In my 20’s (and even well into my 30’s), I had a really difficult time with putting just about everything I possibly could off. Overcoming procrastination was not my strongest suit. I would put pretty much everything off that didn’t seem like it was easy or fun. If it seemed intimidating, I’d put it off. If it seemed like it would take too much time to do, I would put it off. Paying a bill that I had just received in the mail? Put that schiz off! Nobody wants to pay bills!

Of course living and carrying on this way didn’t help me much. I began to experience the repercussions that went along with not getting things done. Bill collectors started calling. I’d miss out on important deadlines and not be able to participate in fun things. I realized that life was starting to pass me by, and I wasn’t taking any part in it. I’d wake up in the middle of the night obsessing about how horrible my life was becoming. I’d obsess over the tasks that I needed to do, but yet I would STILL put them off!

Eventually things had to change.

I realized that I was not taking an active role in my life. I was allowing the tasks that I wasn’t doing to torment me. Those tasks made me want to run away from my life. They caused me such a great degree of anguish and anxiety that I became desperate to “get off this ride”. I was playing the roll of the victim every single day of my life. Things had to get better.

Enter: Goal Setting and Planning for Overcoming Procrastination!

As a trained teacher, I learned how to set goals and plan elaborate lessons and units. I started out teaching 1st grade, and if If I didn’t plan, my students would EAT ME. I mean…NOTHING creates urgency to plan more than having 25 wiggly, hyperactive, off-task tiny humans re-enacting Lord of the Flies in a classroom. My plans had to be on point because if I glossed over one tiny little detail, I’d have kids rolling on the floor, gnawing their own little arms off, crying and carrying on.

I became a MASTER planner!

Eventually goal setting and planning began to bleed into other areas of my life. I began planning for personal reasons. At the beginning of the year I would daydream about where I would be come December. I would geek out over planning travel, meals, and family goals. Eventually I started planning my personal and business life daily, using strategies like time chunking and taking advantage of optimal energy levels. Before I knew it, I was slaying task monsters left and right! I felt incredibly productive. The best part: I eventually was able to sleep through the night since the “big frogs” had been taken care of.

More Benefits of Goal Setting and Planning for Overcoming Procrastination

Planning allows you to dream and be at your most creative

Nothing is more exciting than seeing your goals being met. I mean…nothing.

I have a challenge for you. Do you have something that you have been avoiding doing? We all do. It’s totally normal. After finishing reading this post, I want for you to walk away from your computer/device and take out a piece of paper. Write down the goal or task that needs to get done. Next, write out all of the steps that it will take to get that thing done. If it is something that you can get done within an hour, DO IT. If it’s something that will take a day or two, get started on it. Set a timer on your phone to work on the steps toward getting that thing done.

You can do it! I know you can!

What are some of your questions around planning? What types of planning would you like to do more of, but you’re not sure how to begin? Do you feel like something is trying to hold you back? I’d love to hear from you. Post a comment below or send me a message to let me know how this resonated with you!

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