No matter who you are and what your experience level might be, there are times when all of us will feel overwhelmed by a task. The key to this situation is to identify exactly why you are feeling overwhelmed.
Usually it is because something is missing that you may not have even identified yet. For example, the task may feel overwhelming because you:
• Don't have the resources you need
• Don't have the information you need
• Don't have the time that you need
• Don't have the confidence that you can succeed
• Don't have the expertise or experience of doing something similar before
• Aren't convinced that you have the support of the others on your team or in your division
Once you understand why you feel overwhelmed, you will also understand what you need to do to eliminate this feeling.
You Are a Perfectionist
For the perfectionists among you, getting it right the first time is just a way of life. And for many of you, you can point to the level of success that insisting on perfection for yourself has created. But if you are procrastinating and you are a perfectionist, then chances are that you have decided that you don’t want to proceed because you don’t think you can do it perfectly. This is another sign that you may be lacking the kind of resources you need to do the job well.
However, you can’t get stopped by trying to be a perfectionist. Without taking any risks at all, you can’t learn anything new, grow your skills, or achieve more than you thought was possible. Waiting until you think everything will be perfect to begin is like saying you won’t leave your house for your commute to work until you know every light will be green. There are simply no guarantees that anything we do will be perfect. But that doesn’t mean we can’t strive to do our best.
You Are Having Trouble Making a Decision
Another common reason for procrastinating is that you are having trouble making a decision. It could be that you don’t feel you have the authority to make it, that you don’t have the information you need to make it, or that you simply can’t decide what the best course of action should be. If you can’t make a decision, you will continue to face a road block until you make it. You will need to identify what it will take for you to make the decision to your best ability.
