“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” — Colin Powell
We wish life would be as easy as watching TV, sleeping, eating food, playing video games, and many other activities that do not require much mental stamina.
But the reality is far from the truth. If we solve one problem, there will be a thousand more problems.
Each of us has dreams and goals we want to achieve, but we wait around for the “perfect moment” to chase our dreams.
Guess what?
That “perfect moment” does not exist.
If there is that “perfect moment,” then it is now.
There is only 5% population who are successful in life because they know what they want, and they just begin.
The current situation does not matter to successful people. Once they decide upon a goal, they just begin.
If there is an obstacle, then they figure out a way to deal with it along the way.
And once a successful person sets a goal, they make sure to persist in the plan until they achieve that goal.
There is no rocket science to achieving success in our lives, but the following steps will give you a jump start to begin where you are and arrive where you want to reach in life.
I do not claim any ideas presented here as mine. These ideas are the accumulation of all the successful people I have listened to over the years.
The first step to success – DECIDE
Believe it or not but success starts with a decision.
We must decide first what we want to achieve in life.
Heck, if we travel from point A to point B, we decide, don’t we?
Then how do we expect to reach our goals without deciding what we want from life?
So, decide now. What is it exactly do you want from life?
Better health, a better job, more money, or more happiness?
Each of us has an inner voice that keeps nagging us—telling us if we are on the right track or just ignoring our life’s purpose.
Once you decide upon something, it does not stop there.
If we have previously tried achieving this same goal and failed, we will likely fail without resolving the core issue.
Let’s focus on doing things a little differently this time.
Take inventory of the things that are holding you back from achieving what you desire.
Is it a lack of education?
Is it a lack of money?
Is it a lack of confidence?
What exactly is it that had held you back in the past?
I have talked about how our false beliefs and old habits prevent us from reaching our full potential.
If we do not invest a little bit of time now and keep holding onto false beliefs, then the minute we decide to pursue our goal, we will feel a lump of anxiety within us.
The minute we decide to act towards our goals, we will procrastinate!
Remember, nobody is born lazy! Nobody decides to procrastinate on purpose and chooses to fail consciously.
Once we have identified what is stopping us from achieving our goals, it is time to move on to the second step.
The Second Step to Success – STUDY
In his book “Think and Grow Rich,” Napoleon Hill mentions that ‘knowledge will not attract money unless it is organized, and intelligently directed through practical plans of action.
He furthermore explains, “Knowledge becomes power only when, and if, it is organized into definite plans of actions, and directed to a definite end.”
Knowledge does not come from spending years in school.
If you look up the name of some of the successful people, you will notice most of them did not have formal education.
However, these successful people knew to find people who already possessed this knowledge and create a “mastermind” group.
Presently it is much easier to extract knowledge given all the resources available at our fingertips.
If we want to learn how to do yoga, we just enter “yoga” in Google’s search query, and it will return tons of available information on the internet.
So once we decide on our goals and eradicate the false belief, take a moment to determine what knowledge you will need to gain to execute your plans.
If you want to achieve something, you must read, listen, and study the people who have already achieved what you desire.
When I wanted to begin writing articles for my blog, I spent countless hours reading books on how to write a blog post, watching videos on how bloggers started their blogging career, and so many other things.
Plans without actions are just that – Plans!
After acquiring the needed knowledge for your goals – ACT!
The Third Step to Success – ACT
If we spend 8 hours on sleep and 8 hours on work, we have the remaining 8 hours to work on ourselves.
How we spend that remaining 8 hours depends on how we want our future to be.
Remember, our current actions determine our future.
If we spend those remaining 8 hours doing nothing, we achieve nothing.
It is that simple!!
There will be a time when you are ready to act, and your inner voice will stop you!
Have you had one of those days when you decide to exercise? You tell yourself, “I will start on Monday!”
I sure have had those days.
Do you know the inner voice that stops you from taking action is none other than your old, conditioned mind?
Do you know those false beliefs that I mentioned earlier to identify?
This is why it is essential to resolve our false core beliefs before working towards our goals.
When you have this inner voice stopping you from taking action, ACT anyway! Face your fear, laziness, anxiety, or whatever it is head on!
Once you keep taking action regardless of the negative inner thoughts, you will gain momentum, and eventually, it will become your new identity.
The Fourth Step to Success – FOCUS
As previously discussed, we have 8 hours on ourselves.
But instead of working on ourselves, we focus on doing meager things which probably are not even related to our goals.
We watch the news, play games, post on social media, reply to unimportant messages (email or text).
We do all these things, keeping ourselves busy, tricking our mind into thinking that we are doing something but what we are doing is wasting away our precious time.
Our mind is a powerful machine that can achieve whatever we desire, but instead, we focus on small tasks.
Especially nowadays, with so many social media apps, it is so easy to get distracted.
Make it a goal. If necessary, let your friends and family members know that you will be not available for a specific time during the day. Just like you would not be available if you were at a workplace where you cannot use your phone unless in an emergency.
Keeping external distractions (TV, phone, friends, and family members) will allow you to give your undivided attention to the task on hand.
Also, another thing – avoid being a people pleaser!
I have been guilty of this. I have always tried to put other people, their needs, and feelings before mine. And over the years, I learned my share of lessons the hard way.
If we are focused on other people to make sure they are happy because it makes you happy, then I have news for you – People Are Never Going to Be Satisfied!
In the end, you will lose your precious time on people who are not worth your time and energy.
And you can NEVER recover your lost time.
So, stay focused on your goal!
Avoid getting distracted. Make sure you pick just ONE goal and focus on that ONE goal only!
Avoid getting distracted by having multiple goals and “shiny object syndrome.”
For example, if you are trying to earn money and your efforts are not showing any results, it is easy to get distracted and try the next new idea (‘shiny object syndrome”) that promises to help you make money.
If you move from goal to goal, you will just be turning wheels like a hamster going nowhere.
You must become laser-focused on your ONE goal and persist until you make sure you achieve it and avoid getting distracted by “shiny object syndrome.”
The Fifth Step to Success – PERSISTENCE
We can summarize the steps to success in one word – Persistence!
Yes, we may decide, study, act, and focus, but all the efforts are useless if we quit before reaching our goals.
Not only does stopping put all our efforts to waste, but it also puts a dent in our self-esteem.
Guess what will happen when you try to do something next time?
Next time we try to do something new, this failure will be standing in the way.
You have already created evidence to prove that you cannot achieve anything.
The problem does not lie within you.
The problem lies in being inconsistent and non-persistent towards your goal.
If we make a promise to ourselves, “No matter what, I will steadily keep working towards my goal, until I know I exhausted all of my efforts and my resources,” there is no room for failure.
Now imagine this, when we were a baby and were learning to walk, we fell multiple times and got up again.
Our parents NEVER mocked us or told us to sit down in the corner because we were being a nuisance to people around us.
They NEVER told us that we are making ourselves look like a fool falling and getting up again and again!
They NEVER told us, “We are not good enough.”
They NEVER told us, and we (even as young as we were) NEVER accepted that we would NEVER learn how to walk.
Did we?
Then why not become persistent like that with any of the goals we set for ourselves?
Work on your goal as if you know you will succeed. There is no room for failure!
Conclusion
As quickly as we get distracted today, it is easy to prematurely give up on our goals.
Success is inevitable to the person who knows what he is doing. There are only five steps to success.
If we follow these five steps to success, there is no room for failure.
Lo and behold your Wikipedia definition of productivity:
“Productivity is expressed as the ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production process, i.e., output per unit of input, typically over a specific period of time.”
Since I have already outlined the definition of productivity from such a certified (sarcasm intended) source, you can skip surfing the internet for the meaning of productivity.
Let’s get down to the real deal here, shall we? We have twenty-four hours in a day, and how do we spend it? Some of us spend twenty hours sleeping while others spend twenty-two hours thinking about what we should be doing. Let’s put some math into perspective here: twenty-four hours a day equate to a hundred percent. You spend twenty hours daydreaming, so that is like what? Approximately eighty percent of your day?
So, you spend eighty percent of your day doing nothing, and I’m sure the remaining twenty percent is not looking good either. In short, you didn’t get anything done, so your productivity for the day can be counted as zero!
Don’t worry; I am not too proud of myself either when it comes to being productive.
Being lazy and doing nothing is something instilled in all of our bones.
I fear that the words “Died because I was too lazy to stay alive” will be written on my stone.
This fear keeps me awake at night, but I am changing myself, and I am here to help you change as well. The fancy word productivity that we all hear from time to time is nothing but a fancy word.
It’s all about how much work you get done and in what amount of time. And the real question here is, are you even getting anything done or just pretending that it will get done on its own? Whatever the circumstances are, I’m going to list down a few techniques that will help you get things done, so without delaying any further, let’s jump right into them!
Increasing Productivity But How?
You will find numerous ways on the internet to tell you how you can be more productive, but I will list down the most effective ways. You can quickly adapt any of the following methods to do more in less time per your personality and lifestyle.
Stop looking forward to an overnight change to be productive
We have habits that we developed over many years, especially those habits that aren’t in our favor at all.
You cannot just expect these unwanted habits to go away overnight. The quicker you realize this, the faster you will see those results that you are expecting.
Trust small increments and do not jump into things. For example, I wanted to start eating healthy, and I decided to change my habits overnight but failed every time.
I did eventually start eating healthy by making small changes in my lifestyle. I started with reducing my coffee intake, then replacing my coffee with a more nutritious option, and so on.
And let me tell you, it did pay off. Hence, my advice is that never expect things to change overnight because they never will, and it will only demotivate you. You cannot expect a wound to heal overnight. It takes its time. The same applies to you as well.
Take your time and start with minor changes. Small changes will lead to more significant results, making you more productive at the end of the day.
Accountability will do you wonders in productivity!
In my opinion, one should always be accountable to someone, and if there’s no “someone,” then to yourself at least.
Let’s look at it this way: You try not to run the traffic light or speed because you know you will be accountable to the law. If you break the law, you will be paying a ticket, so you do not break the traffic light and speeding rules even if nobody is watching.
Now apply the same traffic light rules to your life as well. Believe that if you are not going to get something done, you will be held accountable and punished for it.
Accountability should always keep your productivity no matter what the circumstances are because once we train the human brain to do something, it abides by it always!
Stop being so hard on yourself!
I am guilty of this as well. We sometimes try so hard to get things done that we end up doing many things wrong. Being hard on ourselves eventually demotivates us, and we start to criticize ourselves a lot. We become our own biggest enemy.
You need to realize that it is okay to fail sometimes as long as you get back up and do it again without repeating the same mistake. Forgive yourself, dust yourself off and start over!
Mono-tasking over Multi-tasking When It Comes to Productivity
Ah yes! Been there, done that!
I am a firm believer in mono-tasking! Why? Because in my opinion, you tend to get overwhelmed and lose focus when you multi-task. You are unable to give your full attention to a task while you are multi-tasking. Hence, sometimes you even end up making mistakes.
For example, let’s say you are on a road trip and the time is the early 2000’s – the era of maps.
You are on your phone talking to a friend, arguing with him/her about who is going to be America’s Next Top Model, and at the same time looking at the map to see which exit you should be taking next.
Five minutes later, you realize you have taken the wrong exit to some old whammy town, all because you were not correctly focusing and looking at the map. Now you are lost because the exit you took does not even exist on the map!
This is what happens when you try to multi-task. You get overwhelmed and discouraged and start making many mistakes. You end up doing all the tasks half-heartedly.
Focus on one thing at a time and never overwhelm yourself with many things because it will only cost you your time and peace, and it’s not worth it. Make mono-tasking your friend because one task at a time will help you achieve all your tasks and make you more productive.
Destroy Distractions and Be Productive
I just received a friend request from Keanu Reeves on Facebook. Guess what? That’s a fake account, and you need to put your cell phone away if you need to get things done.
Your biggest enemy is the distractions around you. If you genuinely want to get things done, you have to remove all sorts of distractions from your sight. I know it’s not easy, but procrastination will only hinder your performance.
You are so focused on doing your assignment, and you are close to completing it, but the deadline is also around the corner. Suddenly, you get a text from your friend. You think to yourself, “I’ll reply just this once!” Two hours later, you are on the couch, going through a mental breakdown and complaining to your friend about how you couldn’t complete the assignment on time.
We don’t want that now, do we?
So to avoid such a situation, get rid of anything you think is a distraction for you. You need to sit down and do the work and then reward yourself with an hour of cell phone time or whatever you want.
More straightforward tasks to the most challenging tasks!
This may be contradicting what a lot of people say but hear me out.
Let’s say you have a list of things to do, and it’s a long list. If you choose the most challenging task to do first, you end up burning yourself out, and you only get half of it done! This is why you need to do the more straightforward tasks first.
Get done with the more straightforward tasks first because they will give you a sense of achievement and a great deal of motivation.
Once you know that you can do things, you would find it easier to do the more challenging tasks. You will be more motivated and determined to get all the things done on the list in the given amount of time.
It makes sense, right? I thought so!
Set up a System to be Productive – Sounds so professional but is not!
Setting a system can significantly increase our productivity. Our work is so scattered at times that we don’t even know where to start.
Always try to set up a system for yourself that works best for you to get things done. It will help you start at least.
For example, you are solving a thousand-piece puzzle, what are you going to do first? You will ensure that all the puzzle pieces are turned around to see which part fits which piece the best. The same applies to you setting up a system for getting things done.
You need to know where to start, and then all the puzzle pieces will eventually begin to fit into their place.
The Word No: Comes in Handy
I have had the most challenging time saying no to people when I should have, and I acknowledge that now.
The word ‘No’ is a powerful one and can help you be more productive. But how, you ask?
Let’s say you are doing like ten things now, and then Karen from the Human Resource department comes to you and asks you to do something for her. You can barely manage to do your ten things, but now since you don’t know how to say “No” to Karen, you become overwhelmed and frustrated.
You eventually end up doing nothing, disappointing yourself and Karen as well, for that matter.
If you could have politely said “No” to Karen, I’m sure she would have understood, and you would have been able to get your things done on time as well.
So, in short, start saying “No” if you want to be more productive!
We want to accomplish so many goals in our lives, but for one reason or another, we procrastinate and tend to put our goals to the “next day.” We forget that yesterday is gone, today is guaranteed (because we are still alive), but tomorrow is not guaranteed.
We are in the middle of the pandemic, and it is teaching us lots of valuable life lessons. We have learned to appreciate love, family, friends, time, and, most importantly, life!!!
Just like a disease does not discriminate among people (race, social status, or gender), time does not discriminate either.
Everyone gets 24 hours a day, but how one spends 24 hours is up to that person.
So, either we can aimlessly click on YouTube videos (and while watching videos scroll down to read ALL the comments), look at the subscribers the particular Youtuber has, and kind of feel envious of the person’s success, or we can create success for ourselves.
However, do we pause to think of the attitudes of successful people who achieve their goals? There are several attitudes these successful people have, but today I want to discuss just one practice, and that is getting things done when we plan to get things done.
8 Attitudes of Successful People
Now let us clarify what the word “successful” means. Successful does not mean that the person is intelligent, good-looking, wealthy, or (whatever other things you want to list) possess. It is quite the opposite being successful means having the following attitudes.
Attitude #1 – Knowing Your Goal
Knowing EXACTLY what we want in life (just stating, “I want more money is not enough. State the amount of money. Stating, “I want to lose weight is not enough. Know exactly how many pounds you want to lose). See your end before you get there!
Attitude #2 – Why You Want to Achieve That Goal
Whenever we do something, there is always a reason behind it. For example, if we choose to exercise, then it is not only because we want to look good in our clothes. Of course, that is the outcome of us exercising.
However, there is a multitude of reasons behind that action. For example, some of us may choose to exercise because it helps us relax, while some of us may choose to exercise because we instead invest in health rather than illness.
So, take few minutes and figure out your “why” because it will keep you motivated and focused along your journey.
Attitude #3 – Focusing on One Goal at A Time
Choose only ONE goal, please!
Our mind is a powerhouse, and it can focus on multiple things at any given time. Hence, we tend to lose our focus and never achieve our goals.
So, find out what is that “one goal” that keeps nagging at you when you are alone.
Personally, although I have gained so many things, I had this feeling that I have not met my purpose. I wanted to share my knowledge and wisdom with other people. So, I decided to start my blog and share my difficulties and achievements (not to brag about them but to share and let my readers know that “once you set your mind, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!).
So awesome readers, choose ONE goal now.
Attitude #4 – Making No Excuses
Once you have set your mind to your goal, make no EXCUSES!
If we go back to the beginning of the article, do you remember everyone gets 24 hours in a day?
Instead of making an excuse, how about combining activities?
Now, what do I mean by that? For example, if your goal is to master one self-help book, then maybe you can listen to that particular book while exercising.
If you want to lose 1 pound a week, how about taking some actions like parking a car farther, taking steps (if you work in a building), and replacing one meal a day with a “healthy version” of your favorite food.
It is incredible nowadays how many choices we have available. So, there should not be a reason to make an excuse!
Attitude #5 – Taking Inventory of the Resources That Will Help You Achieve Your Goal
It may be that you exactly know what your goal is, but probably you have not been able to accomplish it because you did not have the resources.
Now the resources can be anything from lack of skills, lack of time, lack of money, or lack of knowledge.
So, first, find out your strength and your weakness so that you can tackle your weakness. Then, find a mentor from whom you can learn what you require to reach your goal.
However, we have to be careful in this step. Hopefully, in the process of finding the “expert,” we do not fall into the loophole of mindlessly going through social media.
It is very easy to get hypnotized with social media and get pulled into it mindlessly for hours (been there, done that).
Attitude #6 – Knowing the Deadline To Achieve Your Goal
Yup, it is vital to set a date because if we do not have a set date, there will always be tomorrow, right?
Also, this step keeps us accountable for our actions, and we built ourselves on this success.
There is a reason that we know the deadline to reach our goal. It is just like a marathon runner who knows when he/she will be running the race.
Let’s suppose if there was no deadline for that runner, do you think he/she will be focused and spend the time and energy effectively?
Knowing the deadline puts you in a zone.
Attitude #7 – Response after a temporary defeat
Remember in the above step, we set a deadline to reach a specific goal? Know what you are going to do if you meet a temporary defeat.
Will you throw in the towel and say, “Well, I tried it once, and that is more than enough!”
Do you think trying something once and failing once is more than enough to give up your goal?
We would not have been walking on our feet if, as a baby, we had such an attitude. When we were a baby, we fell and got up, fell and got up until we mastered the art of walking.
Plus, if you were working towards a goal and failed, so what? Instead of saying, “I failed!” How about we say, “I have come so far. I might as well keep on moving because if I go two steps back instead of going one step forward probably, I will never realize how my life would have been different.”
So, push through your defeat. Hold your head up high and keep on moving forward.
If all fails, at least you learned something new. Right?
Earl Nightingale said, “There is only one thing that sets apart successful people from the people who are not successful. And that is ATTITUDE!” So, what is going to be your ATTITUDE?
Attitude #8 – Enjoying the Victory and Repeat 6 steps for the next goal
After you achieve your goal, make it a point to celebrate your success. It will give a sense of new confidence. Celebrate VICTORY!
Although all of the steps mentioned above are important, this is especially important.
Do you know what I have learned? We, as human beings, think negatively first instead of thinking positive.
I can prove this to you and be honest with your emotions when I ask you this question. Will you? If someone positively comments on you, what is the first thought that goes to your mind? (If you feel comfortable answering, then please comment below).
For me, if my colleagues tell me, “Shabana, you are so smart!”
The first thing, of course, I thank them, but then inside my head, I think, “They are just kind to me. I am not that smart!”
Do you agree with this kind of thought behavior? (Again, please leave the comment below. I would love to hear from you).
In Conclusions
Achieving goals is not a super complicated task.
Just following a few steps will put you way ahead of those who do not take action and keep procrastinating.
Procrastination is the art of wasting away precious time by doing useless things! Yup, I will stick to this definition because procrastination is what I precisely used to do before I got fed up and decided to use my time efficiently. However, remember that what worked for me may not work for you. Today I am going to share personal tips to overcome procrastination and achieve success.
Figure out what works for you and stick to it.
According to Ubersuggest, people search for ways to combat procrastination roughly 135,000 times a month. There are thousands of people out there just like you ready to start building their best lives but save the hard work until the last minute.
So here is my question to you.
How do you know when the best time to start achieving your goal? The second you desire to be better. 19th- century American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson put it best, “You wouldn’t have the desire if you didn’t have the ability within you to achieve it.”
The best way to overcome procrastination is to understand why you procrastinate in the first place and learn how to recognize the signs.
I. Change the Mindset to Overcome Procrastination
1.What is a mindset, and why is it important to overcome procrastination
Simply said, a mindset is a set of beliefs that you have accepted to be your reality. We are not born with a conditioned mind.
However, when we are growing up, our parents, teachers, friends, and anyone we expose ourselves to present us an idea about who we are and what we are capable of. The minute we accept someone else’s opinion about us, it becomes our new reality, and we operate from that mindset. Let me give you an example to make this point clear for you to understand.
Let’s suppose a parent names his/her child “stupid.” Now that child is addressed stupid probably many times a day because that is the child’s name. As a child, he/she may not know the meaning of the “stupid,” but you can imagine as that child is growing up what it does to the child’s psyche. The child accepts the idea of being stupid (more so because parents themselves gave that name).
At a conscious level, the child may reject the idea of being stupid, but at a subconscious level, his mind is so conditioned that he/she thinks and act stupid.
So, what does this example means to procrastination? If we peeled all the layers of our being and get to the nitty-gritty of understanding why we procrastinate, we soon realize that there are certain beliefs we have accepted as true for ourselves that are holding us back. Procrastination is not superficial (laziness, lack of time, lack of education,…); it is much deeper than that.
2. Take an inventory of your conditioned mind and reasons for procrastination
So how do we exactly move from having an idea inside our head to putting it into action? We do that by taking an inventory of our conditioned minds. Because if we do not work on our inner self and try to achieve a goal by mere willpower, then the result will be temporary.
We must figure out if the problem is superficial or deeply rooted for any change to be permanent. Figure out if you keep putting stuff off because of pure laziness, lack of time, and resources. Or is it your conditioned mind that is holding you back by constantly whispering that doubtful nagging voice inside your head you “you are not good enough,” “you are not smart enough.”
Think of something you want to do. Now think how you feel when you think of doing that thing. If you want to achieve something and there is that doubtful nagging voice, we get past negative voices and begin our change by taking a baby step. Remember the quote, “Rome was not built in a day!”
3. Replace old, conditioned mind/thoughts to move past procrastination
Congratulations for sticking with me so far!!
So now that we have figured out conditioned mind/thoughts, it is time for us to replace those thoughts with permanently life-changing thoughts.
You may have heard other motivational speakers talk about these methods, but my personal favorites are affirmations and visualization. For example, when you have a thought in your mind saying, “you are not good enough,” replace that thought instantly and quickly with, “I am more than enough.”
You will notice that eventually, as you keep doing this multiple times, it will become your new reality without you even realizing it (just like you previously accepted other false ideas about you and made it your reality).
Try your best and guard your thoughts and inner conversations, and do not allow any negative thoughts to slip by you. You become “the guardian” of your mind just like a parent is the guardian/protector of the child. If, as a parent, you would not let any harm come to your child, then why would you allow negative thoughts and negative inner conversation to destroy yourself being?
There is only one you and you are priceless!!
II. Know Your Vision to Overcome Procrastination
1. Know why you want what you want to move past procrastination
It may be obvious, but you have to know why you want to achieve anything.
Now the drive of wanting something may come from a place of pain, or it may come from pure desire. However, when I read about the most successful people, I noticed that the pain was the defining factor for them to reach the level of success in life.
I am not saying “the pain” is the prerequisite to achieve your goals, but it will keep you more focused and more motivated.
Jim Rohn once said, “We must all suffer from two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”
For me, the pain of regret far more than the pain of discipline. Time does not discriminate among anyone. Everybody gets 24 hours in a day to spend. How we spend 24 hours defines our present and our future.
2. Know what is going to be the outcome when procrastination is overcome
Now nobody is a perfect human being (not even me). Only you are the one to decide the outcome of achieving/not achieving your goal.
The result of your present actions determines your future reality. There can be either sense of achievement or a sense of regrets.
I have been on both sides of the spectrum, and trust me, with the sense of regrets comes lots of pain, guilt, resentment, self-doubt, and worst of all, it chips away from your self-confidence and self-confidence.
Not only these negative emotions take you two steps back, but it further confirms your “false reality” and what do you do as a result? You confirm that “false reality” and make it permanent unless you are not afraid to fail time and time again, pick yourself up, and start again.
The opposite is valid with the sense of achievement. When you set a goal and achieve it by taking a small step every day, it gives an adrenaline rush. It builds your confidence, self-esteem and transforms your “false reality” into a new “identity.”
3. Figure out a plan to reach the outcome without procrastination
Just like we need a plan when we travel from one part of the country to the other part of the country, we need to figure out a plan to reach the desired outcome. Because let’s accept the fact that not everything is going to be rainbow and sunshine, not everyone in your close circle will accept your idea and support you every step of the way. When you start achieving your goals, you may soon realize that the people with whom you hang out may not be vibrating at the higher frequency as you.
Figure out a plan to reach the outcome. How are you going to get from point A to B? For example, if your goal is to lose weight, how about starting with a baby step? How about when there is a commercial on TV, you commit yourself to do ten squats. If you did that for ten commercial breaks, then there are your 100 squats for the day. Of course, a squat is just an example. You don’t need to do squat if you have a weak knee or plain ol’ hate squats.
Once this becomes a habit, then you can add another exercise. And please do not expect results in a couple of months because bad habits did not take a couple of months to creep in. The persistence of negative thinking and negatively doing things for months, probably years, built those negative habits.
It is up to you to reverse the gear and be persistent in thinking and positively doing things in the present and future.
I genuinely believe procrastination is a thief of time. It has taken me almost six years to stop procrastinating and arrive at the place I am today.
In 2014, I had this sudden motivation to learn everything about digital marketing (it was one more skill I wanted to add to my life’s resume). So I started my journey, but I kept putting off tasks until the next day.
However, a day became weeks, and weeks became months, and so on, and here I am finally acting on my “goals.”
Why did it take me so long to take action?
Well, I wanted to know the answer as well, and I was interested in finding out why I was procrastinating, and I googled the term “how to stop procrastinating?”
Anyone here who has done the same thing? Please show your hands. There is nothing to be ashamed of!!
We (including me) Google the term, “How to stop procrastinating?” and we think that magically we will suddenly stop procrastinating, and our goals will transform into reality.
Well, I must say that yeah, it took me six years to transform my goals into reality, but I have learned a lot along the way, and I want to share the knowledge with you.
Please feel free to leave a comment below and share your “action plan to overcoming procrastination.” As a nurse, before we find the cure, it is necessary to know the diagnosis. Right? We need to know what the meaning of procrastination is. Is procrastination the same as laziness?
I. Research on Procrastination
1. Define Procrastination
Let’s turn our action from google to Merriam Webster to find the official definition of procrastination.
Per Merriam- Webster, procrastination is a transitive verb : to put off intentionally and habitually intransitive verb: to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.
Per most of us, procrastination is a lack of focus and motivation.
However, as you read further, you will notice that it is not valid.
2. Reasons We Procrastinate
In my experience, the more I read books and watched the videos on procrastination, I found out that we procrastinate because of our core beliefs (we will talk about this later), lack of definite goals, fear of failure, fear of ridicule, and the list can go on.
Some of you may have heard about Napoleon Hill’s famous book, “Think and Grow Rich.” If you have not yet read it, then I suggest grabbing hold of that book and read it. I certainly have read it multiple times and still read it. This book is full of knowledge!
Napoleon Hill mentioned that before we begin any journey, we need to have a definite purpose. We have to know what before why. And if our definite purpose is not strong enough, then there is no desire to take action.
Let me explain.
For example, I am overweight (BTW, I am 30 pounds overweight). Until and until the reasons and the why of losing weight comes to my awareness, I will NOT take action.
And me procrastinating has nothing to do with me being lazy (shhh). So apart from other subconscious reasons (which we all have), the desire for me to lose weight is not strong enough.
3. Data on Procrastination
According to Hartley Jo’s article PROCRASTINATION: THIEF OF TIME (ooh, I miss my college days when I had to write papers), “It’s estimated that about 20 percent of adults are procrastinators. However, some of us procrastinate more often than others…”
The author further goes on to state, “Research shows that many personal factors influence procrastination. These include poor mental health, stress, sleep, and personality type. Some studies even suggest that there’s a genetic link. However, in an ironic twist, some causes of procrastination can also be the effect. Procrastination also impacts poorly on physical health. One study found that chronic procrastination may make people more vulnerable to severe health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension. In addition, it can affect mental health with low moods and feelings of guilt.”
II. How Core Beliefs and Procrastination Relate
1. Define Core Beliefs
Core beliefs are beliefs that we have accumulated over the years by interacting with our environment.
For example, when we were young and when our parents pointed out our good behaviors, we created a “certain belief” in ourselves.
We continuously do this in our everyday life even as an adult. As human beings, we have sets of negative and positive core beliefs.
However, depending on which core beliefs dominate our mind, that belief determines our actions.
Let’s suppose I want to be a successful blogger, but if I have a core belief that I am not a good writer, then I will keep procrastinating, and I will not act!
2. List Negative Core Beliefs
Trust me! There is a reason I have asked to “list negative core beliefs.” I have noticed time and time again that it is easy for me to negate myself than appreciate myself. What? Do you say you do not believe me? Okay!
Here is a challenge
Get a timer
Set a timer to 1 minute
List POSITIVE habits about you (do as quickly as you can)
And now let’s reverse
Get a timer (this is the same step. Lol)
Set a timer to 1 minute (this step is too)
List NEGATIVE habits about you (again, do as quickly as you can)
P.S. You will notice me shifting between habits and beliefs. Habits build upon our personal beliefs. Sorry, I digressed, but I wanted to point that out to my awesome readers. Let us go back on track.
Now take a look at the list. How many things you have listed under positive habits and how many under negative habits.
I, for one, can tell you that until I started studying the subject, I was the PRO in listing all the things that are wrong with me and my life!
3. Replace Negative Core Beliefs
Now that we have faced the demons (our negative core beliefs), it is time to replace those negative core beliefs with positive ones.
Instead of saying, “I am ALWAYS late to work.” Say, “I have been late to work SO FAR.”
You see, when we say ALWAYS, we label ourselves.
For example, if you have procrastinated (so far ;)), it does not mean you are a procrastinator.
So you see, the difference between the two words? Procrastinated/Procrastinating is the action, and procrastinator is the character.
4. Create Visual Cue to Build New Beliefs
When I worked out (yeah, I used to work out before I gained 30 pounds), this fitness trainer would always share a word before beginning her workout and explain what that words meant to her.
I integrated this action into my life as well. Although this seemed like a tiny step, it had a powerful impact. So, here is the step, and I want you to follow
Take post-it notes
Write just one positive word (this will be your visual cue)
Place it where you will notice it multiple times a day
Look at your word every chance you get and “feel the positive emotions” every time you read your word. Over time you will see that your negative beliefs have replaced with positive ones.
III. Combine New Core Beliefs with Action to Beat the Procrastination
1. Set Realistic Goal
Have you heard of the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”?
Our habits build in the same way.
I know several researchers and authors state that it takes 21 days to create a new habit. So, do yourself a favor and set a realistic goal.
Do you remember the post-it note from the above step? That is your “Habit of The Day.”
If you wrote “Eat Fruit” on that note, then your goal for that day should be to eat fruit! Simple enough, eh?
Here is a small caveat though, if you fail to keep true to “word of the day.” Meaning if you wrote “Eat Fruit,” and if you did not eat fruit that day, then I want you to repeat the step the next day. Write the same word on a NEW post-it note (new day, new opportunity) and follow through it the next day.
Keep repeating until you say to yourself, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired, and I am ready to change.”
Please go back and read the above sentence one more time. It is crucially important!
2. Stay Consistent
When I say stay consistent, I mean use the same color post-it note and same color marker EVERY SINGLE DAY!!
I hear you say, “What? Are you crazy?”
But wait…
There is madness to the method.
Have you heard of the famous studies in behavioral psychology carried out by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov?
To summarize, what Mr. Pavlov did was conditioned the dog’s response (salivating) to the stimuli (ringing bell).
Now go back to my madness of asking you to use the same color post-it note and same color pen/marker. What we are doing here is we are connecting the stimuli (color) to your behavior (“eating fruit” – if that was the word you chose).
I suggest you choose the color that you see every day around you. What this does is you are creating new habits by association.
Please be advised that the information presented here is for informational purposes only and is my personal opinion. I am in no way a medical doctor or an expert in the field. The ideas and steps provided here are from my readings and experiences. Read the disclaimer here.
3. List and Lose Non-Productive Activities and People
You have come so into changing your habits and overcoming procrastination. However, if you are surrounded by a bunch of “you can’t do that” types of people, then you will just keep going in circles.
I had once heard somewhere, I do not remember where, but I will try to quote it. It went something like this, “How do you know you are winning? It is when you have more haters than lovers.”
Now my question to you is this. Do you want to be loved and stay at the bottom? Or want to be in the top 1% and rise above average? Well, the choice is always ours!
IV. Find a Mentor or Mastermind Group to Kick the Procrastination to the Curb
1. Find Mentor
Yeah, finding a mentor term may sound like old school, but it is the crucial step to take if you want to “shoot for the moon.”
Les Brown said it beautifully, ” Shoot for the moon. Because even if you miss it, you will still land among stars.” Isn’t that beautiful?
It is not difficult to find mentors nowadays. We have so many resources at our fingertips only if we search for them.
If you have read about me, you know that I just watch videos and motivational speeches from successful people in my spare time.
If you lack motivation, then go on YouTube and search videos on motivation. And the beauty of YouTube is, based on your search, it will show the list of suggested videos in the same category.
2. Build a mastermind group
I will refer back to one of the sections in Napoleon Hill’s, “Think and Grow Rich” (this book is a gem, please read it at least once). If you surround yourself with like-minded people, not only do you learn something new from them, but you are also using leverage to achieve your goal quicker.
Find someone who is an expert in your subject. Nowadays, with social media, it has become even easier to build a mastermind group.
Conclusion
There is no such thing as impossible because the word “impossible” itself says, “I am possible.”
Achieving your goals in life should not be a difficult task. But, remember, slow and steady wins the race. It is better to take a small step every day than take no step at all.
I hope you have found this article helpful. Please feel free to read an article that may benefit your life.
Happy reading! Leave the comment below, and let’s get in touch!
References:
HARTLEY, J.O. “Procrastination: Thief of Time.” Good Health (Australia Edition), Nov. 2019, p. 102. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=138825301&site=ehost-live.
ZIELINSKI, DAVE. “Reframe Your Life in 5 Seconds: It’s Now or Never: Stop Procrastinating and Leap into Action with These Productivity Hacks.” Toastmaster, vol. 85, no. 3, Mar. 2019, p. 16. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=135384420&site=ehost-live.
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