So when did you start saying, “I’ll get to that tomorrow” when it comes to your goals for 2014? January 2? January 10? Did you make it all the way to the Super Bowl before giving up?
If you’ve fallen short of a goal already or are on pace to fall short before the end of the year, you’re trapped in the procrastination triangle.
What is the procrastination triangle?
Draw an equal sided triangle. Label the top “no goals,” the bottom left “no plan” and the bottom right “no discipline.”
Give yourself a score of 1-10 on each; in this case a lower score is better. For example, a one for “no goals” means, “I have goals written down for my business and personal life,” while a 10 means, “I’ve heard that people have goals.”
A one for “no plan” means, “I have a clear plan written down to achieve each of my goals” and a 10 means, “I rely on hope and luck to reach my goals.”
A one for “no discipline” means, “I do what’s on my plan every week,” while a 10 means, “meh, I’ll get to it eventually.”
Next, total up your scores and use the key below to find out how likely you are to procrastinate your way out of success in 2014.
• 3-9 – You occasionally fall victim to task avoidance, but generally you stick to your plan and hit your goals.
• 10-21 – You probably have a problem with discipline, which is being compounded by a lack of clear goals or a specific plan to achieve them. Find an accountability partner and commit to a plan that will lower your score.
• 22-30 – Buff up your LinkedIn profile because unless you set goals, create a plan and get some discipline, you’ll be looking for a new job (and possibly a new place to live).
Without clear goals (business and personal), a specific plan to achieve each of your goals (broken down to weekly activities) and the discipline to complete your plan every week you won’t be successful.
