Tips for Fighting Procrastination
by Randin Brons, Ph.D., C.M.H., M.S.L.C.
It’s hard to find someone that has never had to deal with the problem of procrastination. It’s so common because most people naturally put off activities that they don’t enjoy.
On some days, procrastination might be a more difficult problem for you to conquer than others. One day you might sail along smoothly and the next you might not feel like leaving your bed. While everyone has a bad day from time to time, it’s also a good idea to overcome a procrastinating mindset.
Consider following these procrastination tips:
Take small steps. When you’re putting off starting a large project it may be because it seems like a huge task that will eat up all of your time. Instead of expecting yourself to work for hours on end, try starting with 10 minutes. This will get you going on it and then it will be easier to continue.
Give yourself breaks. While sitting down for 8 hours to complete a task sounds daunting, try dividing it up into small steps and take a break when you complete each step. Another method is to give yourself a 10 minute break every hour. Go for a walk in the fresh air, surf the ‘net, or text a friend on your break. Doing so will refresh your mind so you can get back to your project with renewed energy.
Make a plan. It’s easy to continue on the path of procrastination when your goals remain unclear. Give yourself a strict deadline if necessary. Write down the tasks you need to complete and the details of those tasks. It’s a way of holding yourself accountable for what is or isn’t done at the end of the day.
Get to the root of the problem. Sometimes there’s an underlying reason why you’ve been procrastinating on one specific issue. You might not be able to identify this reason until you really think about it. If you can identify the reason, you might solve your procrastination problem for that specific issue.
Reward yourself. While a break might seem like a reward, you can promise yourself other types of rewards for completing tough tasks. Decide on something you want to have or want to do. Allow yourself this luxury once you’ve completed the task at hand.
Believe in yourself. When you believe in yourself, you gain a passion for life and an enthusiasm that will help you get through the day. Once you believe in yourself, you have the power to get over procrastination and reach your ultimate goals in life.
Do the least-liked task first. When your day consists of many tasks you need to complete, start with the one that’s hanging over your head. While you might be procrastinating against all of them, once the bad ones are out of the way, your day will improve.
Schedule fun tasks, too! It’s important to make time for yourself, so enjoyable tasks should be a part of your day, too. Since your to-do list is usually packed with undesirable tasks, you should include enjoyable activities as well.
For example, if you want to play volleyball on Tuesday nights, write it down on your to-do list. When you cross it off your list, you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something important – and you have!
Practice these techniques to help you fight procrastination and soon you’ll find that much of your stress has melted away and you’ll have more time for enjoying the things you love the most!
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Four Common Self-Sabotaging Tactics
by Randin Brons, Ph.D., C.M.H., M.S.L.C.
There are four common self-sabotaging tactics that you should avoid at all cost.
Do you find yourself repeating behaviors that sabotage your success? Are you ready to put your limiting behavior to rest in favor of a better outlook and greater fulfillment?
The first step to the success you crave is being able to recognize the limiting beliefs that stand in the way of your success. Once you do, you can banish those beliefs in favor of more empowering ones. Become aware of these self-sabotaging thoughts and beliefs that you hold so you can replace them with more productive thoughts that support your success:
Settling for less than your best causes you to stop short of unleashing your fullest potential. Sometimes you settle for less because you’re scared of encountering failure. Other times, you may settle simply because you lack awareness of your own strength.
Test your strength constantly by going out of your comfort zone. Face your fears, because more often than not, your fear is the only obstacle between you and ultimate success.
Expecting too much from others. When you automatically expect help from others, or anticipate that others will bail you out of a tough situation, you’re expecting too much. You are only responsible for yourself. Even if your friends and family have helped you in the past, they may choose to let you fend for yourself this time around. Always be prepared to suffer the consequences of your actions and clean up your own mess. Choose a more sensible path that takes into account that you may journey to your destination alone.
Do you feel sorry for yourself? If your current situation causes you to feel like something’s missing, change your circumstances. Instead of dwelling on what could have been and focusing on the unfortunate hand you’ve been dealt, seek to learn from every experience and focus on solutions, instead of problems.
Your success is your responsibility. Hold yourself accountable for your results and allow unfortunate situations to steer you toward success, instead of deterring you from achieving your dreams. By maintaining this mindset, even your worst trial will be far better than remaining on the sidelines of life.
Lack of a back-up plan can be a problem. If your initial plan gives less than desired results, your only chance at success is your ability to adapt. Everyone needs a Plan B. You may feel like a pessimist by planning for an unfortunate outcome, but this planning is actually proactive. It shows your mind that you’re serious about reaching your desired destination. Ensure your financial security, mental health, and well-being by always planning for the worst while hoping for the best.
If you often find yourself creating any of these self-sabotaging behaviors that hinder your chances of success, decide that today is going to be a new day.
The important thing is that you recognize the thought patterns and behaviors that limit you and head in a new direction that supports your success.
Replace unproductive ways of thinking with a more productive, solution-oriented focus that tells your mind you deserve the success you seek. When you do, your success is inevitable.
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How to Learn Faster
Did you know you can learn faster than you do now? Not only can you learn faster, if you want to, you can help others to learn faster as well.
If you’re a parent, in management, a trainer or a coach, this can be invaluable for you while working with others.
The first thing to realize is that not everyone processes information the same. That means we all learn differently. For the most part, we have three ways of processing and learning.
The main three learning processes are:
Learning to Concentrate and Focus
No matter who you are or what your occupation may be, you will need to learn how to concentrate and focus. You could be a student, or an office worker, or even someone involved in manual labor such as a construction worker but one thing is sure – you will need to devote time and energy to concentration and focus on your occupation.
But first of all, just what is concentration? Concentration is defined as deep mental application towards something. If you are concentrating on something, you devote all your attention to it. Read more
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EVALUATING COACHING:
50 pages packed with information you should know before you make any coaching career decisions!