How to overcome procrastination. Is procrastination the result of simply delaying a task that needs to be done? Or is it more to do with wanting the perfect outcome, yet knowing that perfection isn’t obtainable, so best wait until you’re perfectly able to create the perfect result, which doesn’t happen?
The thing to remember is that done is better than perfectly undone. And it’s all about what we say about the task in hand. Instead of ‘must do’ or ‘have to’, what if you say to yourself that you ‘get to do’ something? Has a different slant to it, doesn’t it?
I Choose to Do This Now
Even better than that, think about that job that needs to be done and think in terms of ‘I choose to do this now’.
Procrastination is often the by-product of feeling overwhelmed by the to-do list you give yourself. And, on some level, it’s also your body-mind-energy system telling you to recharge your batteries before tackling the next assignment.
If you’ve been putting off today what you can do the day after tomorrow, or even in a month, and then mentally beat yourself up for the lack of results, then to my mind it isn’t a lack of motivation. Instead it’s a lack of understanding the power of momentum, which is the real key to getting stuff done. That’s the secret to overcoming procrastination.
Overcome Procrastination with your Mind
Use your imagination to help you overcome procrastination. Your mind has the ability to visualize and imagine how to do all sorts of things. So read this story and notice the changes within yourself.
Get yourself comfortable and allow your mind to become curious and imagine that it’s a beautiful, sunny day and you’re sitting by the edge of a river. Across from the river, and after an expanse of meadowland, is a mountain. In the distance, beginning at the top of the mountain, you can hear the sound of water running across and around the small rocks and pebbles that signal the beginning of this river.
The water begins as a thought held in the clouds, which begin to release the thought onto the mountain in the form of rain. The rain gently awakens the mountain from its sleep. Roused from its slumber, the mountain gently stretches itself and it decides to get to work.
And its work is simply to allow itself to find the simplest way to help the water to move, from the top of the mountain, through the rocks, from one pebble to another. Much like the way a thought can move through your mind, along the neural pathways, from one neuron to another, communicating what needs to be done, quickly and easily.
To begin with, the water is just a trickle, moving slowly as it plans where it needs to go and sets in motion the action of connecting with other raindrops, moving forward together, in the way that your conscious and subconscious mind can work together now to move ahead. The water decides to push on in the direction of the river. Yet it does so effortlessly, as the water simply allows gravity to assist it naturally and smoothly down the mountain. Picking up speed, the water easily flows along. It subconsciously knows where it wants to go and what it needs to do to get there.
The Thought is Travelling
As the thought held in the water reaches the bottom and allows itself to stretch out into the water, as you probably already know, this is where you meet it, as it travels across to where you are, ready to take you on a journey.
A person is able to do any number of things with their mind that they set their intention to, and you think about the easiest, most efficient way to go on the journey towards the Island of Completion. A switch flicks on inside your mind and you imagine a small, sturdy rowing boat, which glides up from nowhere towards you.
You feel excited to get going and climb into the boat, take each oar in your hands and allow yourself to readily and easily allow the thought in the water to begin now, effortlessly transferring from the water’s edge into the flow of the river.
Your mind and body spring into action, and even if you try to resist, your left and right hands continue their movement, taking you onward towards your goal. And it’s interesting to think about your left hand and your right hand. The left hand being controlled by the right side of your mind, and the right hand being controlled by the left side of your mind, controlled and yet working together to take you where you want to go, doing what needs to be done to make it easy to get there. The more effort your hands and mind make, the fastest and easier it is to accelerate as you advance along on this journey.
You Know What You Need To Do
And you can know that this is the way to go, do you not? Because even though you may not fully know what the end result will be, and exactly where you’ll end up, the thought in the water can help you to enjoy the crossing from one state of being to another. As you steer yourself in the right direction and find it easier to cruise along as you decide to enjoy the tour, using thoughts, like the water, to support your journey.
As so you sail along in the boat, both sides of you working together in harmony, taking notice of what you see and hear on this beautiful, sunny day. The more you move towards the Island of Completion, the more you have a sense of pleasure in action, and find that as you go along it all seems so much simpler to use your momentum to move the boat along. And you can wonder how much simpler and easier you can travel along, picking up speed without effort.
Soon your eyes are firmly fixed and focused on the target, as you spot Completion on the horizon, an island that is not as you expected, as Completion is so much more exciting. You hear strands of music and the sounds of cheering and celebration travelling in the air as you make your way there.
Move Towards Completion
The thought in the water enabled you to flow along to that sweet spot right on target. The job now done, you put down the oars and allow the boat to navigate towards the island. You gaze with delight at this joyful place, content in the knowledge that it was a combination of thought moving in the right direction, helped along with your own straightforward and simple action, that helped you achieve the journey’s end.
With a strong sense of fulfilment, you step out of the boat and onto the island, sensing the ground beneath your feet, feeling grounded and at peace. It’s time to celebrate and as you reach the happy party, you are greeted with the sound of applause. Listen to this in your mind and congratulate yourself on your achievement and allow this thought to motivate you towards the next place you want to get to.
And from now on, whenever you see, hear or think of rain, you’ll feel spurred on and get going, and get done what needs to be done now. Listen up and imagine you can hear that rain…
Can you feel the procrastination decreasing and the motivation increasing right now?
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And there’s more…
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Now you’ve got the momentum going, why not continue your self-development with this list of the 10 Best Self-Help Books - please click on the link here: 10 Best Self-Help Books (ruthybaker.com)
Want to listen to the Island of Completion meditation on my YouTube channel? Kick back, pop on some earphones and relax... Please remember to like, share and subscribe to be kept up-to-date with my latest videos, vlogs and content - click on the link below:
One of the best ways to overcome procrastination is by using a productivity planner to keep you on track. My favourite is the Inspire Now Journal, available in a choice of colours and well planned out sections. It’s a must have! Buy this now! Click on the link below: Inspire Now Journal:
This next book has some great ideas for overcoming the dreaded procrastination problem, particularly when it involves social media! Providing strategies to understand and deal with the role technology plays in procrastination today, The Now Habit offers a comprehensive plan to help readers lower their stress and increase their time to enjoy guilt-free play. Dr. Fiore’s techniques will help any busy person start tasks sooner and accomplish them more quickly, without the anxiety brought on by the negative habits of procrastination and perfectionism. Buy this book! Click on the link below: The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play – Neil Fiore:
There’s an old saying that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that it’s probably the worst thing you’ll do all day. Using ‘eat that frog’ as a metaphor for tackling the most challenging task of your day – the one you are most likely to procrastinate on, but also probably the one that can have the greatest positive impact on your life – Eat That Frog! shows you how to zero in on these critical tasks and organize your day. You’ll not only get more done faster, but get the right things done. Essential reading. Buy this book! Click on the link below: Eat That Frog!: Get More of the Important Things Done – Today! – Brian Tracy:
Take a deep dive into overcoming procrastination and self-help with the brilliant classic The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness: The Acclaimed Mind Management Programme to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness – Dr Steve Peters – Available here: https://amzn.to/3bG5fyA
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