Don’t do it! Don’t procrastinate, that is! Don’t wait until it is too late!
Don’t wait until it is too late to get yourself (or someone else) an executive coach; provide feedback; ask for feedback; handle a performance problem on your team; start a leadership transition; recruit for the position or make that offer; move to that better job even if there is risk; promote that high potential; write that speech; organize a team meeting … or something else you know you need to do.
Instead…try some tried and true approaches to dealing with procrastination.
- Identify why you are waiting – deal with the fear or underlying issue so that you can move ahead free and clear.
- Engage in successive approximations – take apart the goal and do small steps toward achieving it.
- Work with an “accountability partner” – tell that person what goal you want to achieve and ask her or him to help you set deadlines, for example. Your HR department may be an option for this role.
Have you ever had procrastination backfire? What are the things or types of things you might be putting off? How can you ensure you don’t wait until it is too late?
Further reading:
https://hbr.org/2016/07/how-to-beat-procrastination_Webb
https://hbr.org/2013/05/the-unexpected-antidote-to-procrastination_Bregman
https://hbr.org/2011/10/stop-procrastinatingnow_Gallo
