Ask Dali Mama

DEAR DALI MAMA:

Why do I keep procrastinating on what’s most important to me and how do I stop this bad habit?

—Putting It Off Till the Very End and Beyond (United States)

DEAR PUTTING IT OFF:

There are many reasons people procrastinate. Do you put things off that are important to you so you won’t feel as bad if you’re not successful because you put something together with very little time? Are you afraid of success? Are you afraid of failure? Are you trying to be perfect and that need for perfection is making it scary to start something that’s important to you? Do you feel you deserve to have what you will have when you are done? Do you view projects as an enormous project rather than breaking them into smaller, more manageable chunks? Meditate on the reasons you do procrastinate and your awareness will be easier to break this habit little by little.

Try writing down the top three priorities each day and breaking those priorities into smaller, discrete tasks you can do to make it less overwhelming to get started.

Wishing you the best.