Procrastinating? A magic question to get you unstuck!
When wanting to overcome procrastination, one of the things people ask me most is how can they recover their focus in the midst of all the distractions of a typical day.
If my client’s experience is anything like yours, you probably find yourself procrastinating when faced with a vague unclear task. This is very, very common and this video will introduce you to one small question that has the power to get you unstuck fast.
Why not try it now and share your insights by adding your comments below?
Bye for now,
Anth.
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Thanks for the tip!
It is so easy to let ourselves be overwhelmed by challenges big goals appear have. Look at it like a hike up a mountain, take the first step, then then another, adjust as needed along the way. All you need to know is the direction to go and a time-frame to make it happen.
The worst thing we can do is focus on the risks and challenges ahead and fail to take action. Those are the very things that make us stronger. But only if we refuse to quit! Focus on the overall experience on the benefits of achievement.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Short way to help remember your great tip
TSA
(Take Specific Action)
Thanks!
Dini
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
“Those are the very things that make us stronger!”
I like this phrase and it is what I need at this very moment.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Makes perfect sense! Very practical and realistic solution. MEL
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
This is a practical but promising insite. Thanks!
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I’ve learnt not to put ‘Projects’ (i.e. anything with more than one step) on my To Do list at all. Instead, I have a separate list of projects (Paint the bathroom, Increase traffic to my website) and only put on the To Do list the next smallest action that will make progress: Wash down the bathroom woodwork, Subscibe to the three websites that carry business listings that Tim told me about). I also have learnt that rather than to do one thing a day towards all my projects and goals, there’s more satisfaction in focussing on getting one chunk of work actually finished - the increased energy this brings means other stuff doesn’t languish on the back burner for long.
Great work, Anth - keep it up!
Erica
October 4th, 2008 at 2:03 am
Thanks Anth!
It seems so simple, and so obvious, but that’s really what you need to do. Sometimes our minds can be chaotic, just stressed on so much to do, I need to do this and this and that, but HOW? Sometimes it works just to cool down for a moment and think “whats next? What’s the next specific action?” You can let your mind have a mind of its own and take you for a ride, but you need to notice it, and stop, and see what’s realistic and next.
Ofcourse there might be a variety of reasons why I’m so often stuck. I think having vague goals or steps is a big one though. Other issues I have are wanting to do too much that I sometimes don’t know how to prioritise things. Or being really motivated to one goal and focusing on just that for a while, but then losing steam on it, or getting stuck, and then moving onto another goal for a while. This makes it feel like I’m always bouncing around before I ever get anything finish. I don’t remember the last time I’ve finished something. And as a creative person, this really really hurts…. I have the habit of failure, rather than success, so I forget what success feels like!
Thanks Anth for your simple advice. it’s really good to just stop spinning out of control, and ask yourself, “what is the very next specific action I can take?” I realise now that moving slowly towards a goal will reach success alot quicker than being frozen and not doing anything, ever.
October 4th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I can not believe how you zero in on my bad habits. It is hard to imagine that other people have the same ones and you can pin point the exact solution for each one . I do not know how I stumbled onto your site but I am so very grateful that I did. Thanks and never stop helping us. Nancy
October 9th, 2008 at 2:19 am
I really like this idea! When looking at the several projects in my den,it just feels better to walk away, and work on a less demanding project.
I want to zoom in to just one task, and take ACTION.
I purchased a timer, after reading about the ” chicken” timer.
Now I can utilize both ideas, and surprise myself with the results.
Keep up the good work
( I bet you are enjoying not having to read peoples thoughts about your spelling, or politically correct wordings !! )
October 13th, 2008 at 3:27 am
thanks for the help, such a great help from you……
October 18th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Very helpful tip. Simple and practical–like so many of your tips. Maybe that’s why they seem to work.
October 25th, 2008 at 7:45 am
By the tone of the messages received, we procrastinators appear to have many of the same habits.
Of late my main symptom is off constantly being overwhelmed by and with everything.
As I’m in the middle of putting together a Business Plan,I can only guess that this is half my problem.
I am definitely going to identify and T.S.A.
Thank you so very much for your words of wisdom.
And fellow members, continue with faith in Our Hero.
December 25th, 2008 at 1:35 am
Thanks Anth! Excellent advice.
Let’s say you have a large project which is going to take several weeks of constant work to achieve (I write software so this is always the case for me). Sometimes i will feel guilty about planning the project if it takes too much time, but deep down I know that it is absolutely essential to plan the project thoroughly.
For instance, in a four week project I might want to spend a whole week with pen and paper, just analysing the project and breaking it down into small components. I know that if i have these small bite-sized pieces then it is easy to kill procrastination dead as a small daily task is easily quantifiable and most importantly there is an end-game. I know before I start when the end will be reached and what the result will look like!
So my top tip is: don’t be afraid to spend time planning. Once you have a plan, it can always change but you can’t change a plan which does not exist yet!!