You are frustrated.
Because you FEEL that you have been working so hard"¦
but you have gotten NO RESULTS.
You are embarrassed to tell people how many hours you have put in"¦
because you are afraid that they will think that you are a JOKE.
But what`s even worse"¦
you are starting to lose faith in yourself.
Does that sound familiar? If so, no worries.
I`ve been there too. Relax. I got your back.
Let me show you the 5 signs that you are procrastinating (and how to fix it).
1. Looking For Shortcuts
Looking for how to optimize your existing activities and routines in order to become more efficient is totally fine.
However, if you are looking for shortcuts in order to AVOID the real work, you are heading towards Procrastination City in rapid speed.
It doesn`t really help to read the book "The Secret", then lay on your coach with your umbrella waiting for money to start raining.
The law of attraction is an important method in order to achieve more in life. That being said, it`s totally useless if you don`t put in the necessary work in order to achieve your goals.
Solution
You need to realize that there are no REAL shortcuts to success. Of course there are ways to reach your goals faster, like having a coach.
Regardless, if you aren`t willing to put in the hard work, it doesn`t matter if you have the world`s best coach.
He/she can only tell you what do you, but YOU need to do it.
2. Letting Emotions Control Your Actions
Research have shown that our actions are controlled by our emotions, NOT our logic.
Have you ever done anything really smart when you were angry?
I didn`t think so. Welcome to the club.
When people are happy they spend money to celebrate.
When people are sad they spend money to feel better.
During the last economical down period in Norway, the airline companies were afraid that people would stop travelling.
But what happened?
The sales of airline tickets to holiday destinations abroad went through the roof.
Why?
Because when people are sad and depressed, they want to FEEL better.
Have you ever experienced this?
You knew which important tasks you SHOULD do for the day, and you were just about to start"¦
but then a good old friend called"¦
and then there was this new funny sitcom that you HAD to see"¦
and then you realized that you just HAD to vacuum clean your living room.
You were completing all the tasks EXCEPT your important tasks.
Good for procrastination.
Bad for you.
Solution
You need to remove your emotions from having an affect on whether you performing a certain action or not.
In your 9-5 job, did you ever truly enjoy getting out of bed every morning?
Probably NOT. I know I didn`t.
But why did you do it?
Because you knew that if you didn`t arrive at your work in the morning, you wouldn`t get paid. Or even worse, you would get fired.
How did you get out of bed?
You FORCED yourself. Every single day.
The same goes for your STOPPING to let your emotions control your actions. It`s not easy to do it. You have to FORCE yourself to do it.
3. Spontaneously Working On Your Tasks
To spontaneously work on your to do list tasks, where you randomly select which tasks you are working on, is a great way to procrastinate.
You might as well have NO to do list.
To be quite honest, your schedule might actually be BLANK.
It`s like writing your to do tasks on small pieces of paper and putting them into a hat. When you need a new task to do, you pull a random task out from the hat.
It sounds like a bad magic trick where you let procrastination ruin your life.
Solution
The experts say that every minute spent in planning saves you ten minutes in execution. You should plan your day in advance.
Planning a week ahead is great. If that`s a bit too hardcore for you, at least plan the next day the night before.
Have ONE to do list that contains ALL your to do tasks. If a task is not on your to do list, it won`t get done.
Then prioritize the tasks using the ABCDE method.
A tasks: tasks you must do "“ serious consequences if they don`t get done
B tasks: tasks you should do "“ mild consequences if they don`t get done
C tasks: tasks you could do "“ no consequences if they don`t get done
D tasks: tasks you delegate
E tasks: tasks you never do
The trick is to never start a B task before you have completed all your A tasks, and never start a C task before you have completed all your B tasks.
Do that and you will be working on your most important task at any given time.
4. Mentally Being Far Away
Have you ever been at work, and instead of working you were thinking about all the boring chores you needed to do when you got home?
Let ´s flip the coin.
Have you ever been at home, and instead of doing boring chores you were thinking about all the tasks you didn`t get done at work?
Well, that is what happens when we let our mind drift off.
Not only can you lose track of time and place, but also you don`t perform the activities you were suppose to do.
Every time you let your mind drift off, you are visiting Procrastination Land.
Solution
Be present. Do the activities you have planned.
If you are going to plan what you are going to do at home when you are at work, at least put it into your calendar. If you have a challenge with keeping track of time, set the alarm on your mobile phone.
I would advice people to work when they are on work. That being said, if you can`t seem to concentrate on your work, because you don`t know how to handle the chores at home, set a side 10 minutes and get it done.
Using 10 minutes to create a game plan for the chores at home, and THEN work on your work tasks, can be more productive than NOT being able to do concentrate before you have resolved the issue.
If you have a real challenge with letting your mind drift off, you can set the alarm for every hour. When the alarm goes off, you ask yourself the question: "What am I REALLY doing right now? Am I truly present?"
5. Multitasking
Ever tried to have a meaningful conversation by phone while writing an important email and chatting with a friend on Facebook?
If so, how did that work out for you?
Most likely you performed all the tasks with below mediocre quality.
I don`t care if you think that you have a black belt in multi-tasking, and people have given you compliments for that skill.
Research has shown that you are more productive when you FOCUS on one single task at a time.
Solution
They say that the person who is able to focus his/her mind on one thought for 2 minutes straight, can accomplish anything.
Focus on doing ONE single task at a time until it`s completed.
Remember the ABCDE method I talked about in bullet point 3?
Start your day by working on your most important task and work on it until it`s done. Then pick your second most important task, and focus on working on that task until it`s done.
You get the point.
What To Do Next"¦
Now you know the 5 signs that you are procrastinating, and how to fix it.
That being said, it`s USELESS unless you actually APPLY it.
You have to look for the procrastination signs, and then apply the cure.
So get up and implement these tips today!
Let the procrastination become the JOKE.
What is your experience with procrastination?
How do you deal with it?
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