Dear procrastinator,

You’re not lazy, nor are you disorganized, you’re just terribly misunderstood. I know you don’t see procrastination as a problem, in fact you probably don’t really see yourself as a procrastinator (so after you listen to this (or read this), make sure you share this with someone who is).

I understand your dilemma - Is it really procrastination if the only reason you wait until the last minute is because you do your best work when you’re “under the gun” with the deadline looming?

How can any person argue with that logic considering how successful and accomplished you have become by following this last minute approach?

I get it. I really do.

Let me ask you this. Why do you wait until the last minute to do your best work? What prevents you from getting your work done, well before the deadline? Hmm? Don’t know?

All right, how about this then, why do you complete the project at all? Is it really because of some calendar deadline? Is that truly what drives you to get it done?

I doubt it.

In fact, I bet the calendar deadline has absolutely nothing at all with you finally completing that task or project or whatever it is that is due. I bet it has far more to do with the person that set the deadline - your boss, your customer or perhaps a friend.

Think about it. The person that set that deadline is counting on you to complete the job. You have to get it done or in some capacity, you’ll get fired. Fired by your boss for not getting the job done, fired by your customer for failing to complete the job on a promised date or even fired by your friend because you cancelled all those times at the last minute. So it’s the stress associated with getting fired that ultimately gets you to finally finish the task at the last minute, not some artificial calendar deadline.

Right? That makes more sense doesn’t it?

Actually, I don’t think that’s the reason either. It can’t be because we all know how talented you are and you know you can eventually get another job or another customer or make another friend so maybe it’s not the person who set the deadline either - so what is it?

I believe the reason you finally complete the task at the last minute because of the responsibilities and obligations you have at home. You have bills to pay, a mortgage, a spouse, kids maybe, other family (like your parents) counting on you. That’s why you finally get it done!

It’s not the artificial calendar deadline that finally makes you do it, it’s not even the person setting the deadline, it’s deeper than that, it’s the obligations you have and the fear of failing to support your family that ultimately gets you to finally do the task or complete the project that you were asked to do. You have people counting on you.

So all this time, you have been under the belief that your best work occurs due to that calendar deadline but in reality, the procrastinator procrastinates because of a lack of accountability!

The only time you do your best work is right before you feel you reached the point your family and other obligations are in jeopardy. It’s your family and those obligations that keep you accountable.

It’s the lack of accountability that causes the procrastination!

Waiting til the last minute to do your best work is just a habit, a very inefficient, bad habit. One that creates undue stress on you and more importantly on everyone around you, every day!

It doesn’t have to be this way. You can become far more effective by changing your bad habit of procrastination into a good habit of acceleration. It all comes back to accountability!

You need to recognize that you need greater accountability all the time to do your best work. That’s what’s missing...and I’m not talking calendar reminders or some app you can download. I’m talking about surrounding yourself with people that are going to push you and keep you on task.

If you want to break that bad habit, if you want to stop being seen as someone who can’t be relied upon, if you want to stop adding undue stress on yourself, if you want to stop losing sleep over all those unfinished projects, if you want to be far more successful than you have ever been, all you need to do is break the bad habit and make yourself more accountable.

So here’s the quickest solution. Pay someone to help you. It doesn’t have to be expensive but it has to be enough to feel real pain, enough of an amount that makes you think “if I don’t go through with this, I just wasted a lot of money”. Find that accountability coach, pay that person to help you remain more accountable! Break that bad habit today!

There’s a procrastinator in all of us (including me) so if you want to make the change, if you’re ready to change that bad habit into a good one and you don’t know where to start, I can help you. Contact me at Tony@youretheexpertnow.com and I will personally work with you and share what I’ve successfully shared with hundreds of people using my program that will change you from procrastinator to accelerator in 21 days - guaranteed! This is a $1,200 course that I am offering to 20 listeners at $377. If you’re interested, email me - not everyone is the right for this course so I will personally discuss this with you first. I can do this face to face or remotely so contact me if you’re ready to make that change

Sincerely your friend,

Anthony DeSimone

Recovering Procrastinator