Procrastination Does Not Serve You Well: Simple Strategies to Kill Procrastination!

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Gerry

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Why are so many of us procrastinators? Are we lazy? Usually not. Are we bad people? No. So why do so many of us push off the tasks we know need to be completed in order to forge ahead?

These questions have been on my mind for quite some time. I recently wrote Habits Can Make or Break You: The Definitive Guide to Success which touched on the system I use to create the habits that will support achieving my goals. I feel it is a simple, effective way to finally move forward. But I fear there may be a problem…

Many will never take the first step to incorporate the system, and will continue to run on the hamster wheel of life spinning into oblivion. Others will jump in with both feet and completely change their routine because the “system” is the only way, only to lose steam after only a few days or weeks.

Whatever the scenerio, both end up in a crash and burn fashion, leaving people with a bad taste in their mouth. They blame the system rather than blaming their behaviors. Procrastination is a powerful HABIT that effects many people and robs a lifetime of dreams.

Why do so many possess this habit? Does procrastination really serve a purpose in our lives, or is it a bad habit like smoking?

I believe procrastination has resulted from a combination of simply not knowing the next step and either a fear of success or failure. Couple that with mis-prioritized poorly planned tasks and it is no wonder procrastination is rampant.

Even though I have developed the habit of working from a list every single day, I still find myself putting off some things on that list. After reflecting on the tasks that constantly get put off I have determined that every task falls into the following categories of why they get passed over.

They are too vague in description: For example, “Work on finances” is a task on my list today. Every time I glance at it, it creates a mild discomfort like something is missing. It’s painful, and it will probably not get completed.
They may be insignificant and unworthy: Sometimes a task may not be worth even doing at all. Many times we get caught up in insignificant “busy” work that does not bring us value, and does not move us forward . Often times these tasks are someone else’s emergency due to poor planning, and you are their solution. Their emergency becomes your emergency.
A prior mistake was made: Sometimes we procrastinate on certain tasks because we have made a mistake on a similar task before. Maybe we were disciplined harshly for it, or it cost us something of value and we have become gun shy.
Just plain overwhelmed by expecting to much: This is a big one, and is usually my main problem. “Biting off more than you can chew” is the best way to describe it. I tend to over-estimate how much I can finish in a day. If I have too many tasks, I revert to doing the minor “quick” tasks and push off the big tasks I really should be focusing on.

How do we “fix” the procrastination problem?

Unfortunately is involves work, practice, revision, more work, more practice, and more revision. I know, sounds “scary”, but I think it is actually easier than it appears.

I believe the first step after creating your list, look at each task and ask yourself if there are any other steps in the task. For example: My “work on finances” task might need me to break it down to “Get all of the month’s bills together”. Getting all my bills together sounds less ominous and more concrete than vaguely saying “work on finances”. I may also write down the task, “Get bank account balances”, under that as well.

The broken down tasks become concrete steps on what to do. I like concrete, because there is no issue with not understanding what needs to be done. A concrete task is basically a list of prioritized directions on how to complete something.

The second step is to prioritize the list. Once the concrete tasks have been identified, determine which tasks are going to move you forward and which steps are just busy work. This can be tricky because we have been conditioned to associate busy with productive. Couple that with the fact that many tasks can be someone else’s priority and not necessarily yours.

The best strategy I have come up with is to first ask yourself if this task is yours or does someone else own it? If it’s yours then great, you have complete control over its fate. If someone else owns it, do they have permission to hand off their tasks for you to complete? If it’s your boss, a parent, or an authority figure then you may be out of luck and have to suck it up, but if they aren’t, then you get to choose if they are allowed to burden you, (remember the guy who didn’t plan, now his tasks are HIS emergency and you are HIS solution to HIS problem?). Maybe this person needs to be reminded of the old saying, “Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part!”

Now that ownership has been established, ask yourself this question about each task, “If this task never gets completed what will be the end result?”. If the answer you get results in something insignificant and you really are indifferent to it, then that task is a pretty low priority task.

Procrastination Does Not Serve You Well: Simple Strategies to Kill Procrastination! Many (including myself) make the mistake of getting all the small stuff out of the way that way you can focus all your energy on the important stuff. The main problem with that is many times all the small, day to day stuff robs your most precious expendable resource, which is your mental energy. You only have so much mental energy each and every day before you need to put your mind to rest. The highly logical strategy would be to get your greatest, most difficult, most mentally demanding task out of the way first thing. Brian Tracy has called this strategy “Eating the Frog”, because if you can eat a frog first thing at the beginning of your day, the rest of your day with be smooth and productive.

I have also talked about it in previous posts using 1 weapon to solve a multitude of problems. By this, I mean being able to essentially kill two or more birds with one stone. Having the awareness to group similar tasks and complete them simultaneously, rather than one after another. By taking a few minutes noticing if any tasks can be completed in this manner could save you hours of inefficient efforts. For example, are any of your tasks errand type, or maybe they require the same resources or even the same work space to be completed? (Making a bunch of phone calls, or answering emails, or the such).

The final tip to help combat procrastination is to put time limits/estimates on each task, and focus on one task at a time. Many times a task can seem ominous because in the back of your mind it might not have and ending point. This creates uncertainty which is also painful to us. By setting a time limit on the task, you give yourself a stopping point to a possible never ending task. At the same time, keep away from “multitasking” as we are not wired for it. Many people say they are great at it, but in reality they are extremely inefficient while multitasking.

Need proof? I want you to picture let’s say an ice cream cone. Got a nice picture of one? Great!

Now I want you to picture a plain old brick. You see it? A boring old red brick. Great. Now I want you to try and think of both at the same time. Try and see both an ice cream cone and a red brick in your minds eye. You can’t, if you put them side by side, you will only be able to clearly see one at a time.

You focus on the ice cream, the brick becomes blurry or disappears. You focus on the brick and the POOF! the ice cream vanishes. You cannot multi-task so do not operate like you can!

In summary, to minimize procrastination, focus on the following guidelines:

Is the task too vague?
Are you afraid of the task because you screwed it up before and your afraid to screw it up again?
Do you even own the task or is it someone else’s emergency pawned off on you?
Are you biting off more than you can chew?

Once you have determined what the cause of your procrastination implement the following strategies to move past the procrastination and complete your tasks.

Break each task down into its next action level. If a task is broken down to where there is no next action, then it is at its simplest form.
If you own the task then determine if it is significant enough to be bothered with it.
If you don’t own it, does the person who does have the authority to inconvenience you with their emergency?
“Eat the frog” first, and this will set the tone for the rest of your day. Get your big task out of the way while your fresh.
Group tasks that are similar in nature together and do them simultaneously. (Errands, phone calls, desk work, etc.)
Put time limits on never ending tasks.
Focus on one thing at a time, forget multitasking.

I hope these strategies help you if you suffer from procrastination problems, and as usual let me know if you have any tips in the comments below, or go on over to the Greatness Inside Out Facebook fan page and put them there.

Thanks,

Gerry

Procrastination Does Not Serve You Well: Simple Strategies to Kill Procrastination!

14 Week Challenge: A Giant Step Outside the Comfort Zone!

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Gerry

Now that I have finished my 28 Day Challenge, I have decided to undertake another fitness goal that is way outside my comfort zone.

All throughout my adolescent athletic career, lifting was one of the weakest of my many undertakings. I was never excited about lifting and only did it under pressure from my various coaches. Even when I did enter the weight room, it was never consistent and sporadic at best.

The main reason it never stuck was because at that point in time (1991-1994) lifting was done with the “muscle isolation” technique. A majority of exercises that were utilized focused on a single joint movement to isolate a specific muscle (think arm curls and leg curls). I think the theory behind it was that the more attention given to a specific muscle made it grow stronger, faster. Now, I am not a lifting expert, so it could have been partially true because some of my peers had great success with it.

The problem I had with it, was that it consumed a lot of time to work in this focus. It would require me to lift 4-5 times a week for nearly 2 hours each day (8-10 hours a week in the gym?). I really did not want to spend that much time in the gym so I opted not to. Well that led to me being uncomfortable in the gym even to this day.

A little over a year ago I ran into a great friend and a highly motivating person. His 14 Week Challenge: A Giant Step Outside the Comfort Zone! name is Dickie White and he owns Ironworks Gym in Binghamton, NY. I met him when I began training Mixed Martial Arts at CNYMMA since they share the same facility.

Dickie is a highly educated individual in developing huge amounts of strength. Plus the beauty thing is he practices what he preaches, as he has dominated his first 3 amateur fights in MMA by ending the bouts all within the first round. He knows what he is talking about, not just because he read a book, but because he trains his own body, as well as the bodies of many very successful wrestlers from the junior high school level all the way up to the collegiate and U.S. Olympic and World team levels. He has also developed a few programs that can be purchased and used on your own if you cannot get a chance to train with him personally. One program in particular was developed with Tamden “The Barn Cat” McCrory who fought and dominated in UFC 96 and is currently staging a comeback. As a matter of fact I promote one of his products on the greatnessinsideout Resources Page. (Check it out!)

Now that we have Dickie’s background out of the way (which is quite extensive), I want to talk about the program he has developed for me. I am a pretty busy person who has limited time (I am a husband and the father of 3 children), and limited patience as well. I like things to move along quickly and really need to move along efficiently or I get impatient. The program Dickie developed consists of lifting 2 days a week, and each day has between 6-7 exercises that work out the ENTIRE body, and get this, it only takes an hour to complete! Talk about quick and effective, right up my ally! So how is this possible? How can you get a total body workout with only 2 hours of weekly gym time and be ready for a POWER LIFTING COMPETITION in only 14 weeks?

The answer is extremely simple. It’s called multi-joint exercises that utilize very heavy lifting. The old paradigm of muscle isolation and a lot of reps are over. Dickie explained to me that lifting something very heavy even just one time is the equivalent of lifting lighter stuff 3-5 times (even more efficient, awesome!). Weight is the key, more so than the quantity of repetitions. Of course the technique has to be correct as well so I don’t risk injury.

Some of the tools of the trade consist of sandbags, medicine balls, atlas stones, and even chains and giant rubber bands! Add to that the flipping of giant tractor tires and it is quickly apparent that this style is totally outside the realm of what most deem “normal” weight training. Some of the old fashioned exercises are still highly effective like bench presses, squats, and dead lifts and really are still the staple of this type of training.

I would like everyone to follow me over the next 14 weeks as I will be posting my progress on here weekly (including pics). Also check out Dickie’s programs and buy them, or if you live near Binghamton, NY, schedule some time to talk with him (you can reach him here). Most of all, create a goal that is WAY outside your comfort zone, something that scares the hell out of you and then do it. Also read my article on the power of Habit Forming and you will thank me later.

Please comment on your comfort zone goal below or “Like” my Facebook page and tell the community what your going to accomplish this year and then DO IT!

Thanks,

Gerry

Your Habits Will Make or Break You: The Definitive Guide To Success

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Gerry

Welcome back everyone! I have been very busy the last couple of months and have put writing on the back burner.

Yesterday (8/7/2011) I finished up my self proclaimed “28 Day Challenge”.

Mark Rockwell

This challenge was basically me training for the Kelly LeBare 5K Race. Roughly 28 days ago my long time friend Mark Rockwell challenged me on Facebook to compete in this race. He is having a fantastic journey, (click on his name above and READ it. It’s a true story of guts and determination!) and has motivated me to step out of my physical comfort zone to shock my system. (It couldn’t have come at a better time!)

Stepping out of your comfort zone

I have never been a big time runner, and my view of running was something you did to train for wrestling. Short sprints, and running to failure and exhaustion was the basis of running. Sure, I ran 5Ks during the triathlons I competed in, but I never took running seriously, and never trained consistently at it. This was going to be a major shift in my physical paradigm, and really required a different way of thinking from me. (Thus the shift in comfort zone).

SMART goals are not as smart as your habits.

Along with this 28 day challenge I decided to try a mental challenge as well. I realized there is a correlation to achieving goals and forming supporting habits. Now, this is by no means a new idea and the goal setting “experts” have been talking about habits and goals for quite some time. I believe these experts just delivered the idea in the wrong order. I think the traditional concept of SMART goal setting is too complicated and clunky to be successful. In addition to the “clunkyness”, I feel it assumes that once the idea and the steps are identified, it will be done on shear “WILL”. Willpower is an exhaustible resource in my eyes because forcing yourself to do something will eventually return less and less positive results as time goes on. (Think New Years Resolutions!) I believe cultivating the habits that will support your goal pursuit are far more effective than any super complicated goal achievement plan.

Worry about perfecting only after you get started!

So I decided to put my theory to the test by creating a 28 day challenge. I did not spend any time planning or structuring it. I just started doing whatever felt right and adjusted my course to fit my needs. I basically made it up as I went along and here is what I discovered.

Habits are solely the greatest tool you can cultivate in order to achieve success!

I have been fighting a losing battle to an addiction to tobacco for the majority of my life. Addictions are basically habits coupled with physical dependence. I wanted to put the theory of using a habit to change a habit to the test and decided to consciously quit nicotine and replace it with exercise by linking both habits in my mind and tracking the results daily.

Parallel to my “habit for habit” theory, I began testing another habit theory based on task

list Your Habits Will Make or Break You: The Definitive Guide To Success

My Daily List

planning. Have you ever heard the saying, “Plan your work and work you plan”? If not, it’s extremely powerful to spend a few minutes planning out your day in advance. By planning I mean figuring out the most important tasks that move you further in your life’s goals. I know we all have daily tasks that require our attention, but many end up making those the bulk of their day and never make the important “moving forward” tasks a priority. According to Anthony Robbins, ”Most people fail in life because they major in minor things.”

Every morning I woke up, just after brewing my morning coffee, I would sit down and write down my daily task list. At first, I had to consciously remind myself to do this, to put pen to paper and “think about the important stuff”. Luckily is was very easy to do, and it was fun for me to do it (I am a notorious list maker by nature). After about 6-7 days I realized that instinctively I was reaching for my list without even thinking about it. I became very excited that a positive habit could take hold so quickly. I attribute the success to a couple of factors:

Consistent, daily practice of the habit: I did it directly after making my coffee (also a habit) and…
I would reward myself by checking that off the list every day. (Habit forming should be part of your daily list of tasks to do.

Every time I wrote that habit on my daily list it would add strength to that habit. I guess it was a visious cycle that keeps feeding on itself.

For the nicotine habit and the running habit, I treated them the same way as the list habit. Each morning I would write these two tasks at the bottom of my list:

No Nicotine
Run

I also consciously linked the two in hopes of replacing the nicotine habit with a running habit. It was a major success, as the craving from nicotine began to subside over a couple of days, and a craving for running began to grow. After around 6-7 days I no longer craved nicotine and the craving for running became almost overwhelming. So much so that I feared getting an injury from progressing so quickly.

After the second full week of my daily list habit, I felt I needed a “recap”, a review of my progress, so I decided to incorporate a weekly review/look ahead habit. This habit has been quick to develop because I think it “piggy backs” the list habit and gets absorbed and included. (Piggy backing may be another strategy that I am going to experiment with). The reviews allow me to track my progress, and it sparks ideas for the future. It essentially gets me to plan the future by recalling what I finished in the past. While reviewing and planning, I can begin to see if any future habits will need to be created, or quite possibly eliminating bad habits I already possess.

I can safely say that 28 days later I have developed 4 distinct positive habits that, although in infancy stage and require daily conditioning, are indeed on auto-pilot and support the behaviors I will need to succeed in any goal I decide to pursue.

In summary, when your goal has been decided on:

Begin by working from a list every day. (First and greatest habit in my opinion, and will support any goal you have in life!)
Determine what habits (unconscious behavior) will best support your goals. If you have bad habits (smoking, drinking, junk food), consciously replace that habit with a healthy positive habit (running, walking, biking). All you have to do is mentally tell yourself, “I want to replace smoking with running, and tell yourself that every time you find yourself craving a smoke, or you decide to feel like running.
Write those habits on your daily list, and cross them off every time you complete them. (Don’t forget to include the “list habit” as well!)
Create the weekly review/look ahead habit and do it once a week.
Most of all enjoy the progress, and the challenge. Also remember to focus on the big picture and if you hick-up one day acknowledge it, blow it off and move on. These are lifelong habits and one day here and there are not going to destroy the grand scheme of things.

Be good,

Gerry

Your Habits Will Make or Break You: The Definitive Guide To Success

Greatness Inside Out

A quest for personal greatness

Tag Archives: goals

Procrastination Does Not Serve You Well: Simple Strategies to Kill Procrastination!

14 Week Challenge: A Giant Step Outside the Comfort Zone!

Your Habits Will Make or Break You: The Definitive Guide To Success

SMART goals are not as smart as your habits.

Worry about perfecting only after you get started!

Habits are solely the greatest tool you can cultivate in order to achieve success!