by Peter Murphy
Curing procrastination is about overcoming fear. If you can
conquer the fears which are causing you to put off
important projects you will be well on your way to curing
procrastination.
Curing procrastination is not necessarily about will power
or forcefully advancing in your goals but rather it is
about learning why we procrastinate, what we are afraid of
and finding ways to face those fears in order to move
forward in our lives.
What are you afraid of?
1. Fear of Failure.
The fear of failure is by far the most obvious fear which
can cause disabling procrastination. This is especially
true as it pertains to our professional lives, careers, and
for college students their assignments.
If the fear of failure is causing you to put off a task
then what you need to do is sit down and think carefully
about all of the possible outcomes if indeed you fail.
Actually, first consider what does it mean to fail?
If you can not answer this question then you have nothing to fear
and your task of curing procrastination is finished.
If you can certainly imagine failing in the given task then
consider for a minute what is the worst possible
consequence of failing.
Make peace with this, accept it and you have nothing more
to fear. The Samurai of early Japan taught themselves to
make peace with the fact that they could die at any time.
By doing this they eliminated almost all other fears ––
because, of course, what could be worse than that. They
certainly learned the trick to curing procrastination.
2. Fear of Success.
If you think that maybe your procrastination is being
caused by your fear of success then curing procrastination
becomes all that much easier.
Why are you afraid of success?
Chances are you want success but you fear that you will not
be able to live up to the responsibilities of success and
everything it brings.
Or maybe, you are aware that success will bring negative
consequences in addition to positive things. If you are to
succeed in curing procrastination then you must come to
terms with what to expect with success and weigh the good
versus the bad.
If the undesired results outweigh the bad then just decide
not to do the project at all and you have just succeed in
one thing …… curing procrastination. You see if you remove
a task from your plate then there is no longer anything to
procrastinate about.
Curing procrastination is not impossible and it is within
everyone’s reach. It is really a mind game. In summary,
curing procrastination is possible when you face your fears
head on and eliminate them with an understanding of why you
are afraid.
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently
produced a very popular free report that reveals how to crush
procrastination and sustain lasting motivation. Apply now
because it is available for a limited time only at:
http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/special.htm
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Thursday, February 03, 2005
3 Clever Ways To Stop Procrastinating
by Peter Murphy
Stopping procrastination can be challenging, especially
since you can’t put it off until tomorrow! Most people who
did manage to stop procrastinating did not do so overnight.
Like any other bad habit, procrastination starts small and
builds itself up.
Returning to a more dependable lifestyle however is
possible. Follow these simple steps below and eventually,
with dedication and self discipline your procrastination
should be under control and your tomorrows will be a little
less full!
Step #1 Start Small.
Usually if people procrastinate in their business lives
they also procrastinate in their personal life too and vice
versa.
Start small by making an everyday to do list. Examples
include, but are not limited to; taking out the trash,
doing the dishes, hanging up clothes, and maybe even
littler things like making the bed or tidying up the living
room.
When you have things under control at a personal level it
is easier to get things under control at a business level.
Getting yourself into the routine of not putting things off
at home will be difficult since the home is the easiest
place to procrastinate: it is always there, you always have
an extra day to work on it, and no one besides you or those
who live you will know what you are putting off.
However, if you have noticed, the places that we feel most
comfortable in are the easiest to begin a bad habit and
also the hardest place to get rid of that bad habit.
A smoker’s hardest place to deal with is their personal
space and yours is too. So take control and shape yourself
up at home to start the process of stopping procrastination.
Step #2 Take control at work.
No doubt if you are a procrastinator at home then you
usually have things piling up at work to do or you find
yourself at the end of the day hurrying to get things done
that you should have done that morning or the day before.
Well stop that!
Make a list, just like you did for at home. Start the day
by making a list of things you must check off by a certain
time in the day.
For example, say you want to get the reports done on time
that usually you put off until the end of the day. Make a
list and note that reports must be checked off by 10:00
that morning.
At first you may find yourself racing and checking off that
item on the list right at ten or slightly before but keep
at it and you just might find yourself checking off your
list long before the time its due!
Practice makes perfect and the more you practice and being
on time the easier it gets and soon it becomes as second
habit as procrastination is or hopefully used to be.
Step #3 If All else fails, weight the guilty consequences.
You know how mad you feel or even embarrassed when you have
pushed yourself to the last minute or even past the last
minute?
Whenever you feel yourself giving into the urge to
procrastinate just remember that feeling and predict how
you will feel the next day when you are faced with your
normal circumstances plus those you have avoided and waited
to do. A very simple form of self discipline but a very
effective one.
Stopping procrastination isn’t always easy but it can be
done. Follow these steps diligently; just be careful to get
started today even if only in a small way.
You already know what procrastination and low motivation is
costing you. And you know deep down that nothing is going
to change for the better until you do.
My suggestion for you today....
Take the 365 day trial of my step-by-step motivation
system. And take 10 minutes a day to use The Motivation
Accelerator Process on page 79.
Give yourself 10 minutes each day to improve the quality of
your life. Do this and you will be stunned by your
sustained motivation and renewed zest for life.
Go here now to reserve your 365 day trial:
http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/
Have Fun,
Peter Murphy
P.S. Stop procrastinaitng and who knows what you could achieve?
Stopping procrastination can be challenging, especially
since you can’t put it off until tomorrow! Most people who
did manage to stop procrastinating did not do so overnight.
Like any other bad habit, procrastination starts small and
builds itself up.
Returning to a more dependable lifestyle however is
possible. Follow these simple steps below and eventually,
with dedication and self discipline your procrastination
should be under control and your tomorrows will be a little
less full!
Step #1 Start Small.
Usually if people procrastinate in their business lives
they also procrastinate in their personal life too and vice
versa.
Start small by making an everyday to do list. Examples
include, but are not limited to; taking out the trash,
doing the dishes, hanging up clothes, and maybe even
littler things like making the bed or tidying up the living
room.
When you have things under control at a personal level it
is easier to get things under control at a business level.
Getting yourself into the routine of not putting things off
at home will be difficult since the home is the easiest
place to procrastinate: it is always there, you always have
an extra day to work on it, and no one besides you or those
who live you will know what you are putting off.
However, if you have noticed, the places that we feel most
comfortable in are the easiest to begin a bad habit and
also the hardest place to get rid of that bad habit.
A smoker’s hardest place to deal with is their personal
space and yours is too. So take control and shape yourself
up at home to start the process of stopping procrastination.
Step #2 Take control at work.
No doubt if you are a procrastinator at home then you
usually have things piling up at work to do or you find
yourself at the end of the day hurrying to get things done
that you should have done that morning or the day before.
Well stop that!
Make a list, just like you did for at home. Start the day
by making a list of things you must check off by a certain
time in the day.
For example, say you want to get the reports done on time
that usually you put off until the end of the day. Make a
list and note that reports must be checked off by 10:00
that morning.
At first you may find yourself racing and checking off that
item on the list right at ten or slightly before but keep
at it and you just might find yourself checking off your
list long before the time its due!
Practice makes perfect and the more you practice and being
on time the easier it gets and soon it becomes as second
habit as procrastination is or hopefully used to be.
Step #3 If All else fails, weight the guilty consequences.
You know how mad you feel or even embarrassed when you have
pushed yourself to the last minute or even past the last
minute?
Whenever you feel yourself giving into the urge to
procrastinate just remember that feeling and predict how
you will feel the next day when you are faced with your
normal circumstances plus those you have avoided and waited
to do. A very simple form of self discipline but a very
effective one.
Stopping procrastination isn’t always easy but it can be
done. Follow these steps diligently; just be careful to get
started today even if only in a small way.
You already know what procrastination and low motivation is
costing you. And you know deep down that nothing is going
to change for the better until you do.
My suggestion for you today....
Take the 365 day trial of my step-by-step motivation
system. And take 10 minutes a day to use The Motivation
Accelerator Process on page 79.
Give yourself 10 minutes each day to improve the quality of
your life. Do this and you will be stunned by your
sustained motivation and renewed zest for life.
Go here now to reserve your 365 day trial:
http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/
Have Fun,
Peter Murphy
P.S. Stop procrastinaitng and who knows what you could achieve?
Thursday, January 27, 2005
How to Stop Procrastinating
by Peter Murphy
Ever wonder how to stop procrastinating? Here is a good example...
I was recently talking with a friend who said, “You know, I
need to have guests over to my house more often.“Why is
that?” I asked. “Because that seems to be the only time I
really clean my house,” she responded.
Isn’t that the truth! Deadlines and commitments have a
wonderful way of forcing us to get things done which have
to be done. It is easy to procrastinate about doing
something when there is no one to hold you accountable.
Think about it!
You may be the worst procrastinator on earth about certain
things like housework or dreaded work projects but chances
are you file your tax return on time ever year.
This is because the federal government has placed a
deadline on filing tax returns and they hold us accountable
if they are not done.
If you want to stop procrastinating in your life try
setting yourself deadlines for projects you have been
putting off and finding ways to hold yourself accontable
for meeting these deadlines.
Here are some ideas of how you can use this strategy to
stop procrastinating at home and in your work.
1. Write it Down.
The act of simply deciding when you plan to complete a task
and writing it down on your calender can be very effective
in creating a sense of a deadline.
2. Schedule something that forces you to take action.
For example, invite guests over to your house. If you have
been putting off cleaning the house this will force you to
clean and put things in order.
Another example, might be if you have been putting off
visiting someone you know you should visit then give that
person a call and let them know you will be visiting on a
particular day.
Once you have made this commitment it will likely be more
difficult to not follow through. Simply by putting this
person on notice of a visit will create a deadline with
accountablity.
3. Put someone on notice that a project will be completed
on a particular date.
If there is a project at work that you have been
procrastinating about. Send your boss a note tellig him or
her that they can expect the project on a certain date.
This will create a deadline for you and your boss will
likely hold you accoutable by asking for the project if in
fact it is not delivered by the date you promised it.
4. Leave yourself no way out.
Leaving yourself no way out is in a sense burning the
bridge behind you so that you have no choice but to
complete a task which you have been putting off.
If for instance, you need to buy a new vacuum because the
old one has had it. You have the money saved for the new
one but you have just been putting off going shopping for
one.
Burn the bridges behind you. Give your old appliance away to a
local thrift shop. Then you have no choice but to buy that
new one. You can put a stop to procrastination by simply
setting yourself deadlines and holding yourself or having
someone else hold you accountable.
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert.
He recently produced a very popular free report that
reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting
motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited
time only at:
http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/special.htm
Ever wonder how to stop procrastinating? Here is a good example...
I was recently talking with a friend who said, “You know, I
need to have guests over to my house more often.“Why is
that?” I asked. “Because that seems to be the only time I
really clean my house,” she responded.
Isn’t that the truth! Deadlines and commitments have a
wonderful way of forcing us to get things done which have
to be done. It is easy to procrastinate about doing
something when there is no one to hold you accountable.
Think about it!
You may be the worst procrastinator on earth about certain
things like housework or dreaded work projects but chances
are you file your tax return on time ever year.
This is because the federal government has placed a
deadline on filing tax returns and they hold us accountable
if they are not done.
If you want to stop procrastinating in your life try
setting yourself deadlines for projects you have been
putting off and finding ways to hold yourself accontable
for meeting these deadlines.
Here are some ideas of how you can use this strategy to
stop procrastinating at home and in your work.
1. Write it Down.
The act of simply deciding when you plan to complete a task
and writing it down on your calender can be very effective
in creating a sense of a deadline.
2. Schedule something that forces you to take action.
For example, invite guests over to your house. If you have
been putting off cleaning the house this will force you to
clean and put things in order.
Another example, might be if you have been putting off
visiting someone you know you should visit then give that
person a call and let them know you will be visiting on a
particular day.
Once you have made this commitment it will likely be more
difficult to not follow through. Simply by putting this
person on notice of a visit will create a deadline with
accountablity.
3. Put someone on notice that a project will be completed
on a particular date.
If there is a project at work that you have been
procrastinating about. Send your boss a note tellig him or
her that they can expect the project on a certain date.
This will create a deadline for you and your boss will
likely hold you accoutable by asking for the project if in
fact it is not delivered by the date you promised it.
4. Leave yourself no way out.
Leaving yourself no way out is in a sense burning the
bridge behind you so that you have no choice but to
complete a task which you have been putting off.
If for instance, you need to buy a new vacuum because the
old one has had it. You have the money saved for the new
one but you have just been putting off going shopping for
one.
Burn the bridges behind you. Give your old appliance away to a
local thrift shop. Then you have no choice but to buy that
new one. You can put a stop to procrastination by simply
setting yourself deadlines and holding yourself or having
someone else hold you accountable.
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert.
He recently produced a very popular free report that
reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting
motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited
time only at:
http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/special.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)