Have you ever put something off, only to find it looming over your head like a dark cloud? Maybe it’s a business you want to start, the sales calls you need to make, or a book you want to write, or an exercise program you’ve been meaning to start. When the thought of it drifts into your mind, it grows into a 500-pound blue monster, paralyzing you, and keeping you from getting started. It’s hard to make sense of why you’re putting it off because you do want to get started—it just seems like there’s always something holding you back.
Here are the first 3 steps for shaking off procrastination so you can get on with the stuff you need to do.
Step 1: Recalling why you wanted to do this thing in the first place.
When you put something off, usually there’s a perception that you’ve got something else more pressing in your life. You often find yourself saying things like, “I have this crazy project at work right now, and it’s consuming all my time.” Or “October is nuts for me, and with the holidays coming up, this is just not a good time to add another thing. I’ll get to it in January”.
On the surface, these kinds of rationalizations seem completely valid, but if gone unchecked, you’re likely to procrastinate indefinitely. So if you catch yourself saying these things, use them as an early warning system that you need to stop and take some inventory.
Let’s say you’re putting off your sales calls for the day. Take just a few minutes to write down a few meaningful reasons you wanted to do that particular “something” in the first place.
For example:
- “I’ve committed to putting 5% of my earning into my daughter’s 529.”
- “I only need 7 more clients to increase revenue by 25% (from last year).”
- “I want that promotion, and this is the best way to clinch it.”
- “I build confidence and gain momentum every time I pick up that phone and dial.”
- “My anxiety goes down when I have business on the books for November and December.”
Find 5 meaningful reasons of your own that will refuel your drive.
Step 2: Talk to the voices in your head.
We all have those voices of self-doubt in our heads. The more you listen to them, the louder they get. If you listen to them long enough, they will crash-land you on the rocks of indecision and procrastination. To make things worse, those same voices are often echoed and reinforced by friends and colleagues. (See my crabs in a bucket article) Drag those voices to the mat and pin them down. Repeat them out loud, or write them down on a piece of paper so you can see how absurd they really are! Use your sense of logic to blast away at the validity of those nagging notions. Stick to the facts and hard evidence around you and it will be easy to disprove the nay-saying voices in your head.
For example, you might hear yourself saying, “I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’m wasting some serious time on this book idea. Besides, I don’t even know where to start—let alone how to get published.”
Your response: “Ok, Voice in My Head. This is true. I don’t know what I’m doing, but neither did anyone else who wanted to publish a book for the first time. I’m sure I know someone who’s got some information about publishing, and I can also do some research on the web.”
How about this one: “It’s genetics. I’ll never lose the weight. Diet and exercise are acts of futility for me.”
To which you could respond, “Check it out, Voice in My Head. I’m not the only person in the world with bad genes. In fact, there are plenty of folks with the same lousy genes who’ve succeeded in losing weight. My friend Sarah’s family is definitely not a picture of health, and she went from a size 16 to a size 12 last year. So it IS possible to lose weight, even if my genes aren’t in my favor.”
Pull those voices out of your head, slap them around and look all over the place for some factual positive reinforcement!
Step 3: “Tomorrow” is food for the procrastination beast.
Tomorrow is procrastination’s best friend. Tomorrow is what gives the Blue Monster power. If you say “I’ve decided to start on __________tomorrow,” your brain is bound to fall into its old pattern and habit. What it actually hears you saying is: “I’m putting this off. Period.” The “tomorrow detail” is of no consequence. You’re simply putting off getting started—AGAIN. When you hear yourself saying these words, pause, and ask yourself this question:
“What is ONE action I can take TODAY to get me started in the right direction?”
Perhaps it’s a quick phone call you can make in the next 15 minutes? Or a 15-minute walk you can go on after dinner? Or 15 minutes of research you can do on the web.
By committing to one simple action in the present, and NOT the future, you’ll get back on track, and feel great about yourself. That’s what the first 3 steps are about!
Want to learn the 4 additional steps for creating a system to keep that momentum going? What better time to conquer your Big Blue Monster than on Halloween! Click here to find out how.
