Stop Procrastination and Start Living Your Dreams


Procrastination is almost a way of life for many people, but it's hard to know exactly why people procrastinate. When people procrastinate, they are usually putting off doing something that will be a benefit, but for some reason there is more energy put forth to put off the task than to do it. This is a very bad habit and is one reason many people do not achieve their dreams.

Procrastination is an easy way of putting off goals and dreams for another time; goals and dreams that you want to come true, but something is holding you back. There may be a subconscious fear of failure, or a fear of change that is stronger than the goal of success. If you want success badly enough you will face your fears and decide to start immediately doing those things you have put off for so long.

Here's the quickest way to get started:

First, make a list of all the things you need to do that you have been putting off, you probably have this "to do" list already drafted in your office. Then, go to a quiet place where you will not be interrupted for about 20 minutes. Go through each item on the list and write down your excuse(s) for not having completed the task already. Maybe there is a money problem, or you do not think you have enough education or the proper qualifications. Whatever it is, just write it down and do not worry about how it will be resolved right now.

Next, go through the list again and write down the benefits you currently enjoy because you are procrastinating on these tasks. Yes, you are receiving a benefit for not doing the task; otherwise you would have done it by now. For example, if you wrote down that you do not have enough education, then the benefit you are receiving right now by not getting an education is that you have more money than you would if you were spending it on school. Another benefit of this same item is that you have more time to do what you want, instead of spending it in school. Remember the old saying "time is money." Are you really making enough money in your current position to make it worth the time spent there?

Finally, look at all the reasons you have listed as excuses for procrastinating, and the benefits you are receiving. Do these still make sense? This is the time to sit down again and make a plan - a plan that you will stick to and not put off for any longer. Now is the time to make a "to do" list that you will actually do! First, while they are still in your thoughts, quickly write down a list of things you will do to make your dreams a reality. Then, go through the list again and put them in the order you will do them (example: Do you need to get a loan before you can go to college?) Also, write down the date that you will complete each item.

Now that you have your work cut out for you in a manageable way, go out and make your dreams come true!



Money Related Topics News

  • Couples and Money Arguments
    Confronting money issues for couples is pretty common relationship territory. If you and your partner are like most couples, chances are, you argue about money sometimes. Numerous studies have shown that money fights predict divorce rates. Based on a 2004 study by SmartMoney Magazine, here is what sparks the six most common types of arguments: ...

  • Fidelity money fund clients sour on SEC proposals
    BOSTON (Reuters) - Adding to the outcry against new rules for money-market funds, Fidelity Investments has warned regulators that more than half of its money-fund clients would move some or all of their assets out of the investments if the net asset value of the funds were allowed to fluctuate. That warning from the largest U.S. money-market fund manager came as the U.S. Securities and Exchange ...

  • Money Market Accounts Could Disappear If New SEC Rules Go Forward: Industry
    Money market accounts could soon be joining "free checking" in the dustbin of retail banking history. That's what various portfolio managers who make up a large chunk of the industry are saying could happen if certain regulatory provisions being discussed in Washington are enacted.

  • Senator urges lobbying against money market reform
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Pat Toomey is urging businesses to push back against efforts by U.S. securities regulators to impose new rules on the money market fund industry, which he says could "wipe out" the products. Speaking to an audience at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, he expressed frustration that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is trying to move ahead on ...

  • Fidelity fights SEC money-market fund proposals
    The money-market fund manager warns that more than half of its money fund clients would move all or some of their assets out of the investments if the net asset value of the funds was allowed to fluctuate.

  • SEC weighs two money market fund proposals
    (Reuters) - The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission is eyeing two potential plans to bolster the stability of money market funds, but their fate remains uncertain due to internal disagreement at the SEC over the need for more regulations. Last month, agency staff circulated early drafts for either a capital buffer or a floating fund valuation, both aimed at preventing runs on ...

  • Money Panel Predicts BoE Cash Injection
    The Sky News money panel has predicted that the Bank of England will extend its quantitative easing programme on Thursday.But the group of influential finance and business leaders does not expect the central ...

  • Money Market Rules May Boost Short-Duration ETFs
    The Securities and Exchange Commission is set to announce a two-part plan to stabilize money market funds, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. If approved, the proposals could hurt the performance ...

  • Will the Government Put Money Market Funds Out of Business?
    Immediately after Lehman Brothers failed, a money market mutual fund called Reserve Primary "broke the buck"--it did not have enough money in its coffers to pay the shareholders what they'd had. ...

  • Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Bullish Market Signs (Final)
    Search Jim Cramer's Mad Money trading recommendations using our exclusive Mad Money Stock Screener and watch Jim Cramer's Mad Money Post Game video exclusively on TheStreet.com. NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- "We're witnessing bull market behavior," Jim Cramer told his "Mad Money" TV show viewers Tuesday, as he outlined six reasons why today's market looks just like the bull markets of yesteryear ...