I’m Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits.

On your journey to building a profitable practice, you will have to contend with procrastination. Here are some procrastination avoidance tips.

Have you ever felt like you wanted to join the procrastinators club but never quite got around to it? Procrastination plagues us all, some more than others, but everyone gets a bite from the bug at some point. We’ve all heard the quote, “Why put off ‘til tomorrow what you can do today.” For some of us, this is the only motivation we need. While others struggle with putting off for things for weeks, months, and even years.

Procrastination doesn’t have to be a way of life for you. You can overcome it. With a bit of focus and the right attitude, coupled with some practical tips and techniques, procrastination can be a thing of the past. Here are five strategies you can use today to help you bite the procrastination bug back:

  1. Set small goals. Many times, we feel overwhelmed with the task, so we continue to put it off until we have no choice but to complete it. Now throw on all the new projects we’ve received while we were putting off the first project, and you have a prime equation for some serious procrastination. Setting small, quickly achievable goals can help you avoid procrastinating in the first place, so you don’t get overwhelmed. Here are some tips for setting those small goals:
    • Break your big project up into smaller steps. These steps can be completed systematically, one at a time.
    • Make sure you have well-developed end points for each smaller goal. This way, you have something to keep you going. Setting small goals provides us a constant feeling of accomplishment as they’re attained. With each individual success, you feel better about yourself, and this motivates you to continue on.
    • Give yourself break points as this allows you to focus on each individual task and take the overwhelming feeling out of the job. In addition, they give you a prime place to get up, move around, and refresh yourself for the next step.
  2. Avoid distractions. We all do it. We sit down and start working but have to get back up and grab some coffee, then we sit back down and check email, voicemail, and then email again to make sure no one sent a message while checking the voicemail. How long did that take? Try checking your email only twice a day instead of every five minutes. You need to have some time to focus. Get everything you want, need, or think you need before you sit down to start working, so you can concentrate.
  3. Delegate. Start giving some of your responsibilities to others instead of hogging them for yourself and creating more stress. Stress leads to procrastination. Procrastination leads tight deadlines, and tight deadlines lead to more stress. It’s a vicious cycle.
  4. Keep a list. A constant reminder of things you absolutely need to do is a great way to avoid procrastination. A small pocket notebook or even a notecard works wonders for list keeping. Keeping a list puts your daily to-dos in front of you at all times for quick reference. Include your small goals on your list. Get started early each day completing those small, manageable goals. Doesn’t it feel great to scratch through the things you’ve completed? Before you know it, the whole list is marked off.
  5. Turn it off. When you’re done for the day, shut down everything work related. Don’t take it home if you can help it. Turn your brain off at the end of your workday. By giving our brain a break, you help avoid over-exhaustion and keep your mind fresh for the next day.

Spend some time doing the things you love to recharge your batteries for the next day. Pick one or two of these techniques and try them out for three weeks. Studies have shown it takes 21 days to form a habit, and if you genuinely want to beat procrastination, you have to make productivity a habit. When you’ve made a habit of one of the strategies, pick out another one. Before you know it, you’ll be the personification of productivity.

I am Dr. Hassan, Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own independent practice so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits. Please go to businessofrehab.com/guide to pick up the free guide to help you determine the best business entity for your practice.

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Is procrastination preventing you from building your practice? Check out our blog here to find out how you can catch the entrepreneurial spirit and get motivated to build your practice.

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Attention, Physiatrists! Stop leaving money on the table. Sign up for the free video series: How To Build A Profitable Practice in 90 Days or Less: http://www.sixtytosuccess.com

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