I’m going to wait until tomorrow; I don’t need to accomplish XYZ until Wednesday, and tomorrow is Tuesday.” Unfortunately, the “I work better under pressure” syndrome very seldom works. By postponing work or decisions, you are actually eliminating choices and setting yourself up for failure.

The other type is productive procrastination. Productive procrastination is sneaky: You are so busy doing mundane chores that you don’t get around to those that will bring you more clients and better revenue. Say you have to make a few cold calls and you just hate doing that; you will do everything else on your to-do list, but not the calls. All of a sudden, your filing system needs purging, your furniture needs dusting, etc. At the end of the day, you feel a false sense of accomplishment about all the things you did, but you are no closer to your goal of making your business more successful.

Why do people procrastinate?

People procrastinate for many reasons.

However, fear is usually the real factor. Fear of
failure is one example. It can be hard to moti-
vate yourself if you are not able to do some-
thing well, or not able to do it right. It can be
hard to approach a potential client for busi-
ness if you don’t have confidence in yourself
and you feel overwhelmed, tired and defeated
before you even start.

Fear of success is another cause of procrastination. It goes something like this: “If I succeed in my business, do I have to travel and leave my kids with a babysitter? Do I have to work 24 hours a day to keep up? If I make $1 million, do I have to make $2 million? I might as well stay small so I don’t have to think about the many steps required if I grow.”

Taking action

The first step is to identify what you really want to be doing. Learn everything about the project, line up your resources and establish a time frame and a reward system for doing a good job.

Ask yourself, “Do I really want to do this project or am I feeling pressured by something or someone?” When you are pressured to do a project you find hard or boring, you naturally resist until it becomes unbearable. That’s the point at which you quit, leaving yourself feeling disappointed.

If you find yourself stuck, it is important to see a way out. This can take many forms: You can delegate or use the skills you have to barter with other entrepreneurs.

Create a simple plan of action where you ask for help, learn new information, find new customers and increase the revenue you need to continue. Whatever project you decide to do, big or small, break it down into manageable, small steps and work at it every day for at least 30 minutes. Remember to put a deadline on your project so it doesn’t take forever and procrastination doesn’t get a chance to take hold.

Finally, create a beautiful and functional environment in your home or office, a place you love and that is welcoming to your family, friends and clients. If your office looks like a public storage space, I can guarantee you’ll avoid working there. Making your spaces more attractive and functional can put you on the road to being more motivated and productive. C