Overcoming Procrastination

Overcoming Procrastination

"Procrastination is the action of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing despite something knowing that there will be negative consequences for doing so. " Wikipedia"

Mel Robbins states that a person is not a procrastinator, that procrastination is a habit and a form of stress relief. Procrastination occurs due to triggers, which can be any factor that is currently going on in a person's life that creates stress. Furthermore, she states to combat procrastination one must change the pattern of thinking or habit.

Procrastination is not insurmountable there are many ways to overcome it.

1. Acknowledge the stressor.

2. Stop and count 5-4-3-2-1, to interrupt pattern.

3. Commit to work 5 minutes, most who start will continue longer.

4. Repeat, every time something triggers procrastination to change habit.

The Motivation Equation

Piers Steel's motivation equation: Motivation = (Expectation X Value) / (Impulsiveness X Delay)

Motivation is the willingness to work or complete a task.

Expectation is what you need or want to do, to create or complete a task.

Value is the importance and what you hope to gain from completing the task.

Impulsiveness is the desire for immediate gratification.

Delay is putting off, frequently further the deadline the greater the delay will become.

In summary the motivation equation is the amount we want to do something in the present moment is equal to our expectation that we will derive some reward from doing it; minus how much we anticipate we will have to go through to accomplish it.

If one creates long term goal with short term task, thus focusing on smaller task to reach ultimate goal. This will increase satisfaction and motivation to continue to next task.

He also recommends not just envisioning your ultimate goal, but to contrast that against your current reality. Then envision the steps to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Pay Attention To Your Emotions

In a TED talk Tim Urban talks about the brain of a person who procrastinates, and describes 2 parts 1) the rational decision maker- the one who gets things done and 2) the instant gratification monkey who only wants to do what's fun and easy.

The two sometimes agree, other times they work against each other leading to not accomplishing a task or goal (procrastination). The only enemy of the monkey is the panic

monster who appears when deadlines get near. If there are no deadlines the gratification monkey is more likely to win out until it becomes an issue or problem.

In order to combat the habit of procrastination. Breakdown a project into small task, set the bar low- less than what you are capable of, set goals and smaller task a deadline, allow appropriate amount of time but not excessive. Parkinson's law states that work expands to fill the allotted time. If you can reasonably complete a task in 30 minutes, do not allow two hours as a deadline.

We must pay attention to our emotions, know what our priorities are, and stop saying we will do it later. We must attack the gratification monkey before he gets us off track.

Have an appropriate work area free from distractions, put phone on do not disturb, or air plane mode so you can focus on task at hand. Reward yourself for accomplishing your goals. Find an accountability partner, someone to help keep you on track.

You can watch his full video here: Tim Urban

Motivation By Earl Nightingale

Earl Nightingale was an American radio speaker and author in the 1950s. He dealt with topics on character development and motivation and living a meaningful life. He recorded a record in 1956 "The Strangest Secret" for which he received a gold record. This spoken record he created for a meeting he could not attend was the beginning of motivational

and audio recordings.

Some take a way from his recordings:

1. Our rewards in life are in direct proportion to our contribution or service.

2. They key to success in a man's life is "The Gold Mine Between His Ears".

3. The Word "Attitude", if you alter the attitude of the mind you will alter your life. Act as if you are the person you

want to become and in time you will become that person.

From the Sermon on the Mount:

Ask and it shall be given you,

Seek and ye shall find,

Knock and it shall be opened.

Link here to Earl Nightingale's "The Strangest Secret"

If you have any advice to offer to help those of us who tend to let procrastination take hold of us, Please leave your comments below.

Best Regards,

Sandra