PROCRASTINATION & LAZINESS
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| Courtesy of Tumblr: Lethargy |
NOPE.
In the world of pointing fingers and being socially awkward at a concert, it means to say, "Never ...until it's a MAJOR priority!" or "Oh, I have time. *shrugs shoulders*" Then there are the gazillion excuses and contradictions we give like taking naps we don't need, putting off assignments until whenever, and defending our laziness as if we were addicted to a hypnotic drug.
I can admit, I've had my share of saying and doing those things. Whenever I had a project or knew I had time to complete something, I would scream.. Hells Yyyyeaaahhh! Then I realize that when the time comes, I have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off. No bueno...
So what do procrastination and laziness have in common? We only procrastinate because we're being lazy. That's what we think mostly right? When really they're both fueled by weakness in the face of impulse and a failure to think about thinking. It's also because we lack the necessary focus and motivation at that point in time.
As a savvy human being such as myself would say, we are motivated by what I call "The 4 Ass Kickers of Life": Fear, Desire, Pain, and Pleasure. So how exactly do you use the kick of these four things to end your self destruction when you clearly know it’s in your best interest to do so?
To recalibrate and trick our psyches and our selves into mustering up the right mixture of self-discipline and external motivators to take action sooner rather than later... check out the four things I use to whip myself back into shape.
Tell Strangers What To Expect From You
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| Photo Courtesy: NCSA Facebook |
Hop on Facebook and tell your "fans" that you're posting a new blog about XYZ at a certain time in the day. Make a Youtube video mentioning a new video is coming each week on Tuesday. You know... things like that. You're basically giving yourself public accountability. You can also write it down and reprogram your mind.. PUT IT IN STONE!
If we keep a log of our top priorities and a noggin of action taking, we tend to get more accomplished. TIP: If you want to accomplish certain small tasks in a day, make use of a timer. Give yourself only an hour to write a new article or 30 minutes to finish that art project you've been skimping on.
Pretend To Be What You're Not
I'm talking FAKE IT ALL THE WAY! Now before you go ham and question my motive for this trick, think about it for a second. Remember being a kid and playing schoolteacher or superhero? It made you feel good right? In control and happy... When I get in a funk and need a little push, I pose as a character for a day, or for the grown folk, an alter ego.
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| Photo Courtesy: A Chick With Baggage |
"But Neosha... that's child's play." YOU'RE RIGHT! Look at it as role play for the modern day adult. Studies have shown that pretend play may be a tool that helps you realize that thoughts, not reality, guide people's actions, utterances, and emotions. From my experience, it holds true. So get to acting! Avoid going overboard. You don't want to be labeled a phony now do you?
Become Your Split Personality
Take a second to sit down in front of a mirror or go somewhere private to have some small talk with your subconscious mind. If you didn't realize this already, that little voice in the back of our minds that usually win and lead to our actions is pretty rebellious sometimes. Our own minds can go against what we REALLY want and hold us hostage. Thus, we create an enemy out of ourselves.
Take this special time alone to just talk to yourself, yell if you have to. "HEY! FOCUS! We have a lot to do and I need YOU to get it together! Do you want to fail? I know you're not use to being so far outside the box but trust me, it will be worth it in the end. That lady on the news said, ain't nobody got time fo' dat! I don't either! Stop bs'n and work with me! I need your support!" You have to become that 97% of your brain that controls your entire being. The other 3% is simply you fighting your own subconscious.
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| Photo Courtesy: DevianArt |
How many times have you changed your mind about something you wanted to do or didn't want to do? Did the final decision come from you or your mind? The subconscious mind will do what you tell it to do. I tell my mind all the time what I need to get done down to what time I should wake up and you know what? ...it listens. Most times you have to prove yourself wrong for your mind to believe in what you're doing.
Be A Perfectionist Go-Getter
You may have heard before that perfection is the catalyst to persistence. Trade in that need to be a perfectionist for being a massively persistency lover. Many times, I've procrastinated and when I knew I absolutely had to get a project done, that overdrive determination set in. High priorities need to be done no matter what. It's like needing to feed a homeless child we see lying on the streets. Mandatory!
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| Photo Courtesy: Forks Over Knives |
Have the desire to make things as close to perfect as possible but don't allow yourself to work like a turtle. Try to avoid giving yourself more than a week to do a major project. Persistence will always surpass perfection. Give yourself 3-5 days TOPS! If you place yourself in a position to be accountable, do so with lack of time and importance in mind. I can guarantee that you will hop off you ass in no time and maybe even sweat bullets to meet your set deadline.
Feel free to kick back in a lazy boy and gulp a delicious margarita or glass of wine to reward yourself after your labor is done. *wink*
Do you have any weird or super cool things you do to kick the "do it later" syndrome out the door? I'd love to learn more about your own strategies. Leave your comments below...
Be sure to share this post if you oh so... enjoyed it! It makes me smile.
