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Goal Setting and Other Signs You're a Procrastinator

by Stephen Dean
31 replies
Recently I was traveling abroad. (And actually, I was traveling with a broad, if she'll forgive the expression. It was my honeymoon

And on this journey, we met a Frenchmen who seemed in search of something. He was traveling alone, wasn't happy with his career or his romantic prospects.

But he did have big goals. He had a website (and a business card, which I politely took) and he clearly saw his life getting better... someday.

He thought I could benefit from some optimistic goal setting, and he told me in his best English, "You have to know what you want."

Thing is, I did know what I wanted. And I was living it.

I'll say as humbly as I can: I had my new wife, amazing friends and family who had just celebrated our union, and my 9th year as a copywriter was turning out to be the best one yet - and validating my decision years ago to forego traditional paths for one that suited me better.

But still, he was giving me advice about figuring out "what I want" and setting a goal.

It reminded me that goal setting is typically a habit of procrastinators and low-achievers - a group I revere, being one of them for many years. And it reminded me why I don't set goals...

Because goal setting almost always leads to delaying action.

A better habit is simply doing, not goal setting.

If you want to lose weight, do it now. Do today, what it takes to lose weight. BE LOSING WEIGHT right this second.

Don't say you want to lose 5 pounds in 30 days. That gives you 25 days to procrastinate, and 5 days to crash diet - which isn't real weight loss anyway.

Don't say your New Years Resolution for 2013 is to be earning $10,000 a month online... you'll waste months not moving any closer to your "goal."

Instead, just do it. Do what it takes today, and everyday, to grow a successful business online. Do it this way, and you're much more likely to hit your $10,000 a month goal. Maybe even in March, rather than on December 31st, 2013 or even not at all.

Stop setting goals and start taking action.

That's my take.

Cheers,
Stephen Dean
#goal #procrastinator #setting #signs
  • Profile picture of the author pjsorgi
    Ok 2013 will be the goal less year but tons of ACTION

    Thanks for your post!
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  • Profile picture of the author Azmodane
    I've been setting goals my whole life and never really thought about it like that until now. Looking back at all my "goals" I've set and achieved or not achieved have all come at the end of my time line. I don't know how I never put two and two together that I was just setting myself up to do nothing and then rush at the last minute to achieve my goal.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jarmila
    There's nothing wrong with setting a goal, IF you dive right in and do something about it. Before you're ready. When you're still scared out of your mind. Before it's all perfect and ready for the public eye.

    I did that some years ago when I turned pro as a photographer. I had NO idea how to market myself. No idea how to shoot a wedding. No idea how to... anything. But I decided I wanted to turn pro, and so I did, with no fanfare but a whole lot of faith.

    I had a goal that made me really happy, and I dove in, headfirst. Surprise! The minute I started telling people I was a professional photographer, I started getting gigs! Just by word of mouth! I had nothing but a very amateurish website, no cool presentation or anything - but I was "out there" and I knew that as I progressed, everything would fall into place.

    Contrast that with a friend of mine who obsessed about her website for months and months before launching it. She was the uber-planner. Everything had to be perfect! She wasted years in the planning process, setting goals to "have x number of headshots on her website so she looked like she'd been at it for a while" and things like that; meantime, I dove in, totally unprepared, and started getting work immediately. And it snowballed!

    Do I set goals? You bet. But they are not carefully planned out, chunked, organized or laid out on a spreadsheet. I just DO stuff, and learn to swim on the way to the island. But that's just the way I am.

    I think for most people, the best way is somewhere in the middle. Not everyone is as impulsive as I am; or as anal-ytical as some. Maybe the best way is to set some goals, break them down into something you know you can handle immediately... and whatever you do, however prepared or unprepared you think you are, just DO IT.

    And I totally agree, endless planning is just another way that your fears control you!
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    • Profile picture of the author zannix
      You know you've got a problem with procrastination when you don't finish reading the book "Getting Things Done", like I didn't, although I know I should have a long time ago
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      • Profile picture of the author heavysm
        I had to revert my mentality to do the hardest thing I could think of before all of my easier tasks. This was the real hurdle for me, not necessarily procrastination. When i did the easy task first (as I had done most of my life) I would be so used to the easier stuff that the hard task seemed well...hard. I had to reverse that, but I literally have to stop and self reflect for moment to see what the hardest thing is first, or else I naturally gravitate toward the easy stuff. Does that make sense?

        Anyway, that's what my real problem that I NEED to fix immediately. I don't actually know why that is a problem for me, as no one told me to do it that way. I just do *shrugs shoulders*
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        • Profile picture of the author Jarmila
          Originally Posted by heavysm View Post

          I had to revert my mentality to do the hardest thing I could think of before all of my easier tasks. This was the real hurdle for me, not necessarily procrastination. When i did the easy task first (as I had done most of my life) I would be so used to the easier stuff that the hard task seemed well...hard. I had to reverse that, but I literally have to stop and self reflect for moment to see what the hardest thing is first, or else I naturally gravitate toward the easy stuff. Does that make sense?

          Anyway, that's what my real problem that I NEED to fix immediately. I don't actually know why that is a problem for me, as no one told me to do it that way. I just do *shrugs shoulders*
          Now, I personally LOVE vegetables, but if you don't... think of it as eating your broccoli first and then having everything else, followed of course by a delectable dessert :-)

          In all seriousness, it feels so GOOD to get the hard stuff out of your hair, doesn't it? Then the rest is a breeze. What works for me, because I'm a morning person, is to do whatever heinous task is looming large FIRST, before breakfast, before Facebook, before any of my other work. This works for me because although I do some great thinking early in the morning, the day's inner monologue hasn't started up yet. That means the siren song of tomorrow, the urge to procrastinate, hasn't been heard yet. And if you don't hear it, there's no argument. You just get in and get to work, get it done and feel a HUGE sense of accomplishment that sets the tone for the rest of the day.

          Give it a try!
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  • Profile picture of the author Mousumi
    No new resolution for the new year, I'll keep on working on the things I'm working now.
    Thanks for sharing this great post!
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  • Profile picture of the author Delton Doucet
    I set goals but I follow that up with an action plan and that action plan requires to take action immediately to do something each day that puts me closer to accomplishing that goal and I remind myself and others that you don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going...

    you will make mistakes along the way but that is how we learn what does not work and correct those mistakes and try again till you get it right...just keep moving forward...
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  • Profile picture of the author Stephen Dean
    Hey Jarmila - what you described is a perfect example of what I mean.

    Yes, you may have set a goal (I'll forgive you, jk). But as you describe, it was diving in that made the difference. You didn't say you were going to be a professional photographer, you said you were. BAM, you were.

    Next time you can leave the goal out! (jk, again)

    Cheers,
    Stephen Dean
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    • Profile picture of the author heavysm
      I seriously enjoy doing the hard stuff first, but for some reason that's not what I gravitate to first. Like during this holiday period I wanted to get an article written for one of my blogs (easy) but I also had to install a new water pump into my car (hard). I immediately jumped onto microsoft word and pumped out the article, but it wasn't until i was finished that i realized I really should have at least looked at my car first. I have to stop to self reflect over things like that because it really does affect my life in small ways (those small moments add up quickly).

      My diet doesn't really need any fixing since I used to be diabetic ( I am no longer - yay!), so I know the value of greens (lots of different kinds as well).

      But I really don't know whats up with me picking the easier over the harder stuff. In all the instances in my life that i purposefully chose harder over easier first I was greatly rewarded for it. You'd think I'd have learned by now.
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  • Profile picture of the author KevinDahlberg
    You are right. Most goals are primarily for those of us that love to procrastinate (present company included). I think your french friend was confusing "wishes" with "goals" though.

    I've set a lot of goals in my life, and most of them I didn't even get close to achieving. All that told me was that I was setting the wrong goals. Those goals were dream goals that never really got traction. Sometimes I had to convince myself that those were things that I really wanted (which was never good, probably why they never happened).

    The only way goal setting actually works is if you have a burning desire for what you are trying to achieve and you have a system that you trust for getting there.

    There is also a difference between wants that are dreams and goals with actual deadlines.

    Now instead of saying "I want to have this product done by the end of January," I say "I will have this product done by the end of January."

    Having deadlines like that helps me find the motivation to miss a few hours of sleep, or wait an extra hour before joining friends at the bar. It also causes me to get things done that would normally just piled up until I got overwhelmed and quit.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kathy Bell
    Personally, I do set goals. But goals without action are just wishes. What I do is make a to-do list once a week which incorporates what I want to accomplish, broken down into daily tasks. Then I just motor through my list. I get up early and just get cracking right away. I like pen and paper because I find it reinforcing to cross thing soff my list.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stephen Dean
    Goals vs. Strategies

    The word "goal" can mean many things. It was my goal to get out of bed this morning, and I made it (Yes!!!). And when I sit down to finish a task, I could say my goal is to finish this task in the next 25 minutes. Or by the end of the day. Or even by the end of the week, if there's not time to procrastinate.

    But I'm not talking about these goals that must necessarily be tied to instant action.

    I'm talking about goal setting for the future. Especially New Years Resolutions.

    Instead of goals, have a strategy.

    A goal is an achievement in the future you wish to cross of your list.

    A strategy is an action plan that always moves you closer to who you want to be.

    You can ditch the goal part, and just start enacting strategy.

    Be or don't be. Do or do not.

    Of course, this will force you to figure out who you want to be sooner rather than later. But that's a good thing.

    Cheers,
    Stephen Dean
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  • Profile picture of the author hardraysnight
    only goals i worry about are on a soccer field
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    • Profile picture of the author retirewithsandie
      Originally Posted by Stephen Dean View Post

      Don't say your New Years Resolution for 2013 is to be earning $10,000 a month online... you'll waste months not moving any closer to your "goal."

      Instead, just do it. Do what it takes today, and everyday, to grow a successful business online. Do it this way, and you're much more likely to hit your $10,000 a month goal. Maybe even in March, rather than on December 31st, 2013 or even not at all.
      Yes sir! That's been my goal, really back in the day at least $5K a month for quite a while. But kept getting distracted by shiny objects of "oh this one will get me there faster" & still not doing anything because I bought one too many shiny objects & didn't have money until "next payday" for the website or to get item X or whathaveya. Then next payday came & more shiny & same old cycle. As soon as Jason releases his WSO, it's the last one I'm buying.

      But I am determined to be & stay focused this year. My monthly income goal, I can definitely see myself there by March & financially where I want to be & bill collectors taking a hike by August. That's actually what I'm working on tonight & tomorrow.

      Finalizing one project at a time. My problem in the past was being overwhelemed because I wanted to make the $8 gazillion a month by 30 days & thinking I have the time to do the 18,000 WSOs necessary to get there. Because I want to be to point B already. Instead of starting on one that might bring in a couple extra hundred a week. Which will provide seed for the next project OR I find that I can scale what I'm doing & get to that financial goal. But I will have several streams going, can't have all the eggs in one basket!

      But I don't plan on being here December 31, 2013 in the same spot. I plan on spending New Year's Eve somewhere WARM! Plus I have ChizzlerCon2013, a bazillion NASCAR, F1, GrandAm (or whatever they're going to call it) & IZOD races to pay for, a passport to FINALLY get & travelin' ta do <3!

      And with the company I work for, the uncertainty of their survival, don't know if we'll still be operating this time next year.
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      • Profile picture of the author Stephen Dean
        Originally Posted by retirewithsandie View Post

        Yes sir! That's been my goal, really back in the day at least $5K a month for quite a while....

        ... My problem in the past was being overwhelemed because I wanted to make the $8 gazillion a month by 30 days & thinking I have the time to do the 18,000 WSOs necessary to get there.

        ...
        Thanks for sharing this! That's exactly what I mean. The goal got in the way of just be-ing.

        Instead of just doing the things, day after day, that make you a person who makes that much money... you had a goal that distracted you from what works.

        That's why I say, skip the goal-setting, and just start taking action.

        It looks like you've got it figured out, congrats!

        Cheers,
        Stephen Dean
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  • Profile picture of the author ScottStuart
    I agree, goals can make you procrastinate - however using goal setting to procrastinate is just a different way of procrastinating that people will use when they do not completely want to go for a goal. It doesn't matter if it is goal setting, facebooking or grooming cats, procrastinating comes from within and it doesn't matter how you are doing it.

    I have a calendarish system to my goals, where I stack them on top of each other, then when I have achieved one, it's torn off and the next is revealed underneath - works great for me.

    Procrastination usually comes from the goal being wrong for you, the method being wrong for you or you having an emotional block to the goal. The first 2 are easy to deal with, the last one is easy if you know the techniques.
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  • Profile picture of the author Monkeh
    Ahh the golden IM word. ACTION. Hollywood uses it, us IM'ers frequently don't. Action guys. Let's associate 2013 with actions!
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    • Profile picture of the author Stephen Dean
      Originally Posted by Monkeh View Post

      Ahh the golden IM word. ACTION. Hollywood uses it, us IM'ers frequently don't. Action guys. Let's associate 2013 with actions!
      Yup. Because if you concentrate on actions each day, rather than a goal sometime in the future, you'll know each day if you've failed or succeeded... just by whether or not you took action. You won't be able to say, well there's always tomorrow to reach my goal.

      Cheers,
      Stephen Dean
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  • Profile picture of the author eternalsongbird
    Just make a goal and I think 2013 will be the best one for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Angellos
    I like your take on it but I think that the problem is not necessarily that goals lead to procrastination, I think that most people just don't know how to set and achieve goals.
    Goals give order to your mind esp. working online, its easy to get sidetrack, a list of daily goals keep you on track. My take on it is that many people just don't know how to set and achieve a goal.

    “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” – Bill Copeland
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    • Profile picture of the author Stephen Dean
      Originally Posted by Angellos View Post

      I like your take on it but I think that the problem is not necessarily that goals lead to procrastination, I think that most people just don't know how to set and achieve goals.
      Goals give order to your mind esp. working online, its easy to get sidetrack, a list of daily goals keep you on track. My take on it is that many people just don't know how to set and achieve a goal.

      "The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score." - Bill Copeland
      I like the quote, and I agree with you to a limited extent.

      But if you master what you need to achieve "goals," which is daily action, then what do you need the goal for? You can skip the goal, go straight to daily action and never have an excuse to procrastinate (ie. you don't have to complete your goal for another x days/weeks/months).

      Cheers,
      Stephen Dean
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      • Profile picture of the author ProfitArchitect
        Originally Posted by Stephen Dean View Post

        I like the quote, and I agree with you to a limited extent.

        But if you master what you need to achieve "goals," which is daily action, then what do you need the goal for? You can skip the goal, go straight to daily action and never have an excuse to procrastinate (ie. you don't have to complete your goal for another x days/weeks/months).

        Cheers,
        Stephen Dean
        Totally agree. This was the missing piece to my success puzzle. Little daily disciplines. Success is not a random accident.

        Highly recommend reading "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson available on the Kindle Store
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Ning Lo
    I like your way of thinking

    Excellent advise but i would like to add that even though goal setting is not necessary in your approach, you should always have a clear plan

    Cheers,

    Gary Ning Lo
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    • Profile picture of the author Stephen Dean
      Originally Posted by Gary Ning Lo View Post

      I like your way of thinking

      Excellent advise but i would like to add that even though goal setting is not necessary in your approach, you should always have a clear plan

      Cheers,

      Gary Ning Lo
      Thank you.

      And I agree completely. I'm a big believer in strategy (that's what I call my clear plan), but my strategy is not to reach arbitrary goals - it's to be who I want to be, the best

      Cheers,
      Stephen Dean
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  • Profile picture of the author skyjoe76
    I conduct 3 hours Procrastination Buster Workshop. That word got me into this thread.

    It is alright to set goals. I don't see that those who set goals are procrastinators. After meeting many clients, I had that what all of them did was after setting goals, there isn't any concrete plans to achieve the goals. Many of my clients were lost in the action part before they approach me for help.

    In one instance, I had to sit down with a client to plan his daily tasks by the hour.

    There are definitely a internal force stopping the procrastinators. There are also an external force like don't know how to take action that stop them.
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  • Profile picture of the author captainron4
    I think we are losing sight of the intent here a little, the OP is espousing action as is a vital part of accomplishing anything. But he is not saying not to set goals, he mentions several goals he has set and accomplished in his post.

    Become a copywriter....goal.

    Get married....goal.

    Honeymoon abroad.....goal.

    After all a goal is nothing more than deciding to do something, I'll bet that when he decided to get married they even went so far as to set a specific date.

    Some people see goals as saying you will do something you don't want to do and then wonder why they procrastinate.

    The real trick to setting effective goals is to set goals that excite you, all the goals the OP mentions are things he was excited about. I am sure he had to do things he did not enjoy to get there but the end goal made it worth it. For example I am sure he did not want to wait in the security line in the airport (nobody does) but it was worth it to travel abroad.

    Choose goals that excite you and they will not seem like hard work and you will continue to strive for them. These goals will be different for different people. For example, if I decided to be a copywriter you would see procrastination taken to record levels. But my goal is to have sales pages that convert, so I set a goal to find someone like the OP that enjoys copywriting, so is probably better at it, and then I make the goal to hire that person. That is a goal I can take action on!
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    There are two parts to goal setting. The planning and the action.

    Doing only one or the other will limit you.

    Those who plan and don't take action will be far worse off but those who take action without any planning limit themselves.

    If you aim at nothing you will hit it everytime to paraphrase Zig Ziglar.

    I personally recommend any goal have 3 goals.
    1. The no brainer: If you don't hit this level you know that you "failed" and you may decide it is best to change directions.
    2. The realistic goal: If you made $50k in 2012 then $60k or $75k would be a good realistic goal.
    3. The stretch goal: This is where you aim. I often tell people to set this at the level you plan to hit in 2 years. So $100k would be a stretch goal in 2013 but likely a realistic goal in 2014.

    Goals let you continue to grow. The planning helps you set the path. While you (OP) do great without planning I bet you could do even better with a bit of planning and goal setting.

    You are already doing the harder half which is the action side.
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    • Profile picture of the author Stephen Dean
      Originally Posted by Aaron Doud View Post

      Those who plan and don't take action will be far worse off but those who take action without any planning limit themselves.

      If you aim at nothing you will hit it everytime to paraphrase Zig Ziglar.
      I disagree strongly with the first statement and agree mostly with the second.

      I'll explain after this...

      Originally Posted by Aaron Doud View Post

      Goals let you continue to grow. The planning helps you set the path. While you (OP) do great without planning I bet you could do even better with a bit of planning and goal setting.

      You are already doing the harder half which is the action side.
      Of course I plan. Just like I mentioned above when I discussed goals vs. strategy.

      I strategize, and I act on the strategy immediately. Which I think is better than throwing a goal out a year or two in the future.

      For example, CaptainIron4 pointed out that, in fact, becoming a copywriter must have been a goal of mine. And I will agree, using the strictest interpretation of the language (just like it was my goal to get out of bed this morning).

      But I didn't do any goal setting, where I announced that I wanted to become a professional copywriter by such and such date.

      Instead I decided to just be a copywriter. I made the decision one day in March of '04, and after sending out an email, I got 9 clients overnight. BAM, I was a professional copywriter.

      It's similar to Jarmila's story about becoming a professional photographer, compared to her friend who made becoming a professional photographer her goal. Jarmila just did it one day.

      And do you not see setting a "realistic" goal as limiting? I do.

      Cheers,
      Stephen Dean
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  • Profile picture of the author SCOTTHANNAM
    I think a big issue that most have with goals is that they are not prepared to do what it takes to achieve them. They have not made their minds up that this is going to happen - no matter what. They are not prepared to put themselves on the line to achieve success. In short, their goals are wishes that they hope will come true.

    if you want a goal to become realised, write down when it will happen (date), the steps you need to make it happen, and then create big enough motivation to make it happen. Offer to donate all of your months paycheck to a cause you despise if you do not succeed in completing the steps you have taken, for example. The bigger the gun to your head, the less you will procrastinate
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    • Profile picture of the author curly sue
      why i procrastinate---Waiting for perfect. Telling yourself you need the right amount of time, physical space, equipment, you name it--and then waiting for the magic ingredients to appear.
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