Procrastination is a challenge that all human beings commonly face on a regular basis and it can actually be a welcome way to learning more about yourself and what makes you tick. Knowledge is power. If you know you're procrastinating and why, you're a big part of the way to being able to fix it. The key is self-awareness.

It's important to know that procrastination happens for a reason. You do it to avoid pain. It's more comfortable and less confronting than having to do something that seems hard. Your subconscious brain is extremely intelligent and when it senses displeasure it simply tries to do you a favour by avoiding it. Unfortunately the short term avoidance of pain only serves to create more of it in the long term when your goals fail to be achieved.

It is important to reprogram results and action with fun and pleasure. Think about just how good you'll feel when that task that has been hanging over you is finally complete! Can you really feel it? Similarly it is useful to associate unhappiness and discomfort with not achieving your goals. You could try imagining yourself in another week/month/year or 10 years with the still incomplete project awaiting your attention and really notice how unpleasant it makes you feel. And know you can do something about it. By consciously reprogramming pleasure and pain you can take back your power and put your subconscious to work for you instead of against.

A major reason for procrastination is fear. We are scared of leaving our comfort zone in case things get even worse. We fear success in case people don't like us anymore. We fear failure in case we are not good enough. Aim for progress not perfection! Take a deep breath and embrace the fear, which is probably no where near as uncomfortable as the real bind that inaction creates in your life.

Feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to start is often a contributing factor to procrastination which spurs the cycle on. It's completely alright to not know the next step to take. All successful people regularly seek advice or outsource tasks they need help with. The best way to beat overwhelm is to take one action, however small, in the direction of your goal. And that might just be to make a phone call to get some help so you know what to do next.

Another unhelpful cause of procrastination is comparison with others. How much more weight has someone else lost, how much more money has someone else made and how much further ahead is someone else with that same project? It doesn't matter! Someone will always be better off than you but you have strengths that others don't and where you're at is unique and perfect. Comparison is a most discouraging habit that is best stopped in its tracks. Everyone has a different path to tread.

Take notice of what is happening to you internally next time you find yourself procrastinating. What are you feeling? Are there any situations that influence you to avoid the task at hand? By knowing why you procrastinate you have the power to change your life and get out of the procrastination trap.

Find out in Part 3 the most common procrastination habits and learn ways to master your personal time management.