3 Fool Proof Ways To Beat Procrastination
by Peter Murphy
Most people who procrastinate did not do so overnight. Like any other bad habit,
procrastination starts small and builds itself up. Even so, returning to a more
dependable lifestyle however is possible.
Follow these simple steps below to start taking control of your procrastination.
Step #1 Start Small
Usually if people procrastinate in their business lives they also procrastinate
in their personal life too and vice versa.
Start small by making an everyday list to do. Examples include, but are not
limited to; taking out the trash, doing the dishes, hanging up clothes, and
maybe even littler things like making the bed or tidying up the living room.
When you have things under control at a personal level it is easier to get
things under control at a business level.
Getting yourself into the routine of not putting things off at home will be
difficult since the home is the easiest place to procrastinate: it is always
there, you always have an extra day to work on it, and no one besides you or
those who live you will know what you are putting off.
However, if you have noticed, the places that we feel most comfortable in are
the easiest to begin a bad habit and also the hardest place to get rid of that
bad habit.
A smoker's hardest place to deal with is their personal space and yours is too.
So take control and shape yourself up at home to start the process of stopping
procrastination.
Step #2 Take control at work
No doubt if you are a procrastinator at home then you usually have things piling
up at work to do or you find yourself at the end of the day hurrying to get
things done that you should have done that morning or the day before.
Well stop that!
Make a list, just like you did for at home. Start the day by making a list of
things you must check off by a certain time in the day.
For example, say you want to get the reports done on time that usually you put
off until the end of the day. Make a list and note that reports must be checked
off by 10:00 that morning.
At first you may find yourself racing and checking off that item on the list
right at ten or slightly before but keep at it and you just might find yourself
checking off your list long before the time its due!
Practice makes perfect and the more you practice and being on time the easier it
gets and soon it becomes as second habit as procrastination is or hopefully used
to be.
Step #3 Weigh up the guilty consequences
You know how mad you feel or even embarrassed when you have pushed yourself to
the last minute or even past the last minute?
Whenever you feel yourself giving into the urge to procrastinate just remember
that feeling and predict how you will feel the next day when you are faced with
your normal circumstances. Plus those tasks you have avoided and waited to do.
This can be a very simple form of self discipline but a very effective one.
Stopping procrastination isn't always easy but it can be done. Follow these
steps diligently; just be careful not to put them off until tomorrow!
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular
free report that reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting
motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at:
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