Be Procrast-Accountable

We all procrastinate. It’s natural. Essentially, all procrastination really is is recognizing what your priorities are and comparing them to what other people think your priorities should be. The things you procrastinate on are simply things that are not high on your priority list.

If these things are truly not important to you, maybe you should consider not doing them altogether, but in order to still complete our goals (even the ones we procrastinate on) we must make ourselves accountable.

I have yearly goals for myself that have to do with my business and personal growth. Every year, I make sure that I make myself accountable for completing or not completing those goals. If I don’t attain one, it’s no one’s fault but my own. One of those last year was traveling outside the US. Early in the year I decided that I needed to travel outside of the United States. It didn’t matter where it was or for how long, but I needed to complete this goal before I could celebrate the new year. The problem was that I had procrastinated on the task and I hadn’t made it a high priority as I had been focusing on completing my other business goals. I justified it with various excuses such as the “I don’t have the money excuse” or the “I’m way too busy” excuse. Those two tend to be crowd favorites, but there came a time when I had to hold myself accountable.

Traveling outside of the country sounds like a big ordeal that needs a lot of saving, spending, planning, and effort, but the fact is: it’s more than doable for anyone anytime. What’s the point in making a goal if you’re just going to flake out when the end is near? It was nearing the end of November and that meant I had just over two months to really get my butt moving and do some traveling. I had to make sure to move it up my priority list and make it happen.

It was time that I became procrast-accountable! I was living in New York City and didn’t have much money to spend. Well, wait just one second…Canada isn’t too far away…There’s a thought. After stalking Groupon for a week or so, a Groupon popped up. I bought two. One for a two-night stay and one for a dinner. I took the trip with me and in Mid-November, I drove 10 hours across the American border, stayed at a wonderful cozy little hotel, spent a day walking around Toronto, and then even hit the Finger Lakes on the way back to the New York City.

I visited outside of the United States and I did it without breaking my bank. More importantly, I put aside all my excuses and made myself procrast-accountable. I made my goals happen regardless of the obstacles (or obstacle illusions…see what I did there?) that were in my way.

When you make yourself accountable, you take responsibility for your procrastination and instead of saying “oh well, I guess I didn’t meet this goal, I should try harder next time”, you say, “It’s time to get moving!”

Instead of thinking there’s not enough time, you will do what you can with the time you have left. It was my fault I waited until the last minute to plan my goal’s completion. It’s your fault you let time get the best of you and it will be your fault if you do not meet that goal because of it.

Make yourself Procrast-Accountable and Make it Happen.