That’s because I’m going to talk about something we all like to avoid, literally!
Procrastination.
Surprisingly, the inspiration for this newsletter came the moment I sat down to write it, and to be very honest, I didn’t have any real idea what I was going to write, as I’d been putting it off all week.
But once I actually sat down to write the idea came to me clearly within a minute or so.
A whole week spent putting it off and as soon as I was sitting down to write, all the inspiration and motivation that I needed was there.
So I’m going to share some thoughts on motivation and share my 5 best tips to build up a good procrastination busting mindset.
We sometimes work ourselves into a real tizzy about some task in front of us and, from one angle it looks like that angst and worry is about nothing.
And yet from the other side it can feel like an insurmountable mountain.
The simple truth is that both points of view are effectively accurate.
Trust me when I say this, I get at least a couple of enquiries a week from people who are having problems with procrastination or motivation.
Not being able to bring ourselves to do something is one of the most common problems people come to me with.
During my sessions I often talk about how it sometimes almost seems like there is another person living inside us and making (or not making) decisions for us.
I know that sounds a little crazy but anyone who has found themselves reaching for a biscuit whilst telling themselves not to. Anyone who has pressed play on a video when they have a project due tomorrow knows exactly what I’m talking about.
So who is that mysterious passenger in our head, the one that seems to be making the decisions for us sometimes?
I usually describe it as our habits. Habits are just mental shortcuts we have taught ourselves to do, to take the heavy brain lifting so we can hopefully do things more efficiently.
Our habits don’t care about the future though, they only care about the now and that can be a problem. Habits always, but always, work on a reward system. They work to provide security or pleasure for us. We avoid the bad thing, we look for the good thing.
In short, the procrastination conundrum!
Unfortunately, the world we live in is a bit more complicated than that. By our own doing, we live in a world where we have to worry about the paycheque in two weeks time, to put the rubbish out tomorrow or to order birthday presents for family several weeks in advance.
In short, we no longer live in the day to day world of our distant ancestors and our brains just haven’t caught up yet.
The trick to working around the limits of our own primitive brains.
The limiting habits that avoid doing things we have difficulty working up enthusiasm for, it’s both very hard, and yet, strangely easy.
Here are 5 ways I shift it, taking it from difficult to simple:
- The five minute miracle. Ask yourself “OK I have exactly 5 minutes, starting now. If I ‘have’ to do something constructive towards my final goal in that time. What is it going to be?” Then you go and do it. It’s moved your target from the impossible ‘future’ into a teeny tiny bite sized chunk right now and you will find that your habit will step aside to let you work.
- Be a choosy beggar. If you have an insurmountable task then worrying about it isn’t going to make it any less insurmountable. You must knock it down to size first. So take a small chunk out of it and work on that. Think of a big task like learning to play an instrument. You don’t learn to play a concerto, you learn a chord instead. Break your task down and then you can get started.
- Be firm but be nice. Forgive yourself for your meandering, procrastinating ways. Don’t let yourself use a bad habit as an excuse to indulge that same bad habit. Instead acknowledge that procrastination has happened in the past and move on, you don’t need to dwell on it.
- Rock it up. Everyone has a song that picks them up, something that sparks a feeling of anticipation or brings back memories of better times. Why not take advantage of that? When you hit a slump why not get yourself feeling reinvigorated and at the same time create a mental trigger that associates positive action with that song? Be it David Bowies ‘Heroes’ or Pinks ‘Fight Song’ build out a power playlist and use it as your secret weapon.
- Pay it forward to yourself. When you have done good you deserve a reward. Research shows that treats can set up good habits if you link the two. I’m going to suggest that you don’t make that treat snack food because that creates a whole ‘nother problem but, come project end, maybe go out for a meal? Go to a spa? Get a massage? Enjoy the sunshine? Have a power nap?
I hope you find these tips useful. As always though, if you need a little it more help to go deeper, reach out to your friendly neighbourhood hypno. We’re in this together.
