Take the First Step

In the past few weeks I have struggled with procrastination.  You see, I am a habitual procrastinator, and as you may know, procrastination does not yield inspiration nor does it yield motivation. 

‘Procrastination’ is a term thrown around during High School and College when a student waits until the last minute to finish a paper or lays around when he or she should be working on a project.  The term is met with humor, however has anyone stopped to realize how damaging this can be?  Procrastination is a serious thing, and is something that can detrimentally hurt a student’s chances of success.   As students, it is up to us to stop brushing procrastination aside as something ‘everyone does’.  We need to take control of our procrastination and find ways to combat it.

For me, the most successful way to combat procrastination is also the hardest way: Take the first step.  Today, for instance, I had to make some phone calls for my internship.  I kept making excuses as to why I simply ‘couldn’t do it’, when finally I typed in the first number and called, forcing myself not to pick up the phone until I heard the first ring.  This may seem silly, but it helped me to not hang up the phone before it started ringing, or to wander off and do something else.  For me, hitting that call button was the first step, and I had a much easier time continuing the calls from there.

What are you putting off today?  Whatever it is, take that first step.  With that first step comes clarity, focus and drive.  By taking that first step you are letting yourself know that you mean business.

What steps do you take to overcome procrastination?