The Real Reason We Procrastinate

Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach says, “Your procrastination is inner wisdom that tells you the goal is really great, but you’re not the one to do it.”

Sounds rather counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Well, actually, it isn’t. You may find yourself committed to a new opportunity or goal that is exciting and clearly designed to achieve great things for your company and your team. Yet you may be wondering how you are going to accomplish it. Perhaps there are some aspects that are not quite your skillset. Perhaps there are some aspects that you absolutely do not like to do. That is when procrastination sets in.

If you are working in an organization, there is probably someone on your team who is great at the task you are procrastinating. Have a chat with that person; they may thoroughly enjoy and easily accomplish what you will postpone.

When you take advantage of someone else’s capability by enlisting them to perform an activity that takes you closer to your unique ability, you add value to that person. You’re telling them how they can be incredibly important and useful in the organization. You also give that person a chance to multiply their abilities.

Perhaps you are a solo entrepreneur as I am, and you cannot occupy all the seats on your  accountability chart. This is the time when you need to rely on others to ensure you remain focused on what you do best. 

At PureDirection, I rely on several experts to do what I either dislike doing or for which I have limited knowledge or skill and (gasp!) don’t want to learn. If you read my blog posts, you have been introduced to a colleague who edits my blog (I sometimes misorder paragraphs), adds the finishing touches, and corrects my grammatical and typographical errors. And then she posts the blog with unfailing precision to my website and LinkedIn profile. Were it not for Laurie Zinn at Line-By-Line, LLC, I would not blog if I had to do the hard work myself.

Who can you rely on to eliminate your procrastination?

If you’d like to talk about your goals, your accountability chart, or how to delegate the tasks that aren’t in your unique ability, please use the consult form below to schedule a free call with me. I have experienced procrastination and understand the impact it can have on you and your business. Let’s figure out together what you are best at, and delegate the rest to someone who shines in that space. You’ll turn your procrastination into productivity, and focus your time where you will truly move the needle in your business.