The Cost of Procrastinating

I was thinking about this earler and thought I would pass it on...

Whenever I find myself procrastinating, or wanting to put something off, I figure out what it might cost me in monetary gain by waiting. In essence, I assign a consequence to not taking action.

For instance, right now I have a pile of leads to follow up on. If I procrastinate, it's very possible these buyers will go somewhere else.

By multiplying the number of leads times the commission I might have earned I can change the decision from, "Do I want to call these leads right now?" [No Consequences] to "Is it worth $X dollar amount to put off what I know I should be doing anyway?" [Consequences]

I hope that helps someone. :) -Jolly Roger

Great post JR!

When working with salespeople I call this "Quantifying the Consequences" and it can have a very motivating affect. ;) -Jeff Blackwell

Well put JR, I have never thought of procrastinating in this way. I think I will give it a try. Most of us know that procrastinating is bad but never take the time to calculate how bad. Thanks for the post! -Doc MC

Personally, I believe in handing a few leads to friends and associates when being unable to handle those in a timely fashion. I figgure, might as well help those who help you, rather than none of you gets the business because you've waited too long.


Mike -MikeDammann

I post in forums when I find myself not working productively. Often, I find new information, new ideas, and stuff when I do that. -ohcnetwork

Smart idea Mike. ;) -SalesGuy

When I notice myself procrastinating, I try to take a step back and figure out what are the underlying forces making me avoid that task! For instance, it may be calling someone I really don't like to talk to, or facing an unpleasant conversation. I may procrastinate because I think the task is going to be difficult.

Once I identify the reasons for my procrastination, I ask myself if those reasons are really valid. Will it really be that awful to call that person? Wouldn't I feel better sooner if I face that unpleasant conversation now? If a task seems too big, could I break it into smaller pieces and do just one of them today?

Usually, this helps me get moving. Although my husband does wonder why I talk to myself so much! :o

Peace,
Terri Z -Terri Zwierzynski