Procrastination.
I’m REALLY good at it.
I can put things off for days, weeks or years. You name it, I won’t have done it.
Strangely, this doesn’t apply to professional things. I’ve yet to miss a sales letter deadline. Copy is cranked out to a pretty rigid schedule: I work on it in the mornings, when my writing brain is best, and leave the afternoon for smaller tasks.
Personal things: sorting out my investments, sewing a button back on to a shirt, fixing a broken door handle… for some reason I am incapable of setting a schedule and sticking to it the way I do for copywriting.
I even get why.
Professional things have an external motivation. People are relying on me to deliver, so by Mary Hellfire I will deliver. If my bedroom door handle isn’t fixed, the only person put out is me.
I’m not the only one like this.
It can be particularly bad for entrepreneurs who are just starting out, and even those who are more well established. You KNOW you should get that web page marked up, finish off that product… but if the only person who cares right now is you, it’s very easy to put off.
One way around this is to do things publicly… if you’ve committed to a launch date with some affiliates, you’ll be far more motivated to get everything finished on time.
I’ve yet to find out how to set serious external motivation for personal tasks, but I’d love any suggestions.
In the meantime, here’s an article to read in lieu of actually doing work
