It’s okay, I haven’t gone from coaching to cattle herding overnight!
However, I have noticed since the beginning of summer clients have come to me with Procrastination C.O.W.S.
I wondered why this was and it hit me. Summer is the season where there is a new "lease of life" and everything seems lighter and brighter compared to the cold, dark winter months. For non procrastinators they greet the season with renewed enthusiasm as they start to spring clean, clearing out the remnants of winter to make way for the sunnier seasons.
However, for procrastinator, the lighter and brighter season fills them with dread.
Why?
For months, they have put off things on their lists, with a variety of excuses and reasons saying things like, "I will do it when the evenings are lighter", or "we don't need it until summer, so I'll deal with it then".
A lot of women come to me with the issue of procrastination, with a view to eliminating procrastination from their lives. They are all too aware of the lasting damaging effects that procrastination can have. There have been lost opportunities both personally and professionally, which in turn lead to feelings of guilt, depression and anxiety, leaving a devastating impact on self esteem and confidence which breeds more procrastination. They look to coaching because they want to put these C.O.W.S out to pasture!
Let me introduce you to the four procrastination C.O.W.S - coulda, oughta, woulda and shoulda!
Procrastination robs us of opportunities to improve our lives and prevents us from reaching our goals. If you procrastinate, you can talk about your goals until the C.O.W.S come home, but you will not achieve what you want to achieve.
So, if you are a serial procrastinator, start with the following procrastination busting ideas:
~ Take small manageable steps when making change - big tasks can be overwhelming and very off-putting for a procrastinator
~ Identify the ways in which you procrastinate by writing them down - identifying them makes you aware of these trigger issues
~ go through your list of procrastinating habits and by each one write down as many positive, non procrastinating outcomes to the behaviour
It does take time to change procrastinating behaviour, but through small manageable changes you can put your C.O.W.S out to pasture!
Julie Phillips, "The Lady Life Coach," is the founder of Escape Lifestyle Solutions, a UK based practice that offers lifestyle solutions to women.
As an accredited life coach, Julie works with women who are committed to making positive changes to their lives and who want to escape from limiting beliefs.
To find out more about Julie and the solutions that Escape can offer, please visit the website es-cape.org.uk or contact Julie directly on ladylifecoach@es-cape.org.uk or via skype: theladylifecoach