Everyone in this world procrastinates. As long as you are doing what’s essential, procrastination is not much of a problem. But if you are a chronic procrastinator, then it’s serious.
The reason for this behavior can be anything. Nevertheless, it has no impact on reality.
Unless you come out of this trap, you will continue to struggle and won’t grow at the rate you aspire to.
If you are a consistent procrastinator and thinking that you will read this article later. Let me tell you; it’s not going to happen. Please do yourself a favor by continue reading it till the end and do at least one less act of procrastination. You never know; you might learn how to quit this habit when you have finished reading.
Let me share the A5 technique to overcome Procrastination :
Acknowledge the Temptations
Arrest the Cue
Ascertain your Why
Analyze the opportunity cost
Aim & Act
Acknowledge the Temptations: Acknowledge that it’s your guilty pleasure, which you can’t resist. Fundamentally all humans are wired to do things that give pleasure; overdose is a problem. A key reason you are avoiding the actual work is that you might be attracted to easy and more pleasurable things. It can be anything from social media to Netflix to Video Games to movies, television, mobile phones, or anything else. Just find out what’s your guilt pleasure & acknowledge it.
Arrest the Cue: Find what pushes you towards your guilty pleasure? What is your trigger? Is it a particular time of the day? Is it a notification sound from the mobile app? Discussion among your friends about the latest web series?A message from the friend? A phone call or anything else? Your habit is an effect; to change it cause needs to be known first. Identifying the reason which initiates a particular behavior can help you address it later.
Ascertain your Why: Make a note of what you should be doing instead of what you do currently. This will give you mental clarity. List down all the reasons why you should be doing what you have been avoiding so far. For example, if it’s an important project you have been delaying, think about why it is crucial to complete it? What will happen once you have completed it? How will your life change? Visualize and experience the feeling on completion. Once you can establish the emotional connection, the WHY will get stronger.
Analyze the Opportunity cost: Consider the consequences of maintaining the status quo. What are all things you would be losing by choosing not to act? What will be the repercussions in the short term and long term? This will help you realize that you would be missing all the good things you visualized earlier. This activity will create a sense of insecurity and fear of missing out on the good things.
Aim & Act: Before jumping to act, make two lists. In list A, enumerate all the daily activities you perform currently and the corresponding timings of the day. In list B, write all the things which you should be doing instead. Now start replacing the action items in list A with list B. While doing so, be mindful of allocating tasks basis your energy and alertness levels. For example, if you are a morning person, then assign the things that require high concentration and focus in the morning hours.
In the initial phase, you can use the Pomodoro Technique to inculcate the habit of intense work. That will reduce the reliance on willpower and push you to work as per timelines.
You can try this system and see the outcomes on yourself.
Breaking the pattern requires behavior change.
Behavior change doesn’t come easy.
Ordinary or mediocre people carry the misplaced belief that they can do everything on their own.
They waste a lot of time-fighting themselves & trying to overcome inner demons.
A lot of hit and trial follows, alas, without any tangible outcome.
The achievers realize it early; that’s why they don’t rely on willpower alone and waste time.
They take the help of expert coaches who hold them accountable for improving their performance.
A couple of days back, I heard a renowned cricketer stating how their coach used to keep a strict check on their after-party timings during the playing season. The objective was to keep them on track without losing sight of the goal.
Why do you think sports persons have coaches? Most of them are better players than the coaches.
Beyond technicality, one of the key reasons is to work on their mindset & hold them accountable.
You can find numerous examples in the contemporary world.
To quote Tony Robbins, “Behavior is everything.”
I couldn’t agree more. It’s the foundation of
Who we are,
What we do,
&
Why we do, what we do.
Would you like to continue living an average life or become an achiever?
Make your choice.
Cheers!
Lalit Hundalani
Peak Performance & Life Transformation Coach|| Best-Selling Author of 2 Books||Mentor
PS: If you are an ACTION TAKER, who would like to fast-track the progress, then you must click on the link below to avail a FREE session with me.