Archive for the ‘Procrastination’ Category

The surest way to know that you can do something is to have done it before. When you set daily goals for yourself, you develop the habit of getting things done. When the procrastination demon appears, you know how to force yourself to push ahead because you’ve done it before. If you feel like you’re losing the battle against procrastination, one of the most effective strategies for taking charge of your life is to get in the habit of accomplishing daily goals.

Set a goal every day, and achieve it. It’s easy to get discouraged when your projects don’t seem to be going anywhere. We all need a long-term vision to guide our day-to-day efforts, but many people with high goals develop a negative attitude when they think they’re not making progress. That’s why it’s important to set achievable goals every day. The more goals you achieve, the more positive your attitude will be.

Set weekly and monthly goals. Your short-term goals are milestones that keep you moving toward long-term goals. They help you know if you’re going in the right direction. When a long-term goal seems far away, it’s easy to feel discouraged. Breaking down a large project into smaller segments makes it easier to stay focused. Congratulate yourself when you achieve daily and weekly goals, and give yourself a special reward when you achieve a monthly goal.

It’s important to experience the satisfaction and rewards of successfully completing jobs. When you force yourself to keep moving until you finish a project, it’s easier to get started on the next one. Don’t be surprised if you feel yourself grappling with the drift toward procrastination now and then-it may never go away completely. All successful people learn how to identify the procrastination monster, and they know what to do about it when it threatens:

- Successful people use their time well. When an urgent task threatens to pull them away from what they’re doing, they don’t rush into it just because it seems urgent. They always ask: Which of these two things is higher on my list of priorities?

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

- They turn off the phone from time to time. Can you get more done by leaving a voice message and turning the phone off during certain periods of the day? The telephone is one of the most insidious thieves of our time. It’s urgent but rarely important. It shoves out the less urgent but more important things.

- They keep a log of how they use their time. If they miss a deadline, they plan how to finish the remainder of their work and estimate as accurately as possible when it will be done.

- They develop a routine. They set an objective to accomplish every morning and every afternoon.

- They leave time in their daily schedule for contingencies.

- They always think twice before postponing a task. Successful people know that pushing themselves to accomplish daily goals makes them more likely to achieve long-term goals.

Those who only know one or two facts about Procrastination can be confused by misleading information. The best way to help those who are misled is to gently correct them with the truths you’re learning here.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, now giving away Free Adsense eBooks for a limited time only

The only way to keep up with the latest about Procrastination is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about Procrastination, it won’t take long for you to become an influential authority.

Take this quiz to find out if you-or any students in your family-need to get serious about overcoming procrastination:

- Do you put off assignments until the last possible hour because you like to think of yourself as the type of person who works best under pressure?

- Do you write down your priorities before you start projects? Do many things seem unimportant when you look at them in the light of these priorities?

- Do you ask yourself which of several tasks is the most important one before you rush into an assignment?

- Do you concentrate on finishing an assignment when you’re in danger of missing a deadline, rather than complaining that you never have enough time to get your work done?

- Do you make sure your friends know when not to disturb you?

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Procrastination. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

- Do you turn off the TV and your phone when you need to work on an important assignment? Do you concentrate completely on what you’re doing now, rather than dwelling on what you did in the past?

- When you’ve done the best you can, are you content to wrap up a project and hand it in as it is?-Do you generally make good estimates of how much time it will take to finish an assignment?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions but the first one (I hope you answered “no” to that one), you can develop better study habits by getting serious about procrastination. Try doing the hardest assignments first. Sandwich a difficult assignment between two of your favorite ones.

Most students dread writing assignments, putting them off to the last possible minute. Writing is one of the most important skills a student can develop. Here are some tips from great writers that can help you conquer the procrastination monster:

- Winston Churchill wrote about 5 million words in his lifetime. That’s the equivalent of ten thousand 500-word articles, so he must have enjoyed writing very much. And he wrote well-well enough to win a Nobel Prize for literature. Churchill once said: “When you’re going through Hell, keep going.” To paraphrase that advice for all students struggling with a writing assignment: When you don’t know what to write, keep writing.

- Don’t be a bleeder. (Journalists who agonize over every word they write are known in their profession as “bleeders.”) The faster you write, the more you’ll enjoy writing. Jack London, one of my favorite writers when I was a student, said that “you can’t wait for inspiration; you have to go after it with a club.”

- Another Nobel Prize Laureate, John Steinbeck, said: “Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on.” In other words, rewriting before you finish a first draft is an excuse for procrastination.

Now you can understand why there’s a growing interest in Procrastination. When people start looking for more information about Procrastination, you’ll be in a position to meet their needs.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, now giving away Free Adsense Sites for a limited time only

Procrastination is the main reason people fail to live richer lives. If you haven’t been reaching your goals, you may need to make a greater commitment. And the only reliable measure of commitment is action. When you delay getting started on a job or fail to complete a job you’ve already started, always ask yourself why you’re not working on it:

1. I can’t do it and I don’t want to do it.
2. I can do it but I don’t want to.
3. I want to do it but I can’t.
4. I can do it and I want to.

If you’re honest with yourself, you can probably get started on the fourth type of projects today. If you do, you will have taken the first step toward defeating the monster of procrastination.

Research shows that you can develop new habits in just two weeks if you are serious about changing. Taking action and staying focused on your goals is what makes private dreams and corporate missions come true. The tasks people avoid are almost always the ones on which the success of their projects depends. Make a list of your least favorite tasks. Ask yourself how you approach them. Do you tackle them first or leave them for last?

Think about people you know who always get things done. What are their work habits? How do they approach unappealing jobs? How do they stay focused? Try doing the least enjoyable jobs first, or put a task you dislike between your favorite ones. As Mark Twain said, “If you have to swallow a frog, don’t stare at it too long.”

I trust that what you’ve read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

If you have trouble making commitments because you think you won’t be able to live up to them, you may want to try the method that served Thomas Edison so well. When Edison had an idea, he would go public by announcing his invention at a press conference. Having told the world about it, he went into his laboratory and invented it.

You may not want to try this out at work any time soon, but I’m sure you can think of many ways to apply the technique of “going public” in other areas of your life. The point is: Thomas Edison, the greatest and most productive inventor in the history of the United States, understood how important it is to keep from drifting into inactivity. His technique for defeating procrastination was an extraordinary one, and he used it to achieve extraordinary results.

Put your favorite inspirational sayings where you can see them. Let people know when you don’t want to be disturbed. Think about the things in your environment that help you get into the flow of your work. What things distract you or make you want to postpone a job? How can you design or rearrange your environment to eliminate causes of procrastination?

Thomas Edison said, “If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” Do something today that you’ve been putting off and start astounding yourself.

This article’s coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.

About the Author
Check out Anders Eriksson’s latest articles: Travel To Exotic Places and Make Money With Adsense

The first step toward overcoming procrastination is recognizing that procrastination is a problem. Procrastinators have big problems and small problems, but the fact is that most of their problems are caused by procrastination.

All procrastinators share certain traits:

- Procrastinators know what they should do about a problem, and in many cases they know what specific action needs to be taken. Yet they find reasons to avoid action.

- Procrastinators are reluctant to do anything about a problem now, vowing to take action at some vague time in the future.

- Procrastinators promise to take action when the “right” circumstances present themselves. By making performance of the job depend on something else, they justify their decision to delay action. They delude themselves into thinking that their hands are tied. They would like to do something but can’t-it’s not their fault.

- All procrastination is the result of deluding ourselves. Procrastinators deny reality, refusing to accept responsibility for their lives. To defeat procrastination, we must stop playing games with ourselves. You can’t overcome procrastination until you accept the fact that you are responsible for what you make of your life. That may be more honesty than many people are capable of, but there is no other way to achieve a fulfilling life.

The best time to learn about Procrastination is before you’re in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable Procrastination experience while it’s still free.

We are not victims of our circumstances. You can do the things that need to be done. And you can learn to distinguish between the things that need to be done now and the things that can wait.

1. Have you written a list of your life’s goals?

2. Have you have written a list of short-term goals (3-6 months)?

3. Do you keep these lists where you can see them?

4. Do you set clear priorities? Do some things that seem urgent take on less importance when you focus on your larger goals?

5. Do you know when to say “no” to keep from burdening yourself with more jobs than you can finish?

6. Do you live in the present? Do you focus on what you’re doing now, rather than on the things you should have done in the past?

7. When you’ve given your best effort, do you know when to wrap up a project?-Do you feel that spending more time on it will only keep you from starting your next project?

Did you answer “no” to any of the above questions? If you did, you need to make a commitment to do something about it today. Choose an item and make up your mind that you’re going to do something about it. Don’t worry about the next item until you’ve made a dent in the first one. Now that you’ve taken the first step by reading this article, take the next step and finish a job you’ve been postponing-there will never be a better time than now.

Sometimes it’s tough to sort out all the details related to this subject, but I’m positive you’ll have no trouble making sense of the information presented above.

About the Author
Check out Anders Eriksson’s latest creations: Online Marketing Succes and Make Money With Adsense

If you’re seriously interested in knowing about Procrastination, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about Procrastination.

To be successful in the battle against procrastination, you must establish priorities and stick to them. Successful people have learned that they must do the hard jobs whether they’re in the mood or not.

Take this quiz to find out if you need to get more serious about procrastination:

- Do you set priorities?

- Do you get the hard jobs done whether you’re in the mood or not?

- Do you spend most of your time working on tasks that you need to finish this week?

- Do you spend time each day working on your long-term goals?

- Do you have a system for measuring your progress?

- Do you have a filing system for each of your long-range projects?

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Procrastination now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, you need to get more serious about procrastination. Ask yourself if you’re happy living with the consequences of procrastination. Do you have justifiable reasons for postponing tasks, or have you simply developed the habit of putting things off?

- Establish your priorities. If you don’t make a list of your priorities every day, why don’t you? And if you do make a list, ask yourself how you rank items in order of importance.

- Force yourself to act. Set deadlines for yourself, even when you don’t have to. You need to spend most of your time on this week’s projects, but try to spend a little time every day on long-term goals.

- Spend 75% of your time on the things you need to finish this week. Dedicate the rest of your time to projects that need to be finished in the next six months. If you don’t have a list of deadlines for the next six months, make one now. What have you done so far on each of these projects? How are you measuring your progress on each one?

- Keep a file for each long-range project. This can be a folder with the deadline date in big letters on the outside. Write down target milestones for each big project. (A milestone is a deadline for finishing one part of a project.)

Wasting time on tasks that don’t contribute to the success of our projects is one of the most insidious forms of procrastination. When you decide to rush into something on the spur of the moment, always ask yourself if it’s the best way to spend your time. Could I accomplish more with the time I have by doing a different task? Which of these two tasks will make a greater contribution to getting the job done?

Don’t put yourself in the position of Shakespeare’s King Richard II, who was forced to say: “I wasted time, and now time doth wasted me.” Get serious about procrastination today.

Now that wasn’t hard at all, was it? And you’ve earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert’s word on Procrastination.

About the Author
Anders Eriksson hands out nice gifts on these topics to all visitors: free adsense ebook and free adsense sites

The power of belief is a key to success in everything we do. Whether your goal is to rise to the top of your profession or to be a better weekend golfer, you have a better chance of success if you believe you’ll be successful. And by believing that you can defeat procrastination, you can start to take charge of your life today.

Learn how to control your negative thoughts. When your mind says you can’t do something, refuse to listen to it. Don’t express your negative thoughts in words; tell your mind-and say it out loud-that you’re going to do what it takes to get the job done.

It isn’t easy, but it’s worth the effort. Many people procrastinate because they’ve made up their minds that they’re going to fail. If you are one of these people, the most important thing you can do today is to stop believing what the procrastination demon has been telling you.

Human beings are unique because of our ability to change-to become more than what we are. But before we can change, we must be able to accept full responsibility for everything we do. Smokers who say they “hate” smoking are deluding themselves-as an ex-smoker, I claim some authority on this topic.

We have a choice. People smoke because they want to smoke. It may be very hard for many people to quit smoking, but that’s not the point-they’ll never quit as long as they lie to themselves about the real cause of their habit. People are able to quit smoking when they really want to quit.

Take this quiz to find out if negative thoughts are causing procrastination in your life:

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Procrastination. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

- When you tackle a job, do you expect to be successful? Do you think you’ll be able to complete the job successfully by giving it your best effort?

- Do you visualize your success? When you face a difficult task and feel like giving up, are you able to give yourself a pep talk to stay motivated?

- When friends, family members, or others help you recognize a habit that you need to change, are you able to recognize the truth in what they say? Do you believe you can change your bad habits?

- Do you accept responsibility when your projects fail, rather than looking for something beyond your control to blame it on?

- When your mind says you’re going to fail, do you try to replace these negative thoughts with positive ones?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, ask yourself what you can do to approach life with a more positive attitude. Do you want to go on living with negative thoughts, doubts, and fears? Are there any benefits of clinging to a negative attitude?

We can change bad habits by wanting to change them. And you can defeat the habit of procrastination in your life-especially if you believe you can.

Now you can understand why there’s a growing interest in Procrastination. When people start looking for more information about Procrastination, you’ll be in a position to meet their needs.