Fran Spelgatti

"I have too much to do!"

"I don't have time!"

"I don't know where to begin!"

Do any of those phrases sound familiar? If they do, you may suffer from a common problem — procrastination. Most people procrastinate to some degree. Putting off unpleasant tasks is our mind's way of trying to avoid pain and seek pleasure. However, procrastination itself often results in more pain than it's worth. Too much procrastination can lead to missed opportunities, stress, resentment, guilt and the feeling of being overwhelmed by unfinished chores.

There are as many reasons to procrastinate as there are people who do the procrastinating. It's always the result of feeling that the thing to be done is, in some way, painful. People put things off because they feel overwhelmed, they're not sure how to start or they think the task will take too much time. You may also delay because of fear of failure, fear of success, boredom, anger, anxiety or perfectionism. However, as varied as the reasons are, there are some strategies that any procrastinator can use to overcome this bad habit. Here are five tips to help you accomplish your goals.

Just do something! If you're faced with a job and don't know where to begin, it's important to do something, anything, to get it started. Make a list, call someone who can help you, search the Internet, brainstorm for 5 minutes or just dive in and get your hands dirty. Any small step you take toward beginning your task takes you one step closer to its completion.

Break large tasks into smaller portions. Sometimes we put things off because we're overwhelmed by the size of the project. If that's your situation, break the task into smaller, more manageable units. Another way to do this is to think of what it will take to begin the project rather than focusing on completing it. You may want to tackle the least pleasant portions first, which will make you less likely to put off the rest of the task. If you complete enough small parts, you'll soon find yourself completing the whole thing.

Devote time to the task. Right now you're thinking, "If I could do that, I wouldn't procrastinate!" We're not talking about big chunks of time, though. Devote 15 or 30 minutes to working on the task and see how far you get. You may find it won't take as long as you think. At the very least, you'll be able to plan realistically for the time it will take. You can also schedule your block of time and follow it with an immediate reward—a walk in the park, a light and sound session or phone call to a friend. Then you'll be able to focus on the immediate pleasure rather than long-term pain.

Recognize your choices. Much procrastination occurs because we feel we're forced to do an unpleasant job. We don't want to do it, we have to do it. Start recognizing that you always have a choice. True, there are serious consequences to not doing certain things—like an important project at work—but you still have a choice. You're less likely to procrastinate if you realize your freedom and openly choose to do the task.

Allow yourself to be human. Many people put off duties because they expect perfection from themselves but know they can't achieve perfection "right now." You don't have to achieve perfection at your first attempt—or your second or third. You'll find yourself a lot closer to your goals if you simply give yourself the freedom to fail. And remember, there's really no failure, only feedback!

Unfortunately, there's no magic formula to make you stop procrastinating and start reaching your goals. There are tools to help you. With these five tips and a slightly new point of view, you can soon be on your way to achieving your loftiest goals.

The CD process MM-008 Turning Procrastination into Motivation is a two set CD process. CD number one is Motivational Message that you can listen to while driving your car or when exercising and CD number two is a hypnosis process that will work on the subconscious level to help reinforce the steps to transforming procrastination into motivation that you will need to complete tasks, start new projects or live the healthy lifestyle you always dreamed of.