To Overcome Laziness & Procrastination in-order to have good consistency

 

To be clear, laziness is not the same as procrastination.

Procrastination hides beneath it a bigger problem. That’s why it’s important to get to the bottom of WHY we procrastinate.

What are some possible answers?

We procrastinate because…

… We are used to being a straight A student, but we start taking a class that’s very difficult.

… We feel dread to start studying for an exam because it seems like it will take hours, days, even weeks.

… We want to avoid having an unpleasant conversation with someone, so there’s no point in initiating it.

… We’re not managing our budget properly so we ignore the electricity bill and it keeps piling up for months.

… Our to-do list seems endless and we feel overwhelmed by all of the tasks we want to complete.

Ok, now it’s your turn.

Take a pause from reading this answer. You’ll need a few minutes to do this exercise. Get a notebook or notepad, or open up a blank document on your laptop. Nobody will be reading your thoughts. It’s just a conversation you’re having with yourself. Try to be honest. Write down your WHY.

_______________________________________________________________.

Done?

Now that we’ve identified what’s really behind your procrastination, let’s take a look at HOW to overcome it.

What are some specific techniques you can use?

Try these three.

#1. Train your brain to help you, not deter you.

Before you start working on anything new, train your brain to help you out. When you manage to successfully train it, you’ll feel more motivated to take action and become fully absorbed in what’s in front of you.

• Instead of approaching what you’re doing as a chore, turn it into a choice. Tell yourself, “This is something I’m excited to learn more about.” What’s the benefit? It gives you a greater sense of control over whatever you’re doing.
• Remind yourself of the importance of your work by asking, “Why am I doing this?” Make the connection with the initial reasons for working on something to begin with. It can be to learn a new skill, research an interesting topic, study for an exam so you can graduate and get a job, explore an entrepreneurial opportunity, solve a business problem, etc. Make sure that your why is as clear to you as possible.
• Visualize the next steps of what you’re about to do. This is a technique called building a mental model; you imagine in detail what you expect to learn, read, review, etc. To get started, think about all the steps you will be doing: covering a certain amount of material (chapters, paragraphs, sections), taking notes on important concepts, writing down questions to follow up on later. By telling yourself a story, you train your brain to anticipate next steps.

#2. Instead of automatically giving up on something and saying, “I can’t do this!” ask yourself, “How about I try doing this?”

All of us as human beings who will (sooner or later) procrastinate on some things in life. It’s just natural, and a little bit of a default reaction to a problem we find challenging or difficult. Still, there’s something you can do about it.

• Be honest with yourself. Like I mentioned earlier, nobody will really know what’s behind your procrastination. So might as well write it down once and for all. Maybe it is fear of not being able to do something successfully, or not being better at it than someone else. In many cases, it an be your pride or ego that get in the way.
• Dig deeper. Get to the root of the matter. Find out what it is so you can do something about it. If you’re scared of failing at work or school, ask yourself if this feeling is something you’ve felt when you were younger. Was it linked to a specific age, or grade in school, or an actual event that made a significant impact on you?
• Think about the biggest benefit to actually dealing with procrastination. Every time you say “How about I try doing something different?” you win over fear. You show yourself that it’s ok to be scared, but you don’t have to stay in that space forever. You show yourself that it’s possible to react differently to situations — even those that scare you. And when you do that, you’ll experience a shift in your attitude and mindset that will have a positive impact on every facet of your life.

#3. Reduce feeling overwhelmed by asking yourself, “What is the ONE thing I am committed to completing today?”

This is a simple, 5-minute technique that helps train your brain focus on goals that are important to you right now. It forces you to prioritize the goal you believe is the most relevant in this moment. Here’s how to practice it.

• Write the question down. Make sure it’s in big bold letters on a sheet of paper which you can hang on your bedroom or bathroom wall.
• Read it out loud as you start your day, and come up with an answer on the spot.
• Follow up by taking action and by reminding yourself throughout the day about the commitment you made.

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