PROCRASTINATION – how to beat it!
ByWell, to be honest I started this post about two weeks ago and finally I’ve got around to completing it.
Overcome the procrastination habit -
some of these will resonate with you, and when they do I need you to put the suggestion into action. In doing that one single action you can create the momentum to move forwards and begin the catalyst for change.
- Break down the task. A book / play / story / assignment is written one word at a time. If you don’t know where to start, start with the section headers, then add the sub-headers, then add the bullet points you want to cover under each sub heading. All of a sudden you have a plan to complete your written assignment, and you can then do it one bullet point at a time.
- Work for just five minutes on whatever item is keeping you stuck. 5 minutes you can do anything for 5 minutes.
- Keep a time log – where did you spend your 5 minutes today?
- Believe in yourself. This is the biggest thing you can do for yourself. Believe in yourself and your dreams, if you don’t, how can you expect anyone else to?
- Living as well as learning
- Being a student of life not a follower of everyone else’s thoughts
- Changing the pen for a pencil and black and white for colour. Sounds strange, but pen ink is considered permanent. If you are struggling with a blank paper, use a pencil and start doodling. Write down the concepts, draw the concepts, add splashes of colour where you need emphasis. Who said brain storming had to be boring.
- Celebrate every success. If you have unstuck yourself from a particular situation that allowed you to move forwards even by one inch then that is a success. Pat yourself on the back, take a deep breath and remind yourself what you did that worked. Then rinse and repeat.
- Break bad habits by creating good ones
- If you think in pictures then organise a dream board. Get a big piece of card and pictures, lots of pictures, or use the internet – I use powerpoint and add music to make them more effective.
- Trying your hardest, then trying some more. We don’t have to be 100% better than the opposition, just 1%. We can all be 1% better than everyone else.
- Be silly occasionally and play. Get creative, sit on the floor and see things as if from the perspective of a child. I tell you, you can’t take too many things seriously if all you can see is knees – weird things knees.
- Throwing away old clothes that do not suit you.(You look a right prat in those old flares!)
- Getting rid of the clutter at home and work.(Order a waste skip or wait until Bonfire Night and burn the lot.)
- Aiming at your target. Sooner or later you’ll hit it if you practice enough AND learn from your mistakes
- Being inspired by the right people.(I don’t like giving other web sites free traffic – but you won’t be inspired here. See you!)
- Doing something worthwhile today and it doesn’t have to be for you
- Get angry if you have to – BUT
- Speak kindly to yourself
