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Showing posts with label Procrastinate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Procrastinate. Show all posts

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Procrastinate Now – Don’t Put it Off!

tumblr_mbb8qcB6MW1rwpgxjo1_500Are you having difficulties in producing the results you want because of procrastination? Are you keeping on delaying and putting things away in life? Don’t worry, you are about to discover how you can get rid of procrastination once and for all with 3 proven principles…

1) Create The Passion

Do you know that one of the main reasons people procrastinate is because they don’t like what they’re supposed to do? Just like some people procrastinate and delay in doing their homework, but they can have all the energy to watch a movie until late night or to play computer games. What do you love to do? When you do what you love, you will be able to tap into your natural motivation and bring out your inner potential. Successful people are able to come up with motivation all the time because they are doing what they love.

Steve Jobs, Donald Trump, Michael Jordan, etc, all of these great people are doing what they love, that is why they are able to overcome procrastination and produce outstanding results in their life.

If you don’t love what you do, you will find all sorts of excuses to not do it. You will say that you don’t know how to do it, you don’t have the time for it, or simply you just don’t wish to do it. And in order to be successful in life, you have to go through tough times. Hence, you need the inner motivation to push you through. If you don’t love what you do, you will just quit when you face with obstacles.

So do what you love and tap into your inner motivation to get things done. What if you don’t like the task but you still have to do it? Just like you don’t like to do your homework but you still need to submit it? Well, you can be creative and try to find fun while doing it. Invite your friends to do the chores along, listen to your favorite songs while doing your homework or simply put yourself on the line where you have no other options but to get it done.

2) Build The Success Cycle

One very important principle that you must understand if you want to overcome procrastination is that you must always start small. Yes, you have to dream big so that your dreams can inspire you, but when you start, you must start small. Just like if you want to adopt the habit of jogging every morning after you wake up. You have to tell yourself that your minimum commitment is to get changed and jog for only 5 minutes. You don’t have to do it for 1 or 2 hours as a start. You just need to start so that you will build up the momentum. And trust me, if you are able to jog for 5 minutes, you will never stop there.

Most people are too ambitious and they wanted to start big. They are too rushing for big results in the beginning. This is what paralyzes most people because your brain can tell whether it can be done. If the task is too heavy and you cannot get it done, your mind will sabotage it because you simply don’t believe that it is possible to do. Another key point about starting small is that when you start small, you definitely will achieve some results. And when you see results, you will feel more confidence and you will want to do more of it.

Just like if you want to write a book, you don’t have to do it one go. You can just set your minimum commitment as to write just one page, or if writing one page scares you, commit to only write a paragraph a day. Of course, once you started writing, your creativity juice will flow, you will build up the momentum and you will continue to write once you have achieved your “write one paragraph” goal.

If you apply this strategy by starting small, you will eventually turn the small action into your habit. And once it has become your habit, you will be able to reap the reward you want in the end. The key in starting is to make taking action your habit. When you take small action, you will create small result. When you created small result, you will build more confidence and wanted to do more. It becomes a success cycle and which will eventually becomes a success habit.

3) Punish And Reward System

A very powerful way to force yourself into commitment and overcome procrastination is by applying the punish and reward system. What you can do here is to punish yourself if you did not get your tasks done and on the other hand, reward yourself if you get the tasks done.

For example, if you have to write an article by today, but you procrastinate and did not do it, you should punish yourself to do it at night when you are aware. Stay up late if you need to and no movie or games as punishment. And if you get the article written on time, you can reward yourself with a cup of your favorite beverage, watch a movie or play computer games. Remember, no fun or relax moment if you did not get your task done. And if you get it done, give a pat on the back yourself.

Another great way to implement this is to do it in the 60/60/30 principle. What it means is that you focus in doing your task for 50 minutes, and then rest for 10 minutes. You have to be super focus in working on your task. No distraction and only doing the task for 50 minutes. Once the time is up, stop right away and rest for 10 minutes. Even if you’re half way writing an article, you have to stop. The 10 minutes is for you to refresh your mind and take rest. Grab a snack if you want to. After that, continue to work on your task for another 50 minutes, and take another 10 minutes rest. Once you have completed the first 2 blocks of 60 minutes, take a 30 minutes rest.

The principle behind 60/60/10 rule is that you want to make sure you focus in doing just one of your tasks at a time and make sure you get some refreshment so that you can continue to work for the long run. This principle is very powerful, try to implement it and you will see the result.

These are the 3 proven principles how you can overcome procrastination. Clear your mind right now, get a piece of paper or grab your journal, write down how you can apply these principles into your daily life so that you can achieve more and produce better results in life.

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Shawn Lim is an expert in personal development & success strategies in life. Find out more about him through his success blog at TheMillionaireSecrets.net


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Monday, May 13, 2013

Middle Finger to Productivity—Here’s How to Procrastinate Like a Boss

So I’m sitting here, working (actually trying to work) and thinking about this whole productivity thing. I mean, I know that being productive throughout the day is a very nice concept. One that can bring your business/hobby/any other activity to the next level. However, aren’t we just too productivity-focused in the 21st century? Before the year 1600, the word “productive” didn’t even exist, yet people were still able to function perfectly fine on a daily basis. How come?

Obviously, I am not a madman and I won’t say that productivity is a bad thing. In fact, I wrote a number of articles focusing on different aspects of productivity, and I do consider it one of the main things to master in our lives. Personally, I’m a freelance writer, so if it wasn’t for productivity and work organization I wouldn’t be able to make a living and get paid to write, but I also think that treating productivity like this unattainable goal is only going to bring bad results. Most people struggle to be productive just because they don’t realize how simple things are, and how little you have to actually keep in mind.

One of those things is being and feeling relaxed. If you’re not relaxed, you won’t be able to produce any good results (no matter what you’re doing), and this is where procrastination comes into play. Whenever we realize that there’s so much stuff to do, yet so little time, we immediately get stressed out and decide to take care of the easy (but unimportant) stuff and postpone the essential. This is procrastination.

Now, a short distinction between procrastination and laziness.

Not doing anything at all: laziness.Doing simple tasks instead of important tasks: procrastination.

This is the kicker. Yes, you should, because why the hell not?! Most authorities in the productivity niche say that we should always take care of just the essential tasks and fight every, even the smallest case of procrastination. I say the opposite (I guess I’m no authority then).

What I’m trying to convey here is that you can procrastinate if you’re in the mood, and use this time to reevaluate your goals. Here’s what I mean:I have never met anyone who would honestly want to get a given project going yet couldn’t find the time to do so. If something is important to you, you will find the time and dedication. If something is not that important, though, you will struggle to get it done because you’re acting against yourself.

What it all means is that “essential” tasks are not really essential if you don’t feel like taking care of them. The problem is that sometimes we like to (or feel the need to) fool ourselves that something is important to us, when in fact, it isn’t. The lesson here is rather simple: If you’re in the mood for procrastination, do it, do it like a boss, and use this time to reevaluate what’s on your plate.

However, before you start…

The whole concept of reevaluation I’m going to present in just a minute is a rather brutal one, so before you can try it out I advise you to take a look at your current schedule and “relaxation levels,” so to speak.

As I said a couple of paragraphs above, the lack of relaxation is often one of the main causes of procrastination. The thing is that when you’re relaxed, you’re in control. You have no doubts or stress regarding the things you should be doing and when you should be doing them. Relaxation allows you take care of the tasks you have planned, instead of finding alternatives.

That’s why before you do anything else, it’s really important to build a schedule that you are happy with—one that makes room for any non-work-related activity you wish, and one that doesn’t require constant late night work. When you have this, you can spend the evening relaxing and recharging your batteries. This will allow you to work more smoothly during your productive hours.

So the only question is: Do you still feel the need to procrastinate? If that’s a yes then you need some serious reevaluation.

Let me share my own example here as a kind of a case study.

For some time now (close to two months actually) I’ve been running an experiment in which every time I’m tempted to procrastinate, I don’t even try to fight it, but instead just go with the flow (step #1).

Then I spend 5 minutes or so trying to come up with the reason of my procrastination (step #2). I focus on the appointed most important task of the day and why I don’t want to take care of it. I’m trying to list every reason that comes to mind.

When I’m done, I just set the list aside and handle my other tasks—the ones I’m procrastinating with (step #3). Remember that these tasks should still matter; spending your time on anything that doesn’t matter at all is a pure waste.

I repeat this process whenever procrastination hits me. Then, if I start noticing that one particular project is being constantly procrastinated on, it’s probably not the most suitable project for me after all. This causes me to reevaluate it, and in most cases get rid of it completely.

Picture such a situation: If you’re running a business and you know that cold calling is an effective marketing method, yet you keep procrastinating on it for two weeks straight, then maybe you should stop fooling yourself and try something that’s more suitable for you…? Now, in this example I’m not trying to say that cold calling is not effective. I’m just saying that it’s not effective for everybody. No matter what your job/work is, you should always find your own effective way of handling it, not the way you think is effective but never get to execute it with dedication.

The point is simply this: Do what’s right for you. If you find yourself procrastinating, you may just be in the wrong area of activities/tasks/projects.

Just in case you like such things, here’s the cut-out-‘n-keep cheat sheet.

Improve your schedule so you have time for anything.Relax.Procrastinate consciously (jot down the reason).Reevaluate your projects and goals.

What’s your take on procrastination? Do you consider it being the #1 enemy of a productive lifestyle?

You Need a Day of Rest to Avoid Burnout: Claim Your Day of Rest for Improved Health and Productivity

Featured photo credit: man with a hat is lying in the park and relaxes via Shutterstock

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