Gary Vaynerchuck is one of those people who can get away with calling it like it is…
This is definitely an in-your-face conversation for all the ‘non-winner snowflakes’ out there!
Tag Archive for 'Procrastination'
Today’s blog post is about one of those images / quotes that for me represents a much deeper meaning than the self evident message of overcoming procrastination.
Often, in life as well as your professional career, you get to a fork in the road and the two paths in front of you are perplexing, confusing and maybe even scary.
Regardless of which path you take, your life, your destiny will be altered, changed forever.
“It is in our moments of INdecision
that our destinies are destroyed.”
— Dr Marc Dussault
Take the time to re-read that.
Let it sink in and the next time you are faced with a tough or difficult decision, just fast forward 10, 20 or 30 years and ask yourself… in hindsight (from your future self), “regardless of the potential outcomes, how will I feel about NOT making this decision?”
Regardless of the potential outcomes is a key distinction. Sure we all want to make the right decisions and avoid mistakes, but he/she who decides because he must, is a courageous, brave person.
Often, we hesitate and avoid the most important decisions in our lives. A non-decision is a decision, one that may haunt you for a lifetime.
Perplexed with a tough decision, take Pablo Picasso’s advice to heart: “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” That should spur you to a more proactive decision making paradigm!
Often, decisions are avoided because of the confusion between the WHAT and the HOW of the decision. Simply put, WHAT you need to decide should be independent and separate from the HOW following the decision.
Once the WHAT has been decided, the HOW will find a way. Where there’s a will, there’s a way…
But first you must commit 1,000% to the WHAT.
Easier said than done.
Today’s post is a simple one, but something that can IMMEDIATELY reduce your tendency to procrastinate. We all procrastinate, but successful people do it less and therefore get better results, yes with less effort.
I explain the underlying strategies this post is based on in my book “Get The Best Business Results With The Least Amount Of Effort“. If you haven’t yet purchased it, you really should. The title says it all and for $27 it’s a real bargain.
A Tip To Overcome Procrastination
Overcoming procrastination requires that you KNOW WHY you’re procrastinating. One of the top reasons is that you MAGNIFY a problem or TO DO item automatically, without knowing it. You make it bigger than it actually is.
I’ll prove it to you.
- Make a list of 10 things you need to do this/next week.
- Make a SECOND list of 10 things you DID last week.
Compare the two lists. I guarantee you your TO DO list for this/next week looks like MORE, HARDER, LONGER TO DO than your previous week’s list.
Am I right?
Just like a side rear view mirror on a car, your problems and to do list items appear bigger than they really are.
How do you get around this?
Simple.
Chunk down your to dos into EASY, DIGESTIBLE PIECES… You know the joke “How do you eat an elephant? … One bite at a time”.
- Clean my office, can be broken down to
- Rearrange the files on my desk
- Organise my filing cabinet or get filing boxes
- Get folders to file my papers
- Print less paper and organise my computer desktop
- Throw out (recycle) any junk mail that comes in
- File documents and papers ON THE DAY THEY COME IN
- Keep my physical desktop clean with ONLY what I am working on
- Remove unnecessary trinkets and paperweights on my desk
- Straighten out my books so the bookshelf looks neat
- Dust, clean or wash my desk/table
You get the picture. The thing is UNLESS you deal with this magnification problem, you’ll keep hesitating and procrastinating about things you really do need to get done and off your list!
Just remember you are the one HOLDING the magnifying glass!
