Procrastination: We all have fear of something. Fear that if we venture out of what feels comfortable, bad things can happen to us.
Things we won’t know how to deal with. Not living up to our expectations, or the expectations of people close to us, parents, bosses, teachers, neighbors, friends.
Stop Procrastination: Any kind of change to happen, it must start with you.
How do you deal with the fears associated with procrastination, and what are the steps for overcoming it?
- Acknowledge your fears.
We as humans all feel it, and that’s how we are wired. Fear has protected us and helped us to survive. It has kept us on our toes, always on the lookout for danger and enemies and natural disasters, so that we can escape when we need to.
And we often still feel that need to escape, even though we have come a long way from what our ancestors had to deal with every single day. But still, it’s best to be aware of the feeling.
Ask yourself:
What am I fearful about?
Feel the fear and do it anyway!
Resist the negative self-talks
Sometimes it’s that voice that you hear saying, I can’t do this, it’s not for me, I’m going to give up! If it is, just chalk it up to your fixed mindset talking.
What’s a fixed mindset? It’s your belief that your personality, skill set, and strengths are “fixed” i.e. you have them from birth, and that that’s just how it is. What’s better? Let your growth mindset do the talking. When you adopt a growth mindset, you start believing that you can cultivate strengths and skills through your efforts.
The benefit of this is that the things you tell yourself don’t sound awful, and you give yourself the space to learn something new.
Ask yourself:
Do I say something is difficult because I have always told myself similar things are difficult, and how would I change this if I could start all over again?
Take a step back.
Whatever you are working on, take a step back from your current situation and connect with the initial reason you started doing it.
This will remind you that your actions are directly linked to your personal or professional goals.
Maybe you started working on acquiring a new skill such as playing an instrument to fulfill a lifelong dream. Or, you are studying for exams so that you can get a degree that will open doors for you to embark on an exciting career and gain financial independence. Or maybe you are looking for a job that is a better fit for your skill set and your career path than the last one you had.
Ask yourself:
Why is this challenge so important to me? What is at the core? What will I gain from solving it? What will this mean to my life in the long run?
Prepare for obstacles.
When we are faced with an obstacle, we tend to stop what we are doing and start reacting. It’s not fair! It’s impossible to fix this! But complaining won’t change a thing. What will make a difference is getting proactive.
First, start anticipating that there will be obstacles you will encounter on your path. If you prepare yourself psychologically for them, they won’t feel so devastating when they actually do happen. Second, use the opportunity to learn something new, to take a different approach to the problem, to think it through, and to try something different that can yield better results.
Ask yourself:
What are 3 things I can do when I am faced with an obstacle? Which solutions can I brainstorm so that I have them ready in case I need them?
Stop procrastinating and start doing.
By now you have prepared yourself for what you need to do to get out of your comfort zone. There comes a time, however, when we should stop thinking and analyzing and move on to the next step.
It’s time to take action to change the status quo. Think of this situation as an experiment. You will try something new. You will see what happens next. You will learn something about yourself and what you are capable of. You will adapt to the situation.
Ask yourself:
What is the first step I can take to move forward? Do I need to study one topic to understand it better? Do I need to practice a skill in order to master it? Do I need to find a mentor who can offer advice and guidance?
Here is something everyone should know!
1. Your future lover is likely to be the person you know now. The more the paths of you two live intersect, the greater the likelihood of liking each other.
2. Those who have helped you will be more willing to help you again.
3. Everything that happens in your life is partly your responsibility.
4. When you know a person when you first see his advantages, then you will think that he has more other advantages.
5. The better the first impression, the higher the likelihood that you will be liked. When meeting new people, remember to make a good first impression.
6. People always dwell on past payoffs and choose to be irrational in order to avoid the negative emotions that come with loss.
7. When you feel uneasy, squeeze your thumb and it calms you down. When you are scared, hold your index finger to boost your self-confidence. When you are angry, pull your middle finger to suppress your anger. When you are nervous, touch your pinky finger, you will be able to get stability.
8. What you see is not the truth. The world as each person sees it is subjective and changes constantly with their own insight and awareness.
9. What you think as the solution is ultimately ineffective. People always think that they will be relieved when they grow up, they will be happy forever after getting married, and they will be satisfied if they earn more money. In the end, they usually find that the trouble and the pain have always been there.
10. Every person is ordinary. Even though a great man has done extraordinary things, he still has only an ordinary body, he needs rest and sleep, he will always get tired and sick.
