Has this ever happened to you, you want to do something, know you should but can’t bring yourself to get up and do it? At that moment you have two choices, you either do, or you don’t. The reasons why we fail on our goals is because we continually make the wrong choice, and over time, those choices compound on each other. Instead of getting up and getting the work done, we fall back to our old habits. Coincidentally, the same moment we need to get to work is when we realize we need to “check something” on Instagram, or that we need to go to YouTube to “bookmark” a video so we can “watch it later”, but end up watching it at the moment (I’m absolutely guilty of this). The story is always the same; what was supposed to be a brief detour turns into several hours of needlessly scrolling through comments, pictures, and catching up on the latest cat videos. There’s an easy fix that will help you get back on track and something I’ve found to help me in the past. The next time you need to get to work, but you feel hesitant and find yourself procrastinating, I want you to stop and ask yourself several questions.
- What do you want to do and why?
- What would the outcome/benefits be from doing it?
- Would I be happy if I got it done?
- Is anything preventing me from doing it right now?
- Can I do it right now?
- Will I do it right now?
Another option is to recite this paragraph to yourself:
I need to do _________, because I want ________. I f I don’t this it, I’ll feel ________, but if I do, I’ll feel ______. Nothing is preventing me from doing this right now. I can do it right now, and I will do it right now.
Once you’ve answered these questions or recited the paragraph, close your eyes. Tell yourself you have (emphasize this) to start when you open your eyes. Take a deep breath and count backward from three, then start working as soon as you open your eyes. I call this process a refocus and realignment. I use this whenever I feel I’m about to slip on to a path of procrastination. It serves several purposes and has helped me in becoming more productive. Some of the benefits of doing this are:
- Interrupts your brain from making excuses
- Makes it clear why you want to do something
- Clarifies the benefits of doing so
- Demonstrates that nothing is stopping you
- Remove procrastination as an option by stating the task as a must-do
Commit to doing this exercise for one week every time you feel you’re about to procrastinate. You will find that over time, it becomes much easier to stay focused and to stay on task.
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