🛑 pro·cras·ti·na·tion
👋🏼 Hello friend
After realizing how many posts I have already written on the subject of procrastination, I wonder if I have procrastinated when I was writing them.
🎊 I will introduce a few methods you probably haven't heard of yet to cross out procrastination for good
You may be thinking: What is this guy telling me about how to stop procrastinating? He sends his Sunday newsletter on Tuesdays.
Well, you are right ... and touché. 💁🏼♀️
But...
I spent hours ... no days researching how to beat procrastination, digging up the best articles, reading books, and trying out all kinds of methods.
In today's newsletter, I would like to give some practical tips which have helped me.
Simply said, one of two brain parts determines how we react when facing a difficult or unpleasant task.
- The Limbic system (one of the oldest and most dominant parts of the brain involved in emotional responses)
- The Prefrontal Cortex (newly evolved part that differentiates humans from animals; involved in decision-making)
The almost automatic processes of the limbic system wins most of the time, leading to delaying the task for later. This leads to the classic effects of procrastination, feeling good in the moment but worse later.
🧱 Principles you can't hear often enough:
Aim for slow, steady progress. Storylines are rewritten one page at a time. The key is to improve, not to be perfect.
It isn't about developing better time management skills or finding motivation to overcome procrastination.
The point is to change the story you tell yourself by taking small action steps towards your bigger goals. Action leads to results, and results will change your beliefs - your storyline.
🎯 Concrete Action-Steps
Ask yourself why you are resisting working on this particular task.
I always have my little notebook with me. I call it my Action Book.
Whenever I start procrastinating, I write my thoughts and don't stop till I have one page written. This provides clarity.
Uncertainty hinders progress. When we're uncertain about our approach, the desired outcome, or the true purpose of a task, our progress becomes challenging.