We’ve all been there. A client, employee, supplier, colleague or friend tells us they’ll do something – but doesn’t. The days and weeks drag on and they continue to tell us they will… but they still don’t get it done.
It can be frustrating to sit and watch, even infuriating at times, especially when it is something that has to be done to progress the bigger picture. I see it with my own clients now and then, and if I’m really honest I’m guilty of it too.
When you get down to it there are really just two reasons why we don’t do something we say we are going to do:
- The task isn’t aligned with our values or bigger picture vision; or
- We need to know something more about ‘how’ to do the task – more questions.
I find it helps to keep this top of mind whenever I encounter this challenge (with myself or someone else). It helps us get to the core of the challenge, work through it constructively and resolve it.
If it’s a case of not being aligned with our goals….
There can be a whole variety of reasons why we might not want to do something – even if we see value in doing it, would like to do it or know it is important to do. But, ultimately it comes down to it not being a priority. When this is the case we need to get to the bottom of why it is not a priority. It could be that:
- We are too busy doing other things – in this case we need to look at what those ‘other things’ are and determine if they are a higher priority, or simply just distractions that we should be delegating.
- There are simply too many other competing priorities – in which case we need to look at all the different competing priorities, assess if they are actually priorities, prioritise them (and the task at hand) and if need be delegate to others.
- It is not worth doing, or will provide little value – if this is actually the case then we need to just move on.
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When we need to know more before doing the task…
Fear dictates our emotions and actions more than any of us realise, especially in our professional lives. It is the number one reason why we fail to take action or do something that needs to be done. When we can identify the source of the fear we can work through it and move forward. I find that fear usually comes down to us:
- Not knowing how do something – so we put it off and procrastinate because we don’t know where to start, expect it to take much longer than it will, or if we are really honest because we are scared of failing. When this is case, all we really need to do is ask for help (even if you are the boss).
- Being scared of success – yes fear of success is a real thing. Often taking actions that we know will get us closer to achieving our goals, ambitions or aspirations, is downright scary. This is because it is change, positive change, but change none the less and as humans we are all a little fearful of change. If this is the case we need to recognise it, process it, refocus and get on with it.
What to do when you find yourself in this predicament
When you find yourself procrastinating and avoiding doing something, or waiting for someone else to do what they said they would, the best thing you can do is stop and get to the bottom of why it is not getting done. Once you know why, you can address the why and progress.
The alternative is continuing to put your head in sand, sweep it under the rug, continue on avoiding it and avoid being honest with yourself. While it might be more ‘comfortable’ the issues are only going to compound over time, your To Do list will continue grow, while stress and overwhelm builds.
That said, some tasks really just need to be done regardless and the best way to get them done is at the start of the day, first things first, then you can move onto what you love! Or even better, find a way to delegate the tasks moving forward.