Stop Procrastination (today! not tomorrow)

We're all familiar with procrastination. (My procrastination pitfalls are playing in the kitchen, looking up yet more info, or checking Facebook.)

Most business owners have ideas or projects that they want to implement. And some of them eagerly jump right in, while others hesitate or stall.

Whatever the specifics, their hesitation most often stems from a perception that their project will be difficult, expensive, or confusing. The key word here is perception.

How then, can we get moving when stalled on a new project? Here are some tips that have worked for me:

Know what you need to know -- and what you don’t. For many projects, you'll need to understand exactly how to set up everything yourself. But, there are other projects where you'll only need to know enough to maintain the process.

For example, if setting up an email newsletter system on Mailchimp is not intuitive for you, and you would rather not spend hours figuring it out, let someone else do the initial set up. From then on, you can take over the process of sending out your newsletters.

Ask the question: What other information do I need? Sometimes you need to do research to get started with a project; sometimes you already have all the information.

If you need more information, decide specifically what that is and make a plan to get it. If you have everything, look at it all together so you can see the big picture of the project.

Don’t ask for too many opinions. While it’s nice to have the support of family and friends, ask yourself how much they really know about the decision you’re trying to make.

When it comes to logo design, for example, I'd trust a designer, not a friend who’s good with colors. Asking for too much input is often just another way of procrastinating.

Break the project down into categories. Something like redesigning your website can seem like a huge task. But if you break it down, you’ll see more manageable pieces of work to be done.

In this case, start with the homepage and make a list of what you want to include – things like Facebook and LinkedIn social media icons, a head shot of yourself, a testimonial from a client, a link to your calendar. The point is, be as specific as you can.

Don’t keep the details in your head – write them down. When I don’t have a written plan, I spend time spinning my wheels trying to remember what I’ve done and figuring out what to do next. Spend time up front to write a detailed plan in order to see the entire project. It will save time and work.

Leave perfectionism behind. It’s better to get started and improve the work rather than wait until you have every detail just right. You’ll learn as you go and make it better over time. Businesses evolve all the time – so develop the improvement muscle and you’ll be able to stay current with what your business needs.

Overall, the hardest part of any new project is getting started. Apply these ideas to your projects and send procrastination packing!