By Royane Real

Do you have a problem with chronic procrastination?  Do you find yourself constantly putting off new projects because you just can’t get started?  Do you have difficulty completing an existing project on time, even when it’s very important?  Do you often wonder what is wrong with you?

If you are a chronic procrastinator, you may have tried reading a few articles on time management to find help in overcoming this problem.  You may believe that if you could just learn how to schedule things better, your problems with procrastination would all be solved.  Maybe you think a new kind of organizer is all you need to solve your problem.

However, the truth is that procrastination is rarely simply a problem of poor time management.  In fact, chronic procrastination can be the result of many possible causes.  Learning some new method of scheduling your time will not help you overcome procrastination if your problem originates in another part of your personality.

One of the most common causes of procrastination is having a severe case of perfectionism.  I know this because I have experienced both of these problems myself.

I am a world class procrastinator and a world class perfectionist.  Both of these often go together, and if these two labels are true for you, you can’t cure the procrastination without curing the perfectionism.

Many people who procrastinate are actually perfectionists.  They have set such high standards for themselves and for what they are supposed to accomplish, that they dare not start a task unless they know in advance that they will accomplish it absolutely perfectly.

This high degree of perfectionism means that they often experience a tremendous amount of fear before beginning a task.  Once the task is underway, people who are perfectionists may spend so much time redoing and revising their work that they hand it in late, or never finish it at all.

If your perfectionism is getting in the way of accomplishing the things you really want to do, you will have to start questioning your urge to be perfect.  You’ll have to start talking back to this urge, and you may even have to override your perfectionist demands at times.

You need to give yourself permission to be less than perfect.  

Perfection is only a concept after all.  Perfection is not something that really exists.

You need to decide which of your projects should be done very well, and which of your projects can just be done in a mediocre way.

If you discover that you have a hard time letting go of your need to be perfect in all things, this can be a sign that your perfectionism is very severe and is a hindrance to your quality of life.

You may benefit from seeing an experienced psychologist to help you overcome extreme perfectionism.

If the cause of your procrastination is an extreme case of perfectionism, you may find that being less than perfect will make your life a lot better.

This article was written by Royane Real, author of How to Overcome Your Shyness and Your Fear of Rejection and Have the Friends and Lovers You've Always Wanted available at http://www.lulu.com/real   

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Conquering Procrastination

Conquering Procrastination: How to Stop Stalling and Start Achieving has the solutions to defeating procrastination and making time a positive force in your life. 

Put time on your side

By Neil Fiore, Ph.D.

To find out how you can end procrastination, visit                                                                      http://nightingale.directtrack.com/z/10474/CD1323/  

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