Summary
I believe that procrastination is the killer of dreams, goals, aspirations and people’s spirit. It’s what separates the winners from the losers and the rich from the poor. Sure, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and no one is expecting you to become a millionaire overnight.
But if you’re really serious about achieving your goals, if you truly want to be financially free, then you must take the necessary steps to get there on a consistent basis. Even though my system is simple, that doesn’t mean it’s easy, there are complexities.
So if you feel yourself slipping into old habits, opting for a brain drain in front of the TV rather than firing up your computer, choosing to do nothing rather than something of value, then I’ve got the perfect remedy for you.
In this article I’ll be presenting my five steps to beating procrastination, taking control and making your own success.
I’m not talking about little changes you can make that will get you excited to tick off a task. I’m talking about massive shifts in your mindset that will get your thinking and acting like the millionaire you will become.
Once you understand the principles behind the five steps I’m sharing, you will not only end procrastination but also sustain long-term productivity with a mindset that’s hardwired for success.
Transcript
Motivation and productivity go hand in hand. When you’re able to harness the power of both, the world is your oyster.
Whether it’s attending networking events to bounce fresh ideas between likeminded people or powering through a business proposal to present to potential investors, the motivation to push you through to the finish line is key.
The easiest way to fail is to procrastinate.
By never getting anything done, how do you expect to achieve success? The chances of opportunities being served to you on a silver platter are slim to none.
Here are my five steps to beating procrastination and making your own success:
Step 1: Figure Out Your Purpose
One of the key factors to ending procrastination comes in determining the cause of it in the first place. If you constantly find yourself pushing back items on your to-do list and instead opting to sit back and watch TV, the question you should be asking yourself is “Why do I even bother?”
What is your purpose of starting a business? What is your purpose of wanting to be a millionaire? What is your purpose of wanting to achieve financial freedom?
Your purpose is what will keep you motivated on your journey to that ultimate goal. Your Personal Programming Messages (PPMs) will keep you on task every day. I have used PPMs for years and they work. I have talked about them extensively in the past and will again, but for now, let me just say that if you are not using PPMs and you are procrastinating, they can be one of your most powerful tools.
That said, your purpose and your vision are the backbone of your endeavors; the foundation of everything you do. When the going gets tough, and it may at times, your vision and purpose are what will keep you going.
Let me give you an example. A Health and Healthcare study conducted in 2013 by Gallup showed that 51% of American adults had a strong desire to lose weight, yet less than 25% revealed that they were taking active steps towards realizing their goal.
In fact, 26% of the people who participated in the study admitted to neither changing their diet nor adding any form of exercise to their lifestyle, despite their strong desire to lose weight.
Now losing weight has a basic principle, no matter how much marketers try to dress it up. At its core, what it boils down to is healthy eating and regular exercise. Eating fewer calories that you use in a day.
So why is it that people are not only struggling to achieve it, but are procrastinating to the point of not even starting?
I believe what they lack is their purpose.
Now let’s say the 51% of people who said they wanted to lose weight were told by a medical health professional that if they did not shed 50lbs, they would be dead within a year.
Do you think that they would suddenly feel motivated to make drastic changes? Absolutely. Because they now have the strongest purpose there is – to live.
To care for their children, to continue providing for their family, to finally go to Disney World and so on. Their purpose is now rock-solid. Forgive me for the rather morbid analogy. But the fact is, procrastination is a killer of many dreams, goals, aspirations and people. If it doesn’t kill you physically, it can kill the achievement of your dreams and prevent you from attaining financial freedom.
When you allow procrastination to kill your motivation and thus destroy any hopes of productivity, you are giving your goal a death sentence.
So the first step to ending procrastination is to figure out your “why.” Once you know why you are doing this, why you really want it, then you’ll find that the “how” is easy.
Step 2: Generate Motivation
Despite what others may think, procrastination is a choice. The common excuse that I often hear is “I’m waiting for inspiration…” Motivation doesn’t work that way. If every writer sat around “waiting for inspiration,” not a single word would ever be written.
Stephen King said it best: “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration; the rest of us just get up and go to work.” The same can be said for any task that needs your attention.
So now that we’ve cemented your purpose in the previous step, we need to implement another essential element to jumpstart your motivation. That element is expectancy.
What I mean by that is a belief that you can achieve your goal. It is knowing with your entire being that it is possible and that you can accomplish it.
You have to believe that you can build towards it; that through your efforts, progress and determination, you can actualize your dream. You see if you have a big ambition but you don’t believe that you can have it, you won’t do it. Again, this is where PPMs come in.
As Napoleon Hill said, “What you can conceive and believe you can achieve.” I know this is true as I have lived it. Even to the point that when I was young I said to my mother that I thought eating was wasting my time, I wanted to be outside doing “something,” not inside eating. I said to her that it’s too bad that we couldn’t just get all of our needed nutrition in a pill or something. Years later I built a multi-million dollar nutrition business where I could get all of my nutrition from capsules. However, I do enjoy good food so now I have both opportunities. I think the moral here is partly, “be careful what you wish for” or “be aware of the consequences of your thoughts.”
Once you determine your purpose and have absolute clarity in what you want and why you want it, partner that with the knowledge that you can do it. That’s the spark that will ignite motivation and abolish procrastination.
These two things are what will generate inspiration and action. It’s not about being in the right working conditions or having the perfect day of no distractions. It’s purpose and expectancy.
It sounds simple but often I find that people are lacking either one or both of these key essentials. When you know that you are doing something that will definitely bring you closer to your goal, no matter how small that task, you will feel motivated to complete it.
Step 3: Sustain Focus
If you’re anything like me then you dream big. Your end goal is absolute time freedom. Not having to live paycheck to paycheck, not having to worry about your bills. Having the freedom to do whatever you want because you know that money is not an issue.
To be able to spend the day with your kids or take your significant other for a night out, knowing that your income is automated and passive. That’s a big dream, and it can feel like the finish line has no end in sight.
So when it’s hard to see progress, when it’s difficult to reach your final destination, staying productive on a consistent basis can be tough. As a result, people often lose hope. They get distracted by another shiny object that promises results quickly and with ease. When that happens, focus is broken. The original purpose gets lost and they start another project only to have that path disrupted again.
Sustaining focus is imperative to beating procrastination.
Reward yourself when you complete a task. It doesn’t have to be a huge celebration, but make a memory out of each tick on your to-do list. Having a drink with a friend, going to dinner with family, announcing your joy on social media. These little rewards will allow you to sustain your focus on the larger goal in the long run.
If you are constantly working, constantly pushing, completing tasks and taking steps without acknowledging your progress, you’ll eventually burnout. Break down the larger tasks into bite-sized pieces and schedule fun into your planner. By doing so you’ll consistently have something to look forward in the short-term, which will help to sustain your motivation over time.
Step 4: Make an Effort
As ridiculous as it sounds, the easiest way to end procrastination is really to make an effort. Get up and do something.
Take bold, significant actions to realize your dream.
Many people are stuck in the belief that they need to have massive motivation first before they can have the power to take action. But the reality is that the best motivator to get us going and keep procrastination at bay is momentum.
Taking small steps everyday will keep you energized so that you can continue on your journey. The best way to overcome procrastination is really to make a conscious effort to do something.
Do you remember when you were a kid, during weekends and especially on school vacations, you’d tell your parents that you were bored? What would they usually say? In most cases, they’d tell you to go out and do something.
It really makes a difference. Suddenly you’ll start “doing something” and the more you do, the more you get lost in it. Until you find that you’re actually having fun and really into the activity that you started.
It’s a shift in mindset. It’s the action of taking action. It makes all the difference. So when you feel unmotivated to do something on your list of tasks that will take you toward your goal, remember that doing something is the best way to feel motivated and remain inspired!
Step 5: Positive Attitudes Make A Difference
Here’s the truth of the matter: Optimistic people get paid more, achieve more and report higher levels of satisfaction in their lives overall. That perspective on life is what will keep you driven and excited to tackle new obstacles. A positive attitude is what separates the winners and the losers, the rich and the poor, the achievers and the procrastinators.
Constantly self-sabotaging and bringing yourself down will only hurt one person – you. Likewise, if you aren’t able to keep an open mind and are consistently judging others, criticizing and being skeptical of anything new that comes your way, procrastination is likely your best friend.
The go-getter mentality, that upbeat belief and willingness to learn, are what will keep you ahead of the game. It’s the drive that you need to succeed.
I’m not saying that you should jump into offers without asking a few questions first; always know what you’re getting into.
But stay positive, no matter how difficult the situation is, no matter how long the journey is. Remember that there’s a silver lining in every storm and you’ll discover the motivation to continue.
So there you have it, my five steps to ending procrastination: Purpose, Motivation, Focus, Effort and Positivity. Also, using your PPMs to help with those steps as well. I know that others will tell you things like, “set up a proper workstation” or “switch off your cellphone,” and while these may get you going at the start, in order to sustain long-term productivity and get rid of procrastination entirely, your mindset needs to be fine-tuned to success. PPMs can and will do that for you. I believe that when you put these five elements in place and allow them into your lifestyle so that they become second nature, you will be able to achieve anything you set your mind to.
