Business
10 Quick and Easy Tips for Beating Procrastination Procrastination is no joke. Putting things off until later can spell ruin for even the most successful businessperson… which is EXACTLY why it is a problem that you should make an effort to continually deal with when you notice it negatively affecting your results. If you suffer from procrastination, then you undoubtedly know that it can be extremely troublesome. You no doubt want to work hard and get things done, but some people find this more difficult to do than others. If you are one of those people, then this podcast is for you! Here are 10 quick and easy tips for beating procrastination. Winning this battle doesn’t have to be rocket science or making it harder than it needs to be. Sometimes, finding a little bit of help (like these tips) is all that you need to tip the scales back to your favor! Tip #1… Get Up and Get Going If you feel the urge to procrastinate coming upon you, then sometimes the best thing to do is to get up and get moving – don’t let yourself put off what you need to do. The minute you start to deviate from what you know you need to be doing is exactly when you need to take a deep breath, and just do it. Stop letting those typical excuses to stop you from getting going! Changing scenery can often change your frame of mind, and you might find that going for a walk, taking a jog, or even grabbing a cup of coffee can help you to clear your mind and get you back on track to getting things done. (Just don’t do it too often, as doing this EVERY TIME you get the urge to procrastinate can actually become procrastination itself.) Tip #2… Wake Up Earlier Waking up earlier in the day can often improve your odds of getting things accomplished. More productive people are generally out and about during the early morning hours, and you will likely find the atmosphere a lot more conducive to productivity than the atmosphere of the early afternoon or evening hours. Get up earlier to exercise, stretch, meditate, and get those juices flowing to immediately tackle your highest payoff activities the moment you arrive at work. Tip #3… Clean and Organize as You Go Sometimes we get so surrounded by clutter and chaos that we end up getting defeated before we begin. Looking around you and seeing a mess is usually never conducive to productivity, which is why it can really pay to keep things clean and tidy as your day progresses. Five or ten minutes spent prioritizing your activities can pay big dividends as the day goes on. Tip #4… Get Away from the TV Did you know that TV is one of the biggest causes for procrastination among entrepreneurs who often work from home? Having a lot of channels and a list of favorite shows is nice, but not if it distracts you from getting everything done that you need to do! Record your favorite shows and only allow yourself to watch them AFTER you have your most critical activities done for the day. I strongly recommend you stop watching the news. There are so many more negative stories than positive ones that it can negatively affect your mood, and who wants to be in a “bad” mood? Tip #5… Schedule Specific Blocks of Time in Which to Get Things Done Setting up a daily schedule can be a great way to stop procrastination before it starts. Having a plan in place will not only give you a sense of direction, but will make your day seem more achievable as well. Do the activities that bring you the best results first is usually a great way to start the day. In fact, Brian Tracy has a GREAT analogy on this subject. “Eat That Frog!” Think about this… what if the first thing that you did everyday was to eat a live frog? It sounds gross. In fact, it would probably be the worst thing that you have to do all day. But, if you ate the frog first thing in the morning, you could effectively say that the worst part of your day was behind you! The point of this analogy is that if you do the worst things first, you will find