Get things DONE.

Put Off Procrastination - Get things Done

If constantly putting tasks off till later is causing you stress and consistently making you feel dissapointed in yourself, then here are a few tips to help you to stop procrastination in its tracks once and for all!

Causes of Procrastination

Identifying the causes of procrastination is the first step in overcoming procrastination.

You've probably resolved to make a change, but once again you find yourself in familiar territory of leaving things till the last minute.

Procrastination has the potential to rob you of your potential.

Is procrastination:

• causing you stress
• reducing the quality of your work
• souring your relationships with colleagues and family?

If so, then it is time to act.

Procrastination is not about a lack of willpower!

Psychologists have identified a number of causes of procrastination. These include:

• a lack of clear goals
• indecision
• fear of failure
• anger and resentment
• feeling overwhelmed
• fatigued or tired.

1) Do the unpleasant stuff first.

One of the reasons we put off certain tasks is because some aspect of them is unpleasant; for example we may need to make a difficult telephone call or perform our least favorite chore. Write down the worst tasks which need doing each day and make sure you do them first. Try not to think about it too much, just get stuck in- you find that the most unpleasant tasks often turn out to be a lot easier than you think once you take action. Give yourself a little reward when you have completed them, such as a coffee and an hour of T.V relaxation time.

 Once these are out the way, you will feel more motivated to tackle the easier stuff on your list.

2) Sometimes we procrastinate because we lack focus and direction
of what needs to be done. Make a list of what tasks need to be completed each day, and prioritize them in order of importance (or unpleasantness!) Commit to starting and finishing the first item on the list before moving to the next. Make a step by step plan for each task and commit yourself to completing one step at a time.

3) The task appears too big.

Any task which appears to be too big can cause us to procrastinate, as we can feel overwhelmed by it, such as clearing your whole house or starting a business. The best way of dealing with this is to break each task down into smaller, more manageable steps- for the house clearance example, you may decide to start with one room, or an area of one room. If the task is starting your own business you may set yourself smaller tasks such as spending time researching your business idea, then working on acquiring skills you may need.

Steps 4-6 in the next issue.

Until then:  GET THINGS DONE and you can feel like these guys -

Change "I can't" to "I WILL".

Change your Fitness Dictionary

I have begun a petition!  It is to remove one word from the dictionary.  Let’s see if you agree…

Can’t:Verb

Contraction of cannot

Negative form of can

Can someone please explain to me how this word has risen to such absolute Diction Stardom?  This is the most overused word in our language.  Name one positive thing that has EVER happened with this word at the start of a sentence… Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Here are a few synonyms of can’t. (Now this is a list of winners!)  Synonyms: anxious, blue, can’t win*, cynical, dejected, depressed, desperate, downcast, frantic, hopeless, miserable, melancholy, no-win, sad*...I think you get the point.

A very wise man once said, “There is no try, there is only do.”  I believe it was Mr. Miagi from The Karate Kid or Yoda from Star Wars.  Either way, that guy had it right.  I do not care if your goal is to get huge and take up as much space on this planet as possible, if it’s to get small and take up as little space as possible or if it’s to remain the same size and just get from one point to another faster - there is no CAN’T!

You may have tried numerous methods to help you attain these goals before.  If you failed then you have figured out one more way that does not work for you.  The only sure thing is that if you stop trying then you are virtually assured of not succeeding.  Do not give up!  Get mad, get psyched and get moving!

I see people with 3 main goals: Get big! Get small!  Or get healthy!  We jump on a treadmill and walk to nowhere aimlessly for a few months until we get bored and stop or we will lift up heavy things that do not need to be moved multiple times in an attempt to make us big and strong.  We all start this process with a high level of motivation:

Motivation:  

Noun

the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior.

Providing incentive.

I also see other common traits when it comes to fitness: we eventually stop!  Whether we are bored, our program is not working as quickly as we would like or not at all, or we are confused about what to do next, we stop searching for a solution because the ‘solution’ that we chose no longer provides the stimulus it once did.  One recommendation thatWILL make a difference in maintaining your level of motivation is small group training.  Training in small groups offers 3 distinct advantages over trying to workout on your own:

Competitiveness and Camaraderie

When there are 3-5 other people in the room busting their butts along with you, you will all work harder as individuals and as a group.  No one wants to be the weak link and you will work harder to keep up or set the pace when someone else is falling behind.

Energy

The above leads to Energy.  When you work harder you burn more calories in a shorter time.  If your goal is fat loss then this concept helps a great deal.  If your goal is muscle gain then you can create a bigger response to the exercise.  This is a Win – Win.   

Achievement

You will do more!  I promise you that you will do more under the direction of one of our trainers than you ever will alone.  The “I can’t” or “I don’t think I can” attitude will disappear and you will just do it…every time.  No excuses, no let down, just achievement.  Think like a winner and act like a winner.  When you do not feel like showing up, show up anyway and do it.  When you feel like showing up, show up and blow the doors off the place.   Second, there are a few classes and private training sessions that will help you get moving and bust through anything you feel is holding you back.  Make a deal with your self that you will try a new class or take a session with a personal trainer every month.  Make it a point to look for activities that you have not tried before.

Now that we have discussed the ways to overcome the “can't” in our vocabulary, let’s add these words to our vernacular instead.

Can:

-auxiliary verb

to be able to; have the ability, power, or skill to: I’m sure

to know how to

To have to power or means to

Will:

-noun

The faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action; the power of control the mind has over its own actions

Power of choosing one’s own actions

Purpose or determination

You have to believe that you can and will succeed.