stop procrastinating

3 Proven Ways To Once & For All Defeat Procrastination

I nearly put off writing this article because of an insidious disease that strikes all of us from time to time, and that disease is called procrastination.

That was a joke, if you missed it.

‘Roundtuits’ are the friends of the mediocre because they are always saying that they will get around to it – somewhere into the never never future of nothing ever getting done.

So allow me to give you a tug in the right direction. May what I share with you jerk you into action so that you can break out of the puddle of mediocrity that you are currently splashing around in and plunge you into the sea of magnificence that awaits you.

The way I’m going to do this is by presenting you with three memorable three-word-phrases that, applied to your life, will decimate the hold that procrastination has on your life and help you to build a far more productive efficient and effective life.

1. Decide To Change

A successful businesswoman some years ago said something that shattered my complacency. She said, ‘If you want to change something in your life, and then change it.’ That was it. It hit me head-on in the heart and the mind simultaneously.

What she was really saying was, ‘Stop making excuses for the state you are in. Decide to change, and change.’

And that meant to once and for all take responsibility for my current circumstances and create a glorious future.

Now some people think that if they change their job, their wife, their kids, their circumstances that that is all that is needed for lasting change.

No.

True change must begin within you and me. And that’s why I started reading personal development books, because I knew that nothing was going to change unless I changed.

One of the first things I needed to change was my thinking, and as I have continued to make that my focus, my life has been transformed.

Decide to change and experience your own personal transformation.

2. Make A List

This is about ‘you’ management.

  1. At the end of each day take a blank sheet of paper and write the numbers 1 to 6 down the left hand side of the page.
  2. Next to those numbers write the six major things that will move your job, your business, or your life forward for that day.
  3. Prioritize that list from most important to least important.
  4. Do the list and cross off each task as completed.
  5. At the end of the day, if there are still tasks undone then transfer them to the next day as part of your 1 to 6 list that will kick you off with to a clear start the very next morning.

3. Do It Now

I first bumped into these three words when I read the book ‘The Magic of Thinking Big’.

Speak out these three words aloud, with emotion over and over – fifty times a day – until ‘doing it now’ becomes an established habit.

Action cures fear, so by learning to do it now, the spirit of faith will rise within you so that you become pro-active in all that you do.

While others are thinking about what to do, you will have already done what needed to be done.

This habit will set you up for a win in your career, your business, and your family, because you will develop a reputation that you are the guy or girl who gets things done.

So what other three word phrases can you think of that will help people to beat procrastination?

Motivational Memo: It’s never too late to detonate procrastinate.

Peter G. James Sinclair is in the ‘heart to heart’ resuscitation business and inspires, motivates and equips others to be all that they’ve been created to become. Receive your free copy of his latest eBook Discovering The You In Unique at – http://www.motivationalmemo.com and add him on Twitter @PeterGJSinclair – today!

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  • Lindsay Heller

    Do what you don’t want to do first. If want to have a great day without dreading anything, do that which you don’t want to do first. Procrastination gone. Endorphin release coming right up. It is extremely empowering to do the things you dread. It’s like conquering little fears one after the other!

  • http://hanofharmony.com The Vizier

    Hi Peter,

    Procrastination is a common problem for all of us. There are always so many distractions that prevent us from doing what we should be doing. Therefore, it is great that you share with us 3 proven ways to deal with procrastination. Here are some of the thoughts that crossed my mind as I read them.

    1. Decide to Change

    This is very true. Before we can do anything, we must decide we want to do it. There is no way around this. As long as we are not totally committed, there will always be a better reason to put things off until it is too late.

    3. Do it Now

    Ah the Magic of Thinking Big. I enjoyed reading that book for its many helpful insights. “Do it now” is a wonderful phrase. It is short, simple and powerful. Nothing beats getting things done here and now so that we can free up our time for other things.

    I also believe that knowing why we should do something helps us to overcome procrastination as well. Often, we lack a compelling reason to act. But if it were a matter of life and death, we would have no qualms about getting the job done. The point is to find a reason that resonates so strongly with the core of our being that we will want to act. Since everything is really a matter of perspective, if we think hard enough, we will be able to find compelling reasons to get the job done. But we must remember not to think too long and do it now.

    Thank you for sharing this article with us! :)

    Irving the Vizier

  • http://www.balancedworklife.com/blog Bryce Christiansen

    It’s always good to learn more about overcoming procrastination.

    I think one of the biggest ways to get around this is to have someone hold you responsible.

  • http://thedropoutkid.com jonathanfigaro

    Very true. doing it now is where it all matters. If not now..when?

  • http://www.motivationalmemo.com Peter G. James Sinclair

    Lindsay, Irving, Bryce & Jonathan

    Great suggestions my fellow procrastination destroyers. Keep up the destruction so that you construct a BRILLIANT life. Peter

  • http://www.downtownprintwear.com “Downtown” Dan Leavitt

    Love the “do it now” tip. I may have to adopt that one. Couldn’t be more true as well. Thanks for the tips.

  • http://www.motivationalmemo.com Peter G. James Sinclair

    Hi Dan – yes adopt DO IT NOW and it will change your life. Appreciate your comments. Peter

  • http://www.fittvo.com/4266/jack-lalanne/ Cynthia

    Excellent work. Procrastination of all things can be negotiated with using your recommendations. As soon as you take action your fear will begin to fade.
    Wishing you wealth and wellness
    Cynthia

  • http://www.mindofallan.com/ Allan

    Procrastination is a bitch. But you are a bitch if you let it control you.

    The way I deal with this is usually using leverage. I feel having a leverage makes me even more motivated to do something. Because I don’t want to lose something else.

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