Well...to prepare I went to one of my favorite sights (John Tesh!!) and found something I think will help me...motivate me. I have a tendancy to slack or put things off so...
Tips to Help You Stop Putting Things Off
DO you have the following symptoms? A lack of motivation, a love of “dilly-dallying,” and the ability to put things off until the very last minute. Sound familiar? Then YOU have a case of “procrastination-itis.” I’ve got a cure. Tips that’ll help you stop putting things off.
*Let’s say you put things off because you’re always tired. What’s the fix? Schedule your most dreaded tasks for when you’re most energetic. That’s the word from Julie Morgenstern, author of Never Check E-mail In The Morning. So when do you have the most energy? Try tackling tough tasks between 7am and noon – brain-alertness chemicals rise in the morning, which means it’s a good time to do critical thinking. If you’re not a morning person, try working from 5 to 8pm. Studies show you get a surge of energy and alertness when you get to early evening - kind of like a “second wind.”
*What if you’re putting something off because you dread doing it? Dr. Jane Burka, co-author of Procrastination: Why You Do It, What To Do About It, suggests breaking a task you dread into small, manageable pieces. So if the “dreaded” chore is painting your living room, spend one day picking out the color, another day buying supplies, and another day painting one wall. Completing a task in chunks makes it seem like less work, and you’ll be more likely to finish.
*What if you procrastinate because the task seems impossible? A grand, sweeping goal – like “lose 25 pounds” – can be overwhelming. How are you going to achieve anything if just the thought of your goal makes your head spin? Here’s the fix: Turn your big goal into smaller milestones that are easier to achieve. So instead of “I’m going to lose 25 pounds,” tell yourself “I’m going to walk for 30 minutes three times this week.” Then, once you’ve got that down, your next milestone can be “I’m going to cut three items of junk food from my diet this week.” When the goal doesn’t seem as intimidating, you’re more likely to stick with it. If you stick with it, you will get results.
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Tips to Help You Stop Slacking
Are you a big fat SLACKER? Well, don’t be too hard on yourself. According to Psychology Today, we’ve all gotten lazy. Let’s face it – how many times have you thrown your Saturday morning plans out the window in favor of sleeping a couple more hours? Or put off writing that novel so you could watch reality TV? “I’ll get around to it” seems to be a universal motto, but why?
Dr. Nando Pelusi, a clinical psychologist in New York, says, in the grand scheme of things, we’re members of the ‘leisure class’ now. No matter how hard we work, we’ve got it better than any generation in the history of mankind. We can order food in restaurant instead of hunting for it, flip on the light switch instead of firing up a lantern, and hit the mall if we need a new shirt – no more sewing our own clothes. Since our basic needs are relatively easily met, we have the luxury – and the burden – of daydreaming and procrastinating about our future, while actually DOING very little. Of course, if you want to be TRULY successful in life, you have to buckle down and STOP SLACKING! So, here are a few tips that’ll help:
* Start small. Ask yourself, “Why is it too hard to do this for just 15 minutes?” Because honestly – it isn’t. Once you get going, you’ll stick with it and you’ll probably even ENJOY it!
* Challenge the idea that you CAN’T do it. Often, we learn by trial and error: If you look at it in “long-run” terms, you’ll find that you CAN do something difficult. Maybe it’ll take a couple attempts – but what one man can do, another can do.
* Keep tabs. Write down your accomplishments. We’re more likely to stick to our plans if we monitor our progress toward a goal.
* Commit to others. Make a public commitment to complete a task. The motivation you get from others will make you more focused on getting things done.
* Reward yourself. Relaxation differs from laziness – it’s a REWARD for a job well done. So let yourself relax after a period of hard work. Soon enough, your big GOAL will become your big ACCOMPLISHMENT.
“Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.” Winston Churchill
