"I can’t believe I let it go this long!"

Sound familiar?

Sadly, you may have said this about important deadlines, such as a proposal that you meant to write for a class that you had hoped to teach, or a query letter to convince an editor that you are the consultant that she wants to interview for a special issue of a magazine in your particular field—or perhaps you intended to formulate a financial statement for a business partner.

You haven’t really hurt anyone else, but by failing to complete important tasks you have slowed yourself down and made that reach for the golden ring just a little more of a stretch. Despite the best of intentions, your unconscious procrastination has you stalled, and it didn’t need to happen.

Look at Your Pattern of Procrastination

There are a number of procrastination patterns. The "I don’t know" pattern is the one I call unconscious. If you recognize yourself as someone who doesn’t know where her time goes, these tips may help. You could find that the awareness of time and what you do with it can begin to change your life.

Begin by Becoming Mindful—with a pencil in hand

Consciously, and completely without judgment, start to become aware of how you spend your time.

For one week keep a journal and write down what you do with each 30 minutes of your day.

You may see that you are doing things you feel you should do, without taking the time to evaluate mindfully which tasks you really want to do and which are really necessary. If you are serious about taking control of your life, I guarantee that you will find tasks that you can modify, delegate, or eliminate. Often, I recommend that clients follow the guidelines provided in Take Time for Your Life written by personal coach Cheryl Richardson who advises "Do It," "Hire It," or "Chuck It."

Check to see if you are neglecting tasks that should be ongoing, things that 20 minutes a day would keep under control, like bookkeeping or filing. If you let these things go, it can become stomach curdling to think about the effort needed to catch up.

Susan's story. This is how Susan, a coaching client and owner of a large retail business, changed her pattern of procrastination (name and occupation changed to protect identity). I saw her as an Unconscious Procrastinator, because she spent her time jumping from one project to the next, while postponing her ongoing record-keeping tasks, saying, "I’ll do that tomorrow." When tax time rolled around, Susan panicked.

"I’ve put my bookkeeping off so long, I dread doing it, and I’m afraid what the numbers will show. I can’t believe I let this happen again. I feel so guilty."

Imagine How It Could Be

I asked her to focus on a vision of having her bookkeeping up-to-date. How would she feel without the underlying nagging guilt?   How would she feel once she was no longer expending the energy to avoid the fear?

"I’d feel lighter and more confident, and have a new flow of energy that I can devote to creative ideas," Susan told me. She agreed that she would like this to be her reality and she was willing to take action to make it happen.

Change the Pattern

Susan’s next step was to estimate how long it would take to do the paperwork. She thought she could finish if she devoted two full days to it.

"Why don’t you allow three days, and spend the third day celebrating if you do get it done in two?" I suggested. It was important for her to decide how she liked to work and she decided to work straight through the days rather than spread out the tasks.

The next obstacle was actually choosing the particular days to do the work. Susan’s "I don’t know" procrastination pattern needed to be addressed. By keeping the focus on her vision of how she would feel when her finances were on track—lighter and self-confident—she was able to make new priorities and take action that would allow her to set aside definite days.

Susan agreed to become mindful of how she spends her time using a daily journal. In becoming aware, she could see how making conscious choices about time would change her life. She then picked three days and together we discussed potential obstacles that she might encounter and planned how to overcome them. Susan was successful. She completed her bookkeeping in two days and celebrated on the third, relaxing with friends. To her own amazement, she no longer avoids her bookkeeping, and when she contemplates her finances, she feels confident because she has taken charge of her time by using an ongoing bookkeeping system to prevent another avalanche of financial fears.

Procrastination is a time-thief that bedevils many people who would rather be doing more of the things they love to do.

About the Author

Brook Montagna is a professional coach and the founder of Mindful Life Coaching. She specializes in coaching individuals to manifest personal, professional, and financial success. She is co-creator of Women’s Journey Circle, and The Mindful Life group programs, holds a masters degree in clinical psychology and a California marriage and family therapy license. You may contact Brook through her website www.mindfullifecoah.com or phone 805-640-2445.