Want to stop procrastinating? Make a plan.

I don’t think of myself as a procrastinator – in fact, most people would consider me more of a ‘get it done’ gal. When I got back into consulting last fall, I made a commitment to blog on a regularly basis. Yet, I found myself, week after week, adding “Create a blog’ on my to do list and then not doing it.

I had all sorts of reasons – I don’t know what I want to write about, I don’t have time, I don’t remember how to post it on my social channels. So, I didn’t. Week after week, I would move this task to the next week, tricking myself into believing that maybe the next week would be different.

Well, January is the start of a new year and it’s a great time to turn over a new leaf. I got really honest with myself and my excuses – and sat down last weekend, not to blog, but to make a plan of how to blog. I brainstormed and categorized ideas, then I made a schedule. I even did a quick run through of how to post and share content.

And here’s what I discovered: That one step – developing a plan – is the most important one. It essentially took all my excuses off the table.

If you are struggling to get something going like I was, here’s my advice: Stop beating yourself up for not getting it done. Start by getting yourself organized. Itemize what you need to do, identify what’s stopping you and tackle those barriers so the path is clear for you.

And here’s another discovery: the joy of meeting a personal goal is really, really rewarding. Like Nike says, just do it.

So, what are you putting off and what are you going to do about it?