Seriously, we all procrastinate at some point in time on something and we’re all familiar with this scenario: You put off doing something and probably have absolutely no idea of how long it takes to do the task you’re putting off. You can end up living in chaos simply because you’re putting off something that will take you just a short time to do. Are you one of those people who shuffle through papers? If so, you probably spend more time shuffling through them each day than it would take for you to sort through them one final time and toss, file or process what’s there in the pile.
Research shows that people spend most of their time and effort working on activities that have nothing to do with the success of their projects. Procrastination is the biggest reason people fail to reach their goals. It is the #1 cause of stress. Research also shows us that stress is caused by leaving too many things undone, which is why some habitual procrastinators always complain about chronic fatigue. Putting things off creates enormous stress in our lives, which manifests as fatigue.
Right now, take a long look at your home and work life. Where are you spending the majority of your time? Are you working on things that are relevant to the big picture, or are you procrastinating and spending more time on distractions. If you’re spending time on distractions, what is it that’s distracting you and why and, the big question is, what is it really costing you? What’s the bottom line cost of putting it off?