My Values: How to Overcome Procrastination

Are you someone who puts off what you really need to do?  In the wake of an enormous task do you reach for your quick-fix-it superpowers in the closet marked “delusional thinking”?  Well, you’re not alone, we’ve all been there, myself more than others.  Procrastination is actually the art of tricking yourself into believing you can do the impossible.  I have found that the same skillful act that gets you stuck in a world of over-commitment, stress and pain, holds the key to overcoming procrastination.

Instead of lying to yourself that you are capable of completing a task in an unrealistic time-frame, you need to flip this thinking by telling yourself the truth.  The truth is that you can complete a large task on time, with satisfaction and authenticity, but you need to organise yourself so that your greatest intention leads you to the path of organisation and strategy.

Return to the Big Picture:  Return to your intention.  What is your Big Picture?   How does this project contribute to your Big Picture?  What are you aiming for in the short-term? Remind yourself that the small tasks are what you can control now.  They are vital to achieving your larger goals.

Exercise: Close your eyes.  Imagine a big movie screen and on it is playing the movie of your life.  You are now happy because you have finished your current project and you can feel how satisfying this is.  What a great sense of achievement and relief.  Let this feeling inspire your next step.

Reduce anxiety:  Large tasks often give the sense of overwhelm and impending failure.  Decrease your anxiety by telling yourself the truth with the following SPOKE[N] Insights.

SPOKE INSIGHTS:  When I organise my tasks I can organise my mind.  I have the ability to evaluate and plan one task at a time.  I have completed a large project before by breaking it into smaller tasks; therefore, I can do it again.

Eat an elephant one bite at a time:  Evaluate and break the project into chunks and reward yourself for getting through each part (take a break and think and speak encouragingly to yourself; coach yourself through e.g. “Well done!  You’re nearly there”.)

H.A.P.P.Y:  Start with the tasks you love, then the things you like, then complete the pesky tasks.  If you get your brain ‘going’ with the things you love to do, this will pull you through the more mundane activities.

Keep in flow:  Don’t let distractions woo you down the rabbit trail.  Do whatever it takes stay on track.  Keep your focus by practicing selective attention.  Your brain was created to focus on one object at one time.  This means you need to be kind to yourself by removing all distractions from your environment.  You’ll need to omit all sources of distraction, intrusion and interference from your environment e.g. YouTube, cellphone, digital content, people, magazines etc. as they will ‘rob’ you of your goals.

Celebrate in style and repeat:  Treat yourself when you are done and practice the flow of project completion whenever possible.  Your most recent success predicts your next future step.

#Flow #SelfManagement #Motivation #SpokeInsight