Helaine’s message speaks directly to those of us who have a tendency to procrastinate.  But the lessons here apply to unemployed job seekers who are struggling to maintain their sense of purpose after being out of work for so long, to those trying to start their own business, as well as those who are already running an established business.

By Helaine Iris

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.”  Douglas Adams

Let’s talk about the P word. Procrastination. If this is you, this pervasive, habit effects every aspect of your life. As a procrastinator you typically under perform, limiting success and the life you want to live. It dampens your ability to take action, creates missed opportunities, and is the single pattern of behavior I see in most entrepreneurs that if corrected would free up log jams of energy and potential. If you’re a procrastinator you know in your bones that this is true, yet, it seems like an impossible habit to break.

It’s easy to see in others how much unnecessary pain and stress procrastination causes: my daughter for example, endlessly putting off school work and pushing herself at the last minute to meet a deadline, my client, putting off completing his taxes and suffering the consequence of costly penalties. » Read more: Career Assessment: Become an Accomplisher Instead of a Procrastinator