One of the biggest hurdles facing many people in their dash is procrastination. These people know what they should do but keep putting it off. In looking for solutions to this problem, people will go to great lengths. They'll read dozens of books on the subject, engage in complicated mantras and rituals or even undergo hypnosis. Yet, as with most things in life, the solution to procrastination isn't that nearly that complicated. In fact, it's quite simple and can be boiled down to four little words: "Get it over with!"

I'm serious. The simple truth of the matter is that we tend to procrastinate for one reason and one reason only - we think that doing what needs to be done is going to be painful. And by the way, sometimes we're right. It is often painful to do the things you need to do. If you've ever quit smoking (and I have), you know that it can be literally painful for the first few weeks without nicotine. The same thing applies to giving up drugs or alcohol or even some of your favorite foods. And it can certainly be a "pain" to do chores around the house or paperwork at the office.

Therefore, the key to beating procrastination isn't to deny the pain and try to talk yourself out of it with some false affirmation or mantra. The key is to acknowledge the pain and then resolve to get it over with. After all, you're going to have the pain one way or another. Yet, it's up to you whether you drag it out for days, weeks or even years or whether you experience it once and for all right now.

I learned this lesson going swimming as a kid. Back in those days, I didn't have the luxury of swimming in heated pools. As a result, I would slowly wade into the water inch by painful inch. That is, until the day I decided to just jump into the deep end. After experiencing the initial shock of hitting the cold water, I was amazed at how quickly I became acclimated to the temperature. A process that usually took several minutes now took just a matter of seconds. On that day, I learned that if you're going to have to experience some pain (and in life, you will), it's better to get it over with.

Even today, I live by this philosophy. Whenever I'm faced with an uncomfortable task, whether it is filling out paperwork, having a difficult conversation with a loved one, or dealing with a problem at the office, I jump into the deep end. Sure, it can be painful to address these issues but procrastinating doesn't alleviate the pain. It only increases the pain. When you procrastinate, you have to deal with that nagging feeling of guilt for not doing what you should do and then, to make matters worse, you eventually have to deal with the pain of doing what you should have done in the first place. This is why I encourage you to meet your problems head on.

Get It Over With! (Part II)

In fact, I'm convinced that this is really the key difference between the winners in life and everyone else - winners get it over with. However, don't just take my word for it. Think for a moment about the most successful person you know. Does this person have a mound of loose papers and sticky notes on their desk listing tasks that need to be done? Do you have to remind them to do something two or three times? I doubt it. And the reason is simple - they put uncomfortable tasks behind them as quickly as possible by getting it over with.

Now, do you really think that these people enjoy filing their taxes, taking out the garbage or making sales calls any more than anyone else? Once again, I doubt it. They just realize that they have a choice - pain now or pain now and later? It doesn't seem like much of a choice to me.

I suggest that you use the same strategy in dealing with those tasks that tend to cause you to procrastinate. Get it over with! You'll not only get more done and feel better about yourself but you'll experience a lot less discomfort in the process.