How To Beat Procrastination

How severely do procrastination habits affect your ability to create?

How often do you simply go and start creating, without finding a few "urgent" tasks on the way such as checking your email for the 10th time this morning, or making a snack you don't really want?

For many of us as creative people, procrastination puts a major dampener on our freedom to create. It's like we're trying to get a huge bonfire lit and blazing, but someone keeps drenching it with a hose every time we feel its flames are starting to flicker.

So what can we do? Is there any hope, or should you resign yourself to a lifelong struggle with procrastination, accept it as the gorilla on your back that'll stop you ever truly soaring in your creative work?

Thankfully, yes, there is an approach to beating procrastination that works.

Before we get to that, let's take a step back. It's important to understand why what you're doing now ISN'T working. This isn't to judge or criticise you, simply to help you open yourself to the idea that there's a better way, and an easier way, for you to be more creative.

The first mistake we make with procrastination is not admitting we procrastinate.

Everyone procrastinates to some extent, however creative we are. Pretending you don't simply gives procrastination the green light to run riot and become even more effective in stifling your creativity. If you don't admit there's an issue, and that there are many times you procrastinate when you could be creating, then you'll ALWAYS procrastinate.

The second mistake we make with procrastination is endlessly analysing WHY we procrastinate.

This is the classic mistake we've all made with procrastination. Even if we do admit we procrastinate and that yes it does suck up precious time when we'd rather be creating, we then tend to go too far in the opposite direction.

The analytical mind kicks in and says "Right, I'm determined to know why I procrastinate. What could the reasons behind it be?"

Then, ironically, your creativity takes centre stage, producing an almost endless procession of perfectly valid reasons why you may be procrastinating.

"Maybe I'm afraid of failing", "Maybe this isn't the right creative project", "Maybe I'll create something amazing and people will demand more from me"...

Given time and a little anxiety to stir into the mix, no doubt you'd be able to come up with dozens of reasons why you procrastinate rather than create.

Great, so now you have all these reasons, you can overcome procrastination, right?

Wrong! All you've done is give yourself MORE reasons to procrastinate than you had before! So it's now many times MORE likely you'll procrastinate because you have all these very feasible and justifiable reasons in front of you. "No WONDER I don't create more, look at all these things I'm battling with!"

You end up procrastinating by spending too much time thinking about why you're procrastinating!!?!

Stop. It's time for a new approach. An approach that works.

Instead of analysing WHY you procrastinate, focus on WHEN and HOW you procrastinate. It's only by observing your behaviour - objectively and without judgement - that you can begin to notice when you're most likely to procrastinate, and the favourite habits you have.

Only then can you start to put new creative habits in their place and overcome the procrastination habits that have held your creativity back for so long.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/774102

Five Empowering Procrastination Tips

procrastination (Photo credit: Mickie Quick)

One of the most destructive effects of procrastination is the fact that it makes you feel out of control. Procrastination is like an 'invisible force' that keeps you from doing the very things you know you must do. With the increasing demands on our time and attention there seems to be an increase in procrastination as a chronic problem, especially amongst those people that want to succeed the most. Procrastination usually sets in when you feel overwhelmed by all the 'have to's' in life and instead of making steady progress you take on too much without ever getting any of it done.

Feeling out of control takes away all your power to shape and direct your own life. It's true that there are many things over which you have no control, but you always have full control over what really happens to you - and what really happens to you is a mental process and independent of the circumstances and events of the outside world. Being empowered means that you realize that you already have the power and this realization also gives you the ability to take action. Here are five empowering procrastination tips that can help you to reach this realization and become empowered to effectively deal with procrastination and inaction.

It's All Inside:

Procrastination is an internal process and although it might feel like it's happening to you, you are in actual fact responsible for it. This procrastination tip can help to put you back in control almost immediately. Procrastination is not an external force, but an internal response and evaluation. The simple realization that it's 'you' that are doing it to 'you', gives you the power to do something about it.

It's All You:

When procrastination drags you down it's all to easy to think that 'it just is' and that you can't do anything about it. Although it feels like you have no control, you actually do. In fact this is why you feel out of control - because you believe that you can't do anything about it. There are two very important beliefs you need to develop to help you break free from procrastination. The first is that you CAN overcome procrastination and the second is that YOU can overcome procrastination. No one else can do it for you and because you created it, you can un-create it.

It's All In Your Head:

The reason why most people remain stuck in patterns of procrastination is because of fear. At the most fundamental level, all forms of procrastination comes down to fear. What you don't face controls you. To overcome the fear and the procrastination that comes with it, you need to confront and do the very things you don't want to do. The instant you do, you take charge and it no longer has any control over you. The ironic thing is that fear only exists in your imagination - it's always something that hasn't happened yet. Procrastination is not real - it's only the way you evaluate things in your mind.

It's All about conditioning:

Success at anything in life relies on consistency. The best of the best at anything are those who can repeat their greatness consistently. The way you get consistent is through conditioning. Your nervous system operates through conditioning. When you do something over and over again it becomes 'normal' and when it's normal you don't have to think about it - it becomes automatic. The challenge is that this principle works both ways. Whether your conditioned responses support you or whether it pulls you down, your nervous system does not make that distinction. If procrastination is your conditioned response you will always feel out of control, simply because that's what you've 'learned' to do automatically. You simply need to 'recondition' yourself to a new response; to teach yourself to respond in a different way..

It's All about awareness:

Procrastination does serve a purpose - and a very important one as such, but only is you are aware of the benefits. We only procrastinate about those things that have value to us. At some level, either directly or indirectly, you believe that taking action will benefit you. If it didn't it would not bother you, right? Be grateful for procrastination and use it as a guide to 'know' what you need to act upon. Being aware of this fact, and developing an awareness for what you do and fail to do can empower you to be in charge of yourself on a much higher level.

When you are empowered you are in charge, and even if things seem to go wrong on the surface, underneath you know that you have the power to deal with it effectively. Procrastination is disempowering and it takes away your ability to take immediate action and deal with any situation. Always remember that you are ultimately in charge of you. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. Don't delay. Act!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/467247

What Is Procrastination and How to Overcome It

Inspirational Quotes Procrastination
Don Marquis (Photo credit: hot4sunny)

We've all been there. You've been given 30 days to prepare for a term paper- yet you don't even start on the paper until the day before its due. This is called Procrastination. A wise man described procrastination as the "dream killer" because it destroys productivity. Let's define procrastination:

Procrastination: the act of procrastinating; putting off or delaying or deferring an action to a later time.

This is simply one meaning of procrastination.

There are many other meanings and interpretations but for the sake of simplicity we will just use the above definition. How many of us "putt off" until tomorrow what we should be doing today? It is believed that the majority of Americans procrastinate on a high scale everyday.

Whenever we practice procrastination it actually destroys our productivity- killing our dreams. Just think for a minute: what can you possibly accomplish (that's worth accomplishing) if you fail to take action? If you put off cleaning your home you will eventually be living in a pig pin, not to mention the health issues that can arise from poor maintenance.

Another version defines procrastination as "intentionally and habitually putting off what should be done." Notice that procrastination is intentional. So many people fool themselves into believing that procrastination is something that just "happens" without any human effort or contribution. This, however, is not true. You have to actively participate in order to procrastinate. When you know something needs to be done and you choose not to do it, you are actively participating in and causing your own failure.

Imagine if you felt that your body was just not functioning properly and you made plans to go to the doctor. Your appointment arrives and because you felt like you worked hard all week and you deserved a little rest, you put it off. One day turns into one week, one week into a month, and finally you just forget about going at all. After passing out at work, you find that you have a condition that could have been prevented if you would have just done what needed to be done.

Don't let procrastination kill your dreams of being a success.

There is no miracle solution for procrastination except to take action. Taking the necessary action when required to is the only solution for procrastination. Most people procrastinate when its time to go to the gym or work out but report feeling better after going to the gym or exercising. Whenever you procrastinate, you are left feeling guilty and even depressed at times. People who lack motivation to accomplish even minimal tasks have been found to be borderline depressed or manically depressed. You will always feel better after you get things done.

Procrastination adds to depression and can cause one to experience bad health, bad relationships, failing grades, and poor work performance which can lead to the loss of ones employment . No one wants to experience these things happening to them, so why do they procrastinate?

Recognizing Procrastination

The first step in overcoming procrastination is acknowledging that procrastination exist. You can't get to "victory" until you first recognize that you have a problem. Its kind of like having a medical issue. You cannot get the needed treatment that's required until you "first" acknowledge and diagnose the issue, then you can move on to treating the problem.

Establish "why" you procrastinate

Understanding the "why" behind your procrastination moves you closer to overcoming it. Let's say you are putting off cleaning your house . Maybe its because you've allowed it to get so out of hand that its become overwhelming to you and you just wish it would go away. Usually, procrastination takes place whenever a task that needs to be done is not pleasurable. Most humans have no problem with getting things done that's pleasurable to them. Its human nature. We are designed to move away from pain and draw close to pleasure.

4 easy Steps to counter procrastination

Step #1

• Mind shifting: since you recognize that humans are wired to move away from painful things, associate procrastination with the consequences of not getting important things done. Create a mental picture of the negative results that can occur if you don't get things done. This mental shift can give you the motivation to "take action" in order to avoid the pain of the consequences.

Step #2

• Prioritize: Sometimes you may procrastinate because it seems like there's so much to do-yet so little time to get things done. A way to overcome this type of procrastination is through prioritizing. Write down a "to-do" list and then look over it to see what tasks are most important and what tasks are least important. Then prioritize those tasks according to there importance level (1. being the most important while 10. being the least important)

Step #3

• Accountability Partner: Appointing someone to hold you accountable is another great way to combat procrastination. We usually attempt to do what we say when we know that someone else is watching us and will hold us accountable.

Step #4

• Plan ahead: This step can tie into step #2. Establish your priority "to do" list the night before. Accomplishing your list ahead of time can first of all give you a boost of confidence-since you've gotten something done. You may also find yourself sleeping better at night looking forward to the next day. Since we cannot predict with certainty the events of tomorrow, be prepared to change some things around on your list if need be.

You are on your way to VICTORY!!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7735258

The Top Ten Ways to Stop Procrastinating Now

Procrastination (Photo credit: Reynante Martinez)

10. Procrastination Condemnation - Lose the Labels! All those things you call
yourself, such as lazy, scattered, disorganized, not good enough, incompetent,
or stupid, for example, aren't helping you get things done, are they? You've
learned to believe them, and you think they've become something of a
self-fulfilling prophecy. If you look around yourself, though, you'll see
evidence that you can accomplish quite a number of things without delay.

9. Procrastination Exaggeration - Are you really procrastinating, or are you
simply focusing on other priorities? It's possible that those things you're not
doing shouldn't get done until sometimes later, perhaps not at all. Focus on
only the most significant areas first, and the rest will come.

8. Procrastination Temptation - If you hang out with people who coax you to 
procrastinate, it's time to start surrounding yourself with better examples. If 
you know certain that situations are too enticing and will lure you from 
following through, create a work-around plan that will help you prevent yourself 
from "taking the bait".

7. Procrastination Alienation - Recognize that you're not alone, and are, in 
fact, in excellent company. Most people procrastinate about something, 
sometimes about many things. In a recent survey on procrastination, almost 1/3 
of respondents who identified themselves as procrastinators had a 
post-graduation or higher education.

6. Procrastination Inclination - At the moment you are about to procrastinate, 
stop for just a moment to acknowledge the pattern, even if you continue on to 
put off whatever you were going to do. Awareness and acceptance that these are 
your current patterns is a necessary step in procrastination extermination.

5. Procrastination Perspiration - You probably think that the only way to stop 
procrastinating is to use will power and discipline. While that certainly can 
work, it can cost you a lot of energy and struggle. By allowing yourself to 
begin recognizing what is specifically in the way of following through, and 
creating simple new patterns, progress is pretty painless and immediate. 

4. Procrastination Exploration - What is your procrastination costing you? Do 
you have a procrastination reputation? Do you continually have to make 
procrastination explanations or reparations to others? Are you in 
procrastination isolation so nobody will know what you're not doing? Is your 
credit history in procrastination degradation because of paying bills late? Are 
you in procrastination desperation because you might lose your job or 
significant relationships? Sometimes understanding how badly you're paying and 
in exactly what ways can provoke you to seek assistance.

3. Procrastination Consultation - Talk with friends about how they overcame 
procrastination. Buddy with them on their own projects, holding each other 
accountable to get things done. Hire a procrastination coach, someone who has 
worked with hundreds of people and not only knows about procrastination 
generation, but has helped many veteran procrastinators with procrastination 
renunciation.

2. Procrastination Transformation - nothing helps you achieve more easily than 
knowing all the steps you need to take, having a plan to take them, scheduling 
that plan into your calendar, creating incentives to make following through more 
attractive (and consequences to make it less attractive!), and putting some 
accountability supports into place. This, combined with a simple 
procrastination meditation, will get you back on track quickly and easily.

1. Procrastination Emancipation - Once you've fully understood that one of the 
big reasons you have been procrastinating is that you're focusing only on 
finishing (and that's too daunting) you'll begin to instead concentrate on 
starting, which is a much more approachable and manageable way to get thing 
done. All you need to do is keep starting, and finishing will take care of 
itself.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7705