Let’s face it, everyone, no matter who you are, where you’re from or what you do, I believe that you’ll someday have to face the #1 success killer, procrastination.
To tell you the truth, when talking about overcoming procrastination or the lazy to take action, I feel guilty myself. Sometimes I’ll just feel lazy and just don’t have the motivation or energy to do the things I have to do. I believe you have faced this before in your life as well.
In fact, there is no procrastination. No matter what you do, it is a kind of action. It is either the action will produce the results you want or the results you don’t want.
It is just like if you decided to write an article, but you feel boring, you feel like just want to leave it and so you end up watching television. Watching television is also a kind of action. It is an action that will not lead you to the results or outcome you wish to have.
Have you ever woke early in the morning, feel sleepy, hit the alarm into snooze mode and just fall back into your bed and continue to sleep? This is also a kind of procrastination.
Maybe you plan to wake up 1 hour earlier to read a book or listen to an audio program. However, you just cannot make it. Once you wake up, there’s a voice telling you that you’re tired and you want to sleep. Have you faced this before? I bet you do.
In order to get rid of procrastination, you have to first…
Make It As A Habit
Yes, you have to take the action everyday to make it into a habit. For example, if you never brush your teeth before you sleep and you decided to do it start from today, you’ll have to develop it as a habit. What I mean here is that you have to keep on doing it every night without a miss for at least 21 days.
If you follow through and brush your teeth before you sleep for the next 21 days continuously, you’ll make it into a habit and you’ll never procrastinate it anymore. The longer the period you keep doing it the stronger you will condition your mind to make it into a habit.
This is why some people just can’t get rid of their smoking habit. That’s simply because they’re doing for so long and they’ve conditioned it into their mind, and finally it becomes a deep rooted habit.
If you have the habit of brushing your teeth every night before you sleep, you will feel uneasy and uncomfortable if you try to sleep without brushing your teeth.
So how can you actually handle procrastination?
Practice The Power Of Now
The answer is pretty simple. Like what Nike always say, “Just Do It!”
When you’re trying to do something, just do it. Don’t think and don’t stop. If you’re trying to write an article, just sit in front of your computer and write it. Don’t stop and don’t let yourself thinking whether should you write it. Just do it.
Often, it is our thinking that will lead us into procrastination. The more you think the more you will procrastinate. When you think about whether should you do it, your mind will focus in thoughts that will give you instant gratification or immediate pleasure.
And when this happens, you will find a lot of reasons for yourself to procrastinate.
Beware! If this keep on happening, you’ll make it a habit as well!
Some people have serious procrastination problem and this is the reason, because they’ve developed and conditioned procrastination as a habit.
So now you’ve learned it. The best way to handle procrastination, is the power of now. Do it right away, don’t stop and don’t think.
Success Is All About Getting Things Done
It is not difficult to handle procrastination actually. After you have identified what you’re going to do, create a schedule of when to do it, and when the time come, just do it.
Always remember this, success is a process, not a destination. If you’re taking action, you’re processing the results, you’re already half-way to success.
What you have to do to get rid of procrastination is to link procrastination with pain and not pleasure. In the same time, link getting things done with pleasure. By doing this, you will feel motivated and be more willing to start.
For example, if you’ve decided to spend 1 hour everyday to read a book, link reading the book as a fun process. Take it as something that you very enjoy, it’s your hobby and you’ll feel satisfy if you do it.
While doing this, link and imagine that if you’re not doing it people might look down on you. Maybe your children will laugh at you as you can’t even finish a book or so. The point is to link and imagine pain when you’re trying to procrastinate. This will give you the motivation to take the action you are supposed to take.
If you’re procrastinating something, don’t feel bad about it. I’ll also procrastinate sometimes. And I believe everyone does. Therefore, you still have the chance and time to change, to get rid of procrastination. Adopt the habit of doing it immediately… start from now!
