Procrastination: 10 Steps to Break the Habit

Written by: David Terry, Executive Director

Procrastination is the number one illness in America today. We’ve all been plagued by it. For some, it is a chronic problem. Others find that it hits only some areas of their lives. The net results, though, are usually the same--wasted time, missed opportunities, poor performance or increased stress.

Procrastination is a bad habit. But like any habit it can be broken. Benjamin Franklin said, “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.”

Let’s take action to overcome procrastination now. Here are ten steps that will help break the habit:

Think about WHY you procrastinate: Are you afraid of failure? The true meaning of FEAR is a False Evidence Appearing Real. Are you a perfectionist and only willing to begin working after every little element is in place? The Japanese have a concept called kaizen, which means continuous improvement--progress,
not perfection is your goal.

Recognize when you procrastinate. Learn to catch yourself when you start to put things off. Plunge into the task- just like jumping into a mountain lake, it’s often less painful to leap in than the slow torture of gradual immersion.

Make a list of the things that need to be done. List them all and put them in order of priority-the most important things first. Then set daily goals to accomplish your priorities.

Don’t talk about work you have to do-DO IT! Sit down and get started. Break up large, difficult projects into smaller, more manageable pieces and tackle each piece separately. Complete something, then move on. Partializing works especially well for those unpleasant tasks.

Work in small blocs of time instead of long stretches. Set an appointment with yourself to do the job. When the allotted time is up, take a break and move on to the next task.

Announce your intentions publicly. Telling the world is an excellent technique for support and accountability.

Reward yourself. Let yourself enjoy the completion of even the smallest tasks.

Eliminate distractions or move to a place where you can concentrate. Close your door, clean off your desk, turn off the television, remove snacks or anything else that might keep you from your task.

Be willing to make adjustments in your plan. When you notice yourself continually pushing a task into the low-priority category, re-examine the purpose for doing it at all. Drop it, delegate it, or pay someone else to do it.

The Show

PowerPoint presentations are the most common method for making a pitch to investors. Incubator managers say there's no magic number of slides for a presentation- some entrepreneurs use 18, others use only 10. Nor are there any standard rules for what those slides should contain. There are, however, some basics that any presentation to investors should cover. Chuck Erickson, managing director at the Software Business Cluster in San Jose, California, provides the following suggested slide topics:

• The business problem the company is solving
• The business solution for that problem
• The market opportunity and the company's strategy to take advantage of that opportunity
• The product or service the company is providing
• Competitive summary- competitors and their solutions for the business problem, now and anticipated in the future.
• Who the company's customers are
• The company's business model-how will it make money?
• The management team
• Financials- three to five year financial statement
• WHY to invest

The WTAMU Enterprise Center Renovations Are Complete

WTAMU Enterprise Center hosted a ribbon cutting Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 4:30 pm, sponsored by the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, celebrating the grand opening of the newly expanded facility located at 2300 N. Western in Amarillo, Texas.

The fourth phase of construction, with an estimated investment of $500,000, began in October. Renovations include a new state-of-the-art training room and conference room, expanded reception area, a business resource library, expanded shared services area and a coffee bar sponsored by locally owned Roasters Coffee. According to David Terry, Executive Director of the WTAMU Enterprise Center “This renovation will allow us to offer a higher level of training, more business resources and more networking opportunities for our clients and the business community.”

Renovations are aimed at providing quality, professional resources and atmosphere to Enterprise Center clients and the greater Amarillo business community. Clients now have access to the new conference room for meetings and presentations for groups of 10 or less, and access to the state-of-the-art training room for groups larger than 10. The training room is outfitted with built-in projection presentation technology, comfortable seating that flexibly accommodates many different room arrangements, and new Wall Talk white board walls. The WTAMU Enterprise Center also offers “Office by the Hour” accommodations to clients and partners that need low-cost, expanded office space for a limited time period.

In conjunction with the grand opening of the newly expanded facility, the WTAMU Enterprise Center is excited to launch three new training and networking programs for entrepreneurs including Lunch & Learn on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, Listening to Your Business™, and FastTrac® New Venture™. All three programs connect entrepreneurs to the best resources available and help them pursue and realize their entrepreneurial goals. These programs are designed and facilitated by successful entrepreneurs with the challenges of the small business in mind.

The WTAMU Enterprise Center develops entrepreneurs through business incubation. Enterprise Center clients receive goal-oriented, strategic planning and business coaching from experienced advisors, hands-on management assistance, shared office services, access to conference and training rooms and networking and training opportunities. In addition, internal clients have access to reduced cost, flexible leases with expandable space. All WTAMU Enterprise Center advisors are members of the National Business Incubation Association and Executive Director, David Terry serves on the board of directors for NBIA.
For more information on our new programs or to inquire about space availability call 806-374-9777 or visit www.IncubationWorks.com/pro_services.html.

What Makes a Press Release Newsworthy?

Your company just launched a new product… you finally printed your self-published book… you hired on a new executive… They are all common topics for press releases, but are any of these actually newsworthy?Unfortunately, there are few clear-cut answers. The media is not only a subjective business, but a fickle one too. However, there are steps you can take to help hedge your bets.

Explain how your event affects other people, customers, companies, local area, nation, or the world. Your company launching a new product is great to you, but what about other people?
Use the press release to explain how your company’s new service is reacting to or on the forefront of an overall industry trend. Also mention if this new development is going to alter the way your particular industry does business.

Are there newsworthy people involved in your company’s event? Magazines have long known that famous faces sell magazines. Do you have a saleable person involved? Even if it’s just a local celebrity, name and face recognition can go a long way.

Does your new book release address a recent political event? Can you provide a fresh look at a newsworthy topic? Making yourself an expert will definitely get you more interviews and appearances.

Are you promoting or advocating for a cause? Do you contribute a percentage of the profits to a charity? Does your company sponsor a fundraising event? This is almost always a newsworthy tie-in.

How will this new executive effect the bottom-line for stockholders? Did the merger, restructuring, or consultant streamline your company resulting in a higher profit margin? Explain what this means to the general investors, financial professionals, and company stockholders.

Basically, you have to think past the end of your nose. Why does your company news matter to the outside world? Although some journalists will certainly connect the dots on their own, it’s best to cut to the chase and do it for them.Remember that although the ultimate goal is to get promotion for your company, you also have to give the journalists the story angles that they need for their readers, viewers, and listeners.If all you send out is an advertisement in the format of a press release, you will get a call from the sales department at the newspaper asking if you would like to take out an ad. You likely will not get a call from the journalist looking to write a story.

This article was published by www.press-release-writing.com . This website is a great resource for press release tips and information.