Following the delivery of a productivity workshop to the staff of a fast growth company last week, one topic that really resonated with most participants, was the ‘EAT first’ philosophy I shared. It links directly into procrastination and seeing that we covered business planning and goal setting last time, this makes for a great continuation to the theme.
But first let me ask you, what do YOU procrastinate on? Finances? Sales? Dealing with staff issues? Perhaps the sheer thought of a particular task is already boring you to tears. Or something seemingly insurmountable is freaking you out.
Some of the things the participants shared with me, were tasks they desperately needed to get done and had already failed to deliver in a timely manner. As a result they were disappointed in themselves, knew they were letting themselves and others down, whilst potentially ruining their credibility by not following through.
They stopped facing the situation head on and took on the ostrich mentality of hoping it will all go away if they only ignored it for long enough. Some of them felt intermediate relief for being able to shut out what they were supposed to be doing and replacing those things with meaningless tasks. But of course, no situation will ever resolve itself and still requires action.
The common census among the participants: The longer something is left, the worse it will become! Some things were left so late that they had turned into urgent problems without a chance of putting them right whilst others had lost out on opportunities that could have been very rewarding for them. Everyone shared the same feelings of guilt and low self confidence. One participant even admitted that the stress had caused a total meltdown with full blown panic attacks.
Wherever you fit in terms of the severity of procrastination, I am sure you can sympathise with some if not all of those feelings my participants reluctantly shared. You will be very relieved to know that it really does not have to be this way. Simply by committing to my philosophy of tackling the Eerie, Anxious Tasks (EAT) of your to-do list first every day, you will be taking care of what is most important without letting it become urgent or destructive. You will discover that tasks are never as scary as they seem, that you are much more capable then you originally thought and in turn will enjoy fast growing confidence.
I am asking you to make the commitment today that from now on, you always EAT first 2 grow. Starting each day by tackling your most feared things first you take control of the most important actions that lead to exponential personal and professional growth. If you are stuck on accountability there are professionals, team members and management that are just too happy to help you persevere and succeed!
So to hell with Procrastination! – Commit to always EAT first 2 grow 🙂
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A highly skilled and experienced international Business Adviser with key competencies in Sales & Marketing Strategy, Conny Millard specialises in working with savvy female entrepreneurs in Canada, US and Europe. For further information please contact her directly at cmillard@mcgbusiness.com or visit www.mcgbusiness.com.