Research shows four times more people are chronically procrastinating today than 30 years ago. No wonder so many people have issues reaching their big, hairy and audacious goals!
If you have been postponing what you should be doing today for tomorrow…and beating yourself up about it, it’s time to break the cycle and start living up to your full potential.
Today we’re talking about how to conquer the beast of procrastination and keep your fire burning so you can create the results you want in life.
#1. Recharge Your Battery
You know this: when you’re not rested, fully charged, and don’t have your vision on point, your production tanks!
That’s why it’s so important to schedule time to recalibrate aka charge your battery. Honor your self-care priorities so you can move your life and business forward.
If you don’t have this in place already, set up and execute a powerful morning routine and treat mornings as sacred time (you could do personal development, prayer, exercise or your favorite meditation practice). Learn how to listen to your body and check in with yourself—it will help you feel more anchored and empowered.
Whenever you feel tired or overwhelmed, take some time to relax. Go to the gym, do some yoga, prepare yourself a luxurious bath, read a book—whatever helps you disconnect.
#2: Time Block
Do you feel like you have too many tasks to complete throughout the day?
Time blocking is a time management strategy successful people use to allocate time for specific tasks. Here’s how to do it:
- Make a list of everything that’s on your schedule
- Select which activities you should prioritize
- Add a time block in your calendar and set a reminder
- When the time is up, just move on to the next task
Pro Tip: While activities like answering emails can feel productive and money-making—they’re not. The reason why we’re so convinced it’s a top priority is that, as soon as we’re done, we feel relief. But everybody knows it’s easy to get lost in the sea of emails…they never end. Make sure you set aside an hour a day to go through your inbox. When that hour’s up, just close the browser and move to the next time block.
#3. Unsubscribe from Multitasking and Embrace Double Tasking
How many times we’ve seen people trying to start multiple businesses? Become coaches. And affiliate marketers. Create courses, funnels and Facebook ads. Build a network marketing business.
Wow. No wonder they’re stressed out!
The whole idea of multitasking doesn’t work: research shows humans are terrible multitaskers (yes, even the ones who say they’re amazing at it).
The minute you split your focus chasing two projects at the same time, your productivity goes from 100% to 80%. And because your brain needs time to re-familiarize with project 2 (if you’re continuously jumping from 1 to 2), you lose 20% productivity. True story.
But here’s the trick…
If our mind can only focus on one mental activity at a time…why not combine it with a physical one and accomplish more?
That’s what double tasking is all about. For example, you can plug in your headphones and listen to an audiobook/podcast/training while cleaning the house. It’s a win-win!
#4. Stay Away from Negativity
Our brains spend most of their time in survival mode. Their main job is to keep us alive, and they like it when things are static. Every time we change our routine, they hit the breaks.
In no time, you can hear your brain telling you “this is too difficult, you can’t do it, you’re not good enough”…
Don’t let yourself fall into the negative cycle. As soon as you recognize how your brain works, catch the thought and redirect it. Create workflows and triggers to reroute you towards positivity. For example, you can’t control your first thought, but you can control the second. Every time a loser thought or a limiting belief pops up, counter it with a question. Ask yourself “What’s the solution for this?”
The best thing you could do is to get out of your head and get into action.
#5. Think Nike: Just Do It
How many times you didn’t want to go to the gym (Netflix in bed sounds way better anytime), but you made yourself do it?
Five minutes into it, you start moving, and BOOM, you’re in momentum and it feels like the best decision ever.
The same goes for showing up to work. You still have to do it even when you’re tired, or your kid is sick. So if you’re okay with helping someone else build their business when you would rather do something else, why not show up for yourself?
For example, whenever you’re at an event and you hear an idea you like, make sure you note it down. But don’t stop there. Discipline yourself to the point where you ask yourself “How can I integrate it into my workflow right away?”
The moral of the story: If you want things to change, you have to change. For things to get better, you have to get better.
Challenge Time!
Make a list of all of the activities you do every day. Which two you could do at the same time #doubletask? Let us know in the comments below. Try combining them for a week and see the results on your overall productivity and how it affects your procrastination.
