Archive for the ‘Procrastination’ Category

Why you need an action plan to defeat procrastination

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

Procrastination is the main reason people fail to live richer lives. If you haven’t been reaching your goals, you may need to make a greater commitment. And the only reliable measure of commitment is action. When you delay getting started on a job or fail to complete a job you’ve already started, always ask yourself why you’re not working on it:

1. I can’t do it and I don’t want to do it.
2. I can do it but I don’t want to.
3. I want to do it but I can’t.
4. I can do it and I want to.

If you’re honest with yourself, you can probably get started on the fourth type of projects today. If you do, you will have taken the first step toward defeating the monster of procrastination.

Research shows that you can develop new habits in just two weeks if you are serious about changing. Taking action and staying focused on your goals is what makes private dreams and corporate missions come true. The tasks people avoid are almost always the ones on which the success of their projects depends. Make a list of your least favorite tasks. Ask yourself how you approach them. Do you tackle them first or leave them for last?

Think about people you know who always get things done. What are their work habits? How do they approach unappealing jobs? How do they stay focused? Try doing the least enjoyable jobs first, or put a task you dislike between your favorite ones. As Mark Twain said, “If you have to swallow a frog, don’t stare at it too long.”

If you don’t have accurate details regarding Procrastination, then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don’t let that happen: keep reading.

If you have trouble making commitments because you think you won’t be able to live up to them, you may want to try the method that served Thomas Edison so well. When Edison had an idea, he would go public by announcing his invention at a press conference. Having told the world about it, he went into his laboratory and invented it.

You may not want to try this out at work any time soon, but I’m sure you can think of many ways to apply the technique of “going public” in other areas of your life. The point is: Thomas Edison, the greatest and most productive inventor in the history of the United States, understood how important it is to keep from drifting into inactivity. His technique for defeating procrastination was an extraordinary one, and he used it to achieve extraordinary results.

Put your favorite inspirational sayings where you can see them. Let people know when you don’t want to be disturbed. Think about the things in your environment that help you get into the flow of your work. What things distract you or make you want to postpone a job? How can you design or rearrange your environment to eliminate causes of procrastination?

Thomas Edison said, “If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” Do something today that you’ve been putting off and start astounding yourself.

That’s how things stand right now. Keep in mind that any subject can change over time, so be sure you keep up with the latest news.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit this new site for my swedish customers: Billigt Webbhotell – from SEK 10:- per month!

There’s only one way to defeat procrastination – Do something!

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you’ll find that the subject of Procrastination is certainly no exception.

Are you a habitual procrastinator? This quiz will help you identify areas where you can take action to overcome procrastination today:

- Do you have a filing system for keeping track of your long-term and short-term projects?

- Do you believe that the right atmosphere plays an important role in determining your productivity? Do you try to design work areas so that they help you to stay focused on the task you’re doing now?

- Do you congratulate yourself when you complete a job on time?

- Do you eliminate unnecessary tasks from your daily schedule?

- Are you usually accurate in deciding which jobs can be delayed for a justifiable reason?

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Procrastination. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

- Do you stay focused on your strengths, rather than constantly worrying about your weaknesses?

Don’t deceive yourself-procrastination is the main reason people fail to live fulfilling and prosperous lives. How do you usually keep yourself moving forward when you would rather put something off? If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, make a commitment to do something about it. The following tips can help you defeat the procrastination monster today:

- Keep a diary of your successes. When you force yourself to move forward to make something happen, write it down. Make a note of how it felt to complete the job successfully. The next time you can’t get started on a hard task, or when you want to give up, open your diary a read about one of your past successes. This can energize you and keep you moving forward.

- When you have difficult assignments, make them team projects if you can. Delegate or outsource the things you dislike or don’t do well. Concentrate on your strengths. Don’t let your weaknesses paralyze you.

- When you complete a hard job, reward yourself. Do you give yourself a reward when you stick with a difficult job and see it through to the end? What things bring you joy? How can you use these things as rewards for jobs completed? Sometimes the best reward is time for rest and recuperation. As Albert Einstein said, “The idle man does not know what it is to enjoy rest.”

- Use your time well. One clear symptom of procrastination is the habit of filling your day with unnecessary work, or work that can be justifiably delayed. Create the right atmosphere at work for staying focused on your priorities. As the English statesman and author Lord Chesterfield said, “The less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it.” Make a list of what you most regret not doing in your life because of the poor decisions you made about how to use your time. There’s only one way to defeat procrastination-Do something about it now.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
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Overcome procrastination and start living a richer life today

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

- Do you make excuses when you miss deadlines?
- Do you tend to look for excuses to explain why you didn’t do something, rather than take action to finish the job?
- Is there a good reason why you didn’t finish the job?
- How important is finishing the job?
- Have you written down a plan for finishing it as soon as possible?

Stop blaming failures on the circumstances around you. The next time you hear yourself making excuses, it may help to remember what the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said about the predicaments procrastinators get themselves into: “It takes less time to do a thing right than explain why you did it wrong.”

Do you see yourself as a victim of events and circumstances? Do you complain more than other people? What do you do when you procrastinate? How do you spend your time when you’ve decided not to do something you should do? Are you serious about wanting to change? Are there hidden causes of your procrastination that you need to discover?

Procrastinators are always able to find reasons for not getting started. To take control of your life, you have to accept responsibility for everything that happens with your projects. When you fail, analyze what happened and ask yourself if you could have produced a better outcome by doing something differently. This will improve your ability to successfully complete the next project, and you’ll be ready to take the first step to get started on it. Identify what needs to be done and do it now-circumstances will never be perfect for starting the job.

Now that we’ve covered those aspects of Procrastination, let’s turn to some of the other factors that need to be considered.

The only way to break out of the vicious circle of procrastination is by asking hard questions. We are not victims of our circumstances. You can do the things that need to be done. And you can learn to distinguish between the things that need to be done now and the things that can wait. Whenever you consider delaying a project, ask yourself the following questions:

- What are the benefits of waiting?
- Do I have a justifiable reason for postponing this project?
- Do I want to go on living with the consequences of leaving things undone?

Look in the mirror and ask yourself if you’re delaying a task for a justifiable reason. Put all your reasons for wanting to delay the project under a microscope; consider the possibility that your reasons are merely excuses for not getting started. Think about the last time you delayed a project. What benefits did you expect to receive by waiting? Write them down. Now ask yourself how the project came out. Did the project benefit from the delay?

Justifiable reasons-or if you’re just making excuses. What would have happened if you had pushed forward on the project anyway? And always remind yourself of what Napoleon Hill said about waiting: “Do not wait. The time will never be just right.”

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, who just launched this great product..
- Do you want to make Your PDF files viral? Use This Secret Viral PDF Rebrander: Viral PDF

Enthusiasm – The best weapon in the war against procrastination

Monday, March 15th, 2010

This article explains a few things about Procrastination, and if you’re interested, then this is worth reading, because you can never tell what you don’t know.

Enthusiasm is what makes the difference between reaching our goals and giving up before we get started. Thomas Edison said, “If the only thing we leave our kids is the quality of enthusiasm, we will have given them an estate of incalculable value.” Edison’s research laboratory burned to the ground when he was 67. As the fire consumed his world-famous “invention factory,” Edison told his children, “Kids, go get your mother. She’ll never see another fire like this one.” Edison knew that enthusiasm is the best antidote for tragedy, and it’s the most powerful weapon to use in the war against procrastination.

I have learned that my level of enthusiasm has nothing to do with my feelings; my feelings wake up on a different side of the bed every day. To take control of my life, I must choose the way I feel-I can’t let my feelings control me. Can you talk yourself into a positive frame of mind when you’re discouraged? How do you keep yourself motivated? How do you stay focused when a job is tedious? How do you handle failure when your plan isn’t going well?

- Stay away from negative people. Attitudes are contagious-negative people infect us with negative attitudes. Associate with positive thinkers; their self-confidence is contagious, too.

- Schedule difficult tasks for the time of day when your energy is highest. If you haven’t determined the best time for you to tackle the day’s least appealing jobs, try doing them as early as possible.

Is everything making sense so far? If not, I’m sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.

- Tackle a problem that’s been a thorn in your side. When you get in the habit of making things happen, your enthusiasm goes through the roof. Inactivity is a major cause of depression and anxiety. (On the other hand, you can increase your energy level without eliminating other forces that cause procrastination; teenagers are particularly adept at expending enormous amounts of energy without getting anything done. Always remember that any technique is only effective when used as part of a total strategy.)

When you breeze through a task with particular ease and competence, make a note of the time of day. And ask yourself what other factors might have contributed to making you more productive. When you start to discover a pattern, you will have found how to operate at a higher level every day. And when you identify the time of day when you are usually most efficient, schedule some of your least enjoyable tasks for that time.

We must continue to learn new things as if we were going to live forever, while living each day as if it were the last. Telling myself that “Today is the first day of the rest of my life” doesn’t work for me. If today were the last day of my life, how would I live it? That is the question I ask myself when I must fight against the forces of procrastination.

Always remember that enthusiasm is a choice. Mark Twain said, “Do something every day that you don’t want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.”

About the Author
Have you visited Anders’ latest site for adsense publishers? Download new fresh sites in this all new site, called Adsense Ready Websites

Tips for overcoming procrastination – Raise your expectations

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

Many people believe they cannot change. “I yam what I yam,” the cartoon character Popeye habitually explains. Before any change can happen in your life, you have to believe that a transformation is possible. There comes a time when we must say: “I am willing to change.”

Beware of mental locks. In A Whack on the Side of the Head, Roger von Oech offers a list of what he calls “mental locks.” To break free of a life of procrastination and mediocrity, we must guard our minds against thoughts that destroy our expectations of success. This quiz will help you identify areas where you can take concrete action to change your attitude. Answer “yes” if you have ever thought or said the following:

- I’ve never been a creative person.
- Stay where you are until you have perfect visibility.
- Follow the rules.
- Please be logical!
- That doesn’t sound like the right answer.
- Please be practical about this!
- Avoid making mistakes at all costs.
- If this doesn’t work, I’ll look like a fool.
- That’s out of my area of expertise.

Choose one of your “yes” items and reflect on the last time you said or thought it. Did thinking or saying it cause you to procrastinate or give up? Our thoughts and words influence the outcome of our efforts-what you say is what you get.

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Procrastination. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

Even a simple quiz like the one you just took can be a great opportunity to improve your ability to make things happen and get things done. Don’t expect to change your attitude by rushing through all the points at once. Work on one thing every day until people ask you what happened. When others start to see a change in your attitude, you’ll know that you’re winning the war against procrastination.

It starts in your mind. When you have a total determination to get things done, you tap into unused capabilities you never knew you had-abilities most human beings never use. When you expect to be successful, you jump at the opportunity to do the very things that used to cause you to procrastinate.

Never lose your sense of humor. The great nineteenth-century Scottish physicist, James Clerk Maxwell, was told by his superiors at Cambridge University that he would be expected to attend a compulsory church service at 6:00 a.m. “Aye,” Maxwell said, “I suppose I could stay up that late.”

Always remember to beware of the mental locks that threaten to keep us in a vicious circle of procrastination and defeat. Make up your mind to rise above the level of mediocrity-give yourself a whack on the side of the head and do it.

About the Author
Have you visited Anders’ latest site for adsense publishers? Download new fresh sites in this all new site, called Adsense Ready Websites

How to defeat procrastination – Believe you can

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

The power of belief is a key to success in everything we do. Whether your goal is to rise to the top of your profession or to be a better weekend golfer, you have a better chance of success if you believe you’ll be successful. And by believing that you can defeat procrastination, you can start to take charge of your life today.

Learn how to control your negative thoughts. When your mind says you can’t do something, refuse to listen to it. Don’t express your negative thoughts in words; tell your mind-and say it out loud-that you’re going to do what it takes to get the job done.

It isn’t easy, but it’s worth the effort. Many people procrastinate because they’ve made up their minds that they’re going to fail. If you are one of these people, the most important thing you can do today is to stop believing what the procrastination demon has been telling you.

Human beings are unique because of our ability to change-to become more than what we are. But before we can change, we must be able to accept full responsibility for everything we do. Smokers who say they “hate” smoking are deluding themselves-as an ex-smoker, I claim some authority on this topic.

We have a choice. People smoke because they want to smoke. It may be very hard for many people to quit smoking, but that’s not the point-they’ll never quit as long as they lie to themselves about the real cause of their habit. People are able to quit smoking when they really want to quit.

Take this quiz to find out if negative thoughts are causing procrastination in your life:

If you find yourself confused by what you’ve read to this point, don’t despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

- When you tackle a job, do you expect to be successful? Do you think you’ll be able to complete the job successfully by giving it your best effort?

- Do you visualize your success? When you face a difficult task and feel like giving up, are you able to give yourself a pep talk to stay motivated?

- When friends, family members, or others help you recognize a habit that you need to change, are you able to recognize the truth in what they say? Do you believe you can change your bad habits?

- Do you accept responsibility when your projects fail, rather than looking for something beyond your control to blame it on?

- When your mind says you’re going to fail, do you try to replace these negative thoughts with positive ones?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, ask yourself what you can do to approach life with a more positive attitude. Do you want to go on living with negative thoughts, doubts, and fears? Are there any benefits of clinging to a negative attitude?

We can change bad habits by wanting to change them. And you can defeat the habit of procrastination in your life-especially if you believe you can.

There’s no doubt that the topic of Procrastination can be fascinating. If you still have unanswered questions about Procrastination, you may find what you’re looking for in the next article.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!

How to overcome procrastination – Just do it!

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

The first step toward overcoming procrastination is recognizing that procrastination is a problem. Procrastinators have big problems and small problems, but the fact is that most of their problems are caused by procrastination.

All procrastinators share certain traits:

- Procrastinators know what they should do about a problem, and in many cases they know what specific action needs to be taken. Yet they find reasons to avoid action.

- Procrastinators are reluctant to do anything about a problem now, vowing to take action at some vague time in the future.

- Procrastinators promise to take action when the “right” circumstances present themselves. By making performance of the job depend on something else, they justify their decision to delay action. They delude themselves into thinking that their hands are tied. They would like to do something but can’t-it’s not their fault.

- All procrastination is the result of deluding ourselves. Procrastinators deny reality, refusing to accept responsibility for their lives. To defeat procrastination, we must stop playing games with ourselves. You can’t overcome procrastination until you accept the fact that you are responsible for what you make of your life. That may be more honesty than many people are capable of, but there is no other way to achieve a fulfilling life.

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

We are not victims of our circumstances. You can do the things that need to be done. And you can learn to distinguish between the things that need to be done now and the things that can wait.

1. Have you written a list of your life’s goals?

2. Have you have written a list of short-term goals (3-6 months)?

3. Do you keep these lists where you can see them?

4. Do you set clear priorities? Do some things that seem urgent take on less importance when you focus on your larger goals?

5. Do you know when to say “no” to keep from burdening yourself with more jobs than you can finish?

6. Do you live in the present? Do you focus on what you’re doing now, rather than on the things you should have done in the past?

7. When you’ve given your best effort, do you know when to wrap up a project?-Do you feel that spending more time on it will only keep you from starting your next project?

Did you answer “no” to any of the above questions? If you did, you need to make a commitment to do something about it today. Choose an item and make up your mind that you’re going to do something about it. Don’t worry about the next item until you’ve made a dent in the first one. Now that you’ve taken the first step by reading this article, take the next step and finish a job you’ve been postponing-there will never be a better time than now.

There’s a lot to understand about Procrastination. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest acquisition: Free Google Traffic System and make sure to visit my bonus site!

How planning can help you conquer procrastination

Monday, December 21st, 2009

The only way to keep up with the latest about Procrastination is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about Procrastination, it won’t take long for you to become an influential authority.

Benjamin Franklin, who knew how to conquer procrastination as well as anyone, said that “by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” How do you plan your work? And if you don’t plan, how do you know if you’re reaching your goals? It’s time to find out.

Make a list of everything you’ve been putting off at work. Not just the big things, but all the little things, too. Make another list of everything you’ve been putting off at home-large tasks and small ones. If you can’t think of anything right away, walk around the house. Walk through the yard. It won’t be hard to fill a page with projects that have been talked about, but not carried out.

Make another list of things you’ve neglected to do in the area of your personal relationships. That includes letters, emails, phone calls, visits, family trips, and vacations. Then make a list of all the things you’ve put off doing for yourself-a class you want to take, an exercise program you know you should start, or a bad habit you know you should eliminate.

You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about Procrastination. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?

Don’t worry about priorities. Just get the juices flowing and write down everything that comes into your head. It may be hard to get started, but once you start the ideas will come more easily. Keep writing them down; you’ll be amazed at how one thought triggers the next. Words will start to flow onto your paper or computer screen.

Now let me explain why I asked you to do this exercise. First, you’ve probably been putting off more things than you realized. That’s the first step toward defeating procrastination-recognizing it as a problem. Procrastinators go to ridiculous extremes to explain their inability to take action. Accepting the truth that procrastination is a problem is the first step toward overcoming it.

Second, I hope this exercise has taught you the importance of getting started. The failure to take action breeds doubt, doubt gnaws at your self-confidence and your diminished self-confidence increases your indecision. The result is paralysis-and the vicious circle of inactivity keeps turning. After you recognize that procrastination is a problem, the next step is to focus on one thing you’ve been postponing. Take one thing you’ve been putting off and make something happen. You started your list with one thing; it led to another. Take one action and that action will trigger another.

Ask yourself how much time you waste in a day. Keep a log of how you spend your time. How do you plan your work to ensure that deadlines are met? Always ask yourself if the work needs to be done at all. According to research findings, we spend as much as 80% of our time on tasks that do not contribute to the success of our projects-many people load themselves down with work that is unnecessary, or that could be justifiably postponed. Learn what all successful people know: If you’re failing to plan, you’re planning to fail.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest acquisition: Free Adsense eBook and make sure to claim your free adsense ebook download!

How to overcome procrastination – It all depends on you

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

Procrastinators put off all the hard jobs. But they get stuck in a vicious circle of postponing the easy jobs, too. And the longer they put them off, the harder the jobs are when they finally get around to them. Successful people fight the same war against procrastination that we all face, but they have learned not to give in. They know that procrastination is the cause of many of the problems we face in our daily lives.

Procrastination creates a never-ending cycle of frustration, stress, and defeat. When people learn how to take charge of their lives, their self-esteem improves and their confidence grows. No matter how long you’ve been struggling with the demon of procrastination, you can start to take control of your life today by tackling a job or responsibility you’ve been putting off.

There are many books, online courses, and methods for changing your life and developing your personal and professional skills. I believe that procrastination is the root cause of the majority of problems that people face. Best-selling author Wayne Dyer said: “Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases, and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.”

Take the first step toward a richer life by getting serious about overcoming procrastination. The following quiz will help you identify areas where you can take action today.

1. I have written a list of my life-time goals.

2. I have written a list of my short-term goals (6 months or less).

3. I keep these lists where I can see them; they help me stay focused.

Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you’re fully informed about Procrastination, keep reading.

4. I establish priorities; some things that seem urgent are not important when I focus on the big picture. Yes ( ) No ( )
5. Once I’ve made a decision, I don’t worry about whether I made the right decision or not-I just concentrate on getting the job done.

6. I know when to say “no” to avoid taking on too many jobs at once.

7. I live in the present; I focus on what I’m doing now instead of dwelling on what I should have done in the past.

8. When I’ve done the best I can, I know when to wind up a job-spending more time on the same job only keeps me from starting something new.

If you answered “no” to any of the above statements, make a commitment to take corrective action today. Choose one item and do something about it. Don’t move on to the next item until you can truthfully answer “yes” to the previous one. You’ve taken the first step by reading this far; now take the next step and do something you’ve been putting off. If you want to change, you can-the best time is now.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO and make sure to claim your $1 trial membership!

There’s only one way to defeat procrastination – Do something!

Monday, November 9th, 2009

When you’re learning about something new, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.

Are you a habitual procrastinator? This quiz will help you identify areas where you can take action to overcome procrastination today:

- Do you have a filing system for keeping track of your long-term and short-term projects?

- Do you believe that the right atmosphere plays an important role in determining your productivity? Do you try to design work areas so that they help you to stay focused on the task you’re doing now?

- Do you congratulate yourself when you complete a job on time?

- Do you eliminate unnecessary tasks from your daily schedule?

- Are you usually accurate in deciding which jobs can be delayed for a justifiable reason?

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

- Do you stay focused on your strengths, rather than constantly worrying about your weaknesses?

Don’t deceive yourself-procrastination is the main reason people fail to live fulfilling and prosperous lives. How do you usually keep yourself moving forward when you would rather put something off? If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, make a commitment to do something about it. The following tips can help you defeat the procrastination monster today:

- Keep a diary of your successes. When you force yourself to move forward to make something happen, write it down. Make a note of how it felt to complete the job successfully. The next time you can’t get started on a hard task, or when you want to give up, open your diary a read about one of your past successes. This can energize you and keep you moving forward.

- When you have difficult assignments, make them team projects if you can. Delegate or outsource the things you dislike or don’t do well. Concentrate on your strengths. Don’t let your weaknesses paralyze you.

- When you complete a hard job, reward yourself. Do you give yourself a reward when you stick with a difficult job and see it through to the end? What things bring you joy? How can you use these things as rewards for jobs completed? Sometimes the best reward is time for rest and recuperation. As Albert Einstein said, “The idle man does not know what it is to enjoy rest.”

- Use your time well. One clear symptom of procrastination is the habit of filling your day with unnecessary work, or work that can be justifiably delayed. Create the right atmosphere at work for staying focused on your priorities. As the English statesman and author Lord Chesterfield said, “The less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it.” Make a list of what you most regret not doing in your life because of the poor decisions you made about how to use your time. There’s only one way to defeat procrastination-Do something about it now.

If you’ve picked some pointers about Procrastination that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won’t really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge if you don’t use it.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, owner of this excellent site: Product Profits Club (click to claim your FREE membership)