What if I told you that you could stop procrastinating by
the end of this post?

But first, watch this video to hear Anthony Robbin’s take on
procrastination and the amazing story of W. Mitchell (This
story is totally UNBELIEVABLE!)

Click play now:

Just goes to show how there really is no such thing as a
good excuse eh?

But sometimes, we just can’t seem to move our butts to do
something that we know we should and must do
in order to move our lives forward.

I’ve found that living in the “now” and not worrying about
the future or remembering the past does just about enough
to conquer procrastination within me.

Here are 16 strategies that I found from reading Dr Wayne
Dyer’s best-seller, “Your Erroneous Zones”:

1) Make a decision to live five minutes at a time. Instead of
thinking of tasks in long-range terms, think about now and
try to use up five-minute period doing what you want, refusing
to put off anything that would bring about satisfaction.

2) Sit down and get started on something you’ve been postponing.
Begin a letter or a book. You’ll find that much of your
putting it off is unnecessary since you’ll very likely find
the job enjoyable, once you give up procrastination. Simply
beginning will help you eliminate anxiety about the whole
project.

3) Ask yourself “What is the worst thing that could happen
to me if I did what I’m putting off right now?” The answer is
usually so insignificant that it may jar you into action.
Assess your fear and you will have no reason to hang on to it.

4) Give yourself a designated time-slot say Wednesday from 10 to 10:15 pm
which you will devote exclusively to the task you’ve been putting
off. It is that 15 minutes of devoted effort are often sufficient
to see you over the hump of procrastination

5) Think of yourself as too significant to live with anxiety
about the things you have to do. So, the next time you know are
uncomfortable about postponement anxiety, remember that people
who love themselves don’t hurt themselves that way.

6) Look carefully at your now. Decide what you are avoiding in
your current moments and begin to tackle the fear of living
effectively. Procrastination is substituting the now
anxiety about a future event. If the event becomes the now,
the anxiety by definition must go.

7) Quit smoking… now! Begin your diet… this moment! Give
up booze… this second! Put this book down and do one push-
up as you’re beginning an exercise program. That’s how you
tackle problems - with action… now! Do it! The only thing
holding you back is you and the neurotic choices you’ve made
because you don’t believe you’re as strong as you really are.
How simple, just do it!

8 ) Start using your mind creatively in what were previously
boring circumstances. At a meeting, change the dull tempo
with a pertinent question or make your mind go off in
excitement insightful ways such as writing a poem, or
memorising 25 numbers backwards just for the sheer thrill of
memory training. Decide to never be bored again.

9) When someone begins to criticise you, ask this question,
“Do you think I need a critic now?” or when you find yourself
being a critic, ask the person in your company if he wants to
hear your critcism and if so, why? This will help you to move
from the “critic” to the “doer” column.

10) Look hard at your life. Are you doing what you choose to
be doing if you knew you had 6 months to live? If not, you’d
better be doing it because relatively speaking, that’s all you
have given the eternity of time, 30 years or 6 months make no
difference. A total lifetime is a mere speck. Delaying anything
makes no sense

11) Be courageous about undertaking an activity you’ve been
avoiding. One act of courage can elminate that fear. Stop
telling yourself that you must perform well. Remind yourself
that doing it is more important.

12) Decide not to be tired until the moment you get into bed.
Don’t allow yourself to use fatigue or illness as an escape or
to put off doing anything. You may find that when you take
away the reason for the illness or exhaustion, that is the
avoidance of a task, physical problems “magically” disappear.

13) Eliminate the words, “hope”, “wish” and “maybe” from your
vocabulary. They are the tools of putting it off. If you see
these words creeping in, substitute new sentences. change “I
hope things will work out” to “I will make it happen”, “I wish
things were better” to “I am going to do all the things to
ensure I will feel better” and “Mayeb it will be okay” to
“I will make it okay”

14) Keep a journal of your own complaining or critical behaviour.
By writing these actions down you will accomplish two things.
You will see how critical behavious urfaces in your life - the
frequency, patterns, events and people that related to your
being a critic. You’ll also stop yourself from criticising
because it will be such a pain to have to write it in your
journal.

15) If you are putting something off - sex problems, a new
job - have a conference with all involved and ask them for
their opinions. Be courageous about talking about your own
fears and see if your delaying reasons are only in your head.
By enlisting the aid of a confidant to help you with your
procrastination, you would have made a joint effort. Soon,
it will dissipate much of your anxiousness, and as it goes
along procrastination by sharing that as well.

16) Write a contract with your loved ones in which you will
deliver the goods that you want to but which you may have
been postponing. Have each party keep a copy of the contract
and build in penalties when defaulting be it a ball game,
dinner or a theatre visit. You’ll find this strategy helpful
and personally rewarding since you’ll be participating in events
you’ll also find enjoyable. If you want to change, don’t complain
about it. Do something rather than using up your present moments
with all kinds of immobilizing anxiety about what you are
putting off. Take charge of this testy “erroneous zone” and
live now. Be a doer, not a wisher or a critic.

I personally use strategies 5,6,7,10 and 11 to put off procrastination ;)

My friend, procrastination has killed too many ambitions -
ours and others.

It’s time to put a stop to it now.

It’s time to unshackle yourself and start living your dreams.

To CANI,

SaiF

SaiF Improvement for the day: There’s no such thing as a
good excuse. Do SOMETHING related to the activity I’ve been
procrastinating and it will magically become easier and the
anxiety will definitely go away!

P.S. If you have any other strategies, do share with us! ;)

Don’t know why you can’t seem to always get what you want? It’s probably because you underestimate the spiritual nature of achieving success. What spiritual nature? I want you to have my book “Secrets of the Overachiever : 5 Magic Steps To Turn Your Thoughts Into Money Or Anything Else”. It will explain everything to you - simply click here to get your free copy.

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