Procrastination

Just saw this picture on Pinterest and it hit a nerve in a funny and somewhat serious way. Thought i'd share it since i can safely say most of us are victims to this "syndrome" (procrastination).

In search for a cure, i "stumbled" upon a site (www.positivityblog.com) which proffered seven (7) timeless tips that can help in putting an end to procrastination...(i hope i don't postpone applying them in my life though...lol), just kidding, i actually found them useful.

Time to share :), enjoy:

1. Stop thinking. Start doing: A bit of planning can certainly help you to achieve what you want to achieve. A lot of planning and thinking tends to have the opposite effect. You think and think and try to come up with “the perfect plan”. A plan where you don’t have to make mistakes, where you will never be rejected, where there will be no pain or difficulties. Such a thing does of course not exist. But as long as you work on that plan you can protect yourself.

2. Don’t blow a task out of proportion: By over thinking and putting things off you are not only trying to protect yourself from pain. You also make mountains out of molehills and since you are putting it off you are probably thinking about it in a negative way. This makes a little thing a big "Godzilla", a horrible beast that is threatening to ruin your life. So plan a little and then take action.

3. Just take the first step: When you start to look too far into the future any task or project can seem close to impossible. And so you shut down because you become overwhelmed and start surfing the internet aimlessly instead. That is one of the reasons why it is good to plan for the future but then to shift your focus back to today and the present moment.

Then you just focus on taking the first step today. That is all you need to focus on, nothing else. By taking the first step you change you mental state from resistant to “hey, I’m doing this, cool”. You put yourself in state where you become more positive and open, a state where you may not be enthusiastic about taking the next step after this first one but you are at least accepting it. And so you can take the next step. And the next one after that.

4. Start with the hardest task of your day: Maybe you have an important call to make that you also fear might be uncomfortable. Maybe you know you have gotten behind on answering your emails and have a big pile to dig into. Maybe you have the last five pages of your paper to finish. Whatever it may be, get it out of your way and let it be the first thing you do.

If you start your day this way you will feel relieved. You feel relaxed and good about yourself. And the rest of the day – and your to-do list – tends to feel a lot lighter and easier to move through. It’s amazing what difference this one action makes.

5. Just make a decision. Any decision: We feel bad when we sit on our hands and don’t take action because it’s unnatural. The natural thing is to be a decisive human and take action. When you procrastinate, you want to do something but you don’t take the action that is in alignment with that thought. You become conflicted within. But taking the confident actions you want to take over and over again is what really builds your self confidence and a self-image of you being a confident person. When you procrastinate , you lower your self esteem and send signals back to yourself that you are a ,well, a kinda lame and indecisive person.

(hmmmm.....). 

6. Face your fear: 

“Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the “someday I’ll” philosophy.” -  Denis Waitley

I think this is true. It’s easier to live on that “someday…” thought. It’s harder to just take action. To risk looking like a fool. To make mistakes, stumble and not avoid that pain. To take responsibility for your own life. The easier choice can come with a sense of comfort, with a certain level of success, pangs of regret for all the things you never dared to do and a vague sense of being unfulfilled. You wonder about what would have happened if you had taken more action and more chances.

The harder choice gives you, well, who knows? But it will sure make your feel more alive.

7. Finish it: Not taking the first step to start accomplishing something can make you feel bad. But not finishing what you have started can also leave you in a sort of negative funk. You feel fatigued or stressed and sometimes you don’t even know why. It’s like someone zapped your inner power.

If that is the case, go over tasks and projects that you are currently involved in. Is there something there you know you want to finish but haven’t yet? Try to get that finished as soon as you can and you will start to feel a whole lot better.

Useful tips yeah :).

Smile.