Contents

• Beating Procrastination
  
• Habit Tips
  
• Jerry Seinfeld Chain Method
  
• Story : The Eagle
  
• Useful Links
  
• Quotes
  
• Making Real Change
  

Beating Procrastination

Is your procrastination valid ?

Emotional states are sometimes obstacles to be overcome but sometimes they are messages that must be understood. If you are finding it very difficult to progress with a certain task think honestly about :

Is this this task suited to me ?
Do I really want the outcome that completing this task will deliver ?
Is there another way to describe the task that will make me feel differently ?

Clear your desk, clear your mind.

Sometimes we procrastinate because the totality of what needs to be done is so complex and difficult that the mere thought of it fills our mind and leaves us paralyzed, unable to act.

If this is the case then an good way to move forward is to pick a single action you can take right now that will help you progress. Be sure that the task you pick, no matter how small or trivial, is directly related to your current goals.

Deciding to tidy your desk for in preparation for beginning work for example is more likely to be an escape than an actual step forwards.

Get Leverage On Yourself. Make a Deadline

At school and university some people always complete their assignments in the last couple of days before they are due. It doesn't matter if a week, a month or an entire semester is available for the work, some people only kick into gear a couple of days before the deadline.

If this sounds like you don't get down about it, it's actually a fantastic discovery. You've discovered what motivates you. You are motivated by the expectations of others and external consequences. You can use this knowledge to manage your output in the future.

Make commitments to people, create external consequences that will engender the same last minute response that the naturally occurring deadline engendered.

If you are studying book a time with an instructor to review your work a week before it's due. If you are working arrange a meeting to present your work to others.

If you are the kind of person who responds to deadlines and the expectations of others create deadlines and expectations as a tool to motivate yourself.

The Jerry Seinfeld "Don't break the Chain" method

Jerry Seinfeld (the comedian) is just one example of someone understanding the power of daily routine.

He was asked how he became a successful comic and answered that the key to success for him was having good jokes, and the key to having good jokes was simply writing new jokes every day.

He implemented a daily to do list approach. Marking down each day whether he had spent time coming up with new jokes that day or not. He focused on the simple mission of making sure he could give himself a success tick every day.

Useful Links

• Inspiration Peak - Inspirational Quotes
• Pick the brain - More habit tips
• Uncommonforum - Psychology and Self Help Forum
• The Happiness Project - Chronicles of a years adventure into happiness
• Dumb Little Man - Tips for saving time and money

Habit Tips

New Habits

Keep a diary or some sort of record of your daily habits. The mere act of recording your behavior can cause it to change for the better. There are two old management saying "You can't manage what you don't measure" and "whatever we measure improves."

Start with intensity. It takes less than a month for most habits to take root. Even if you intend to end up doing an activity weekly initially do it every day. Commit to an intense period in which you will make the new habit one of the most important parts of your day. For example, once going to the gym is a natural part of your routine you can skip a day if something comes up but don't do this in your first month. In your first month make your new habit priority #1

Set a specific time each day to take 5 minutes to review your progress. Are you improving ? What are your main challenges ? Have you learned ? It's a common mistake to over think and over analyze but a short period of reflection each day can help.

Get started, do a little. The hardest part of doing something you don't want to do is getting started. If you are having trouble getting yourself to take action take some pressure off yourself. For example, if your goal is to study for an hour a day simply commit yourself to opening your books and reading 1 page. That's it. If you can read one page you are a winner. This will get you started and it will become easier to increase your expectations.

Make it a change for the better, find enjoyment. Ultimately you can only make new behavior a permanent part of your life if it's bringing you more pleasure than pain. Find ways to feel good about your progress and your daily habit. Reward yourself, remind yourself of your progress, allow yourself some pride in your efforts and resolution. Smile.

Reduce distraction. If your new habit requires concentration you can make it a great deal easier for yourself by reducing the environmental distractions that cause your mind to wander. You may find a library is a better location or perhaps simply asking the people around you to give you some quiet time will help.

Story : The Eagle

A farmer found an eagle's nest on one of the rocky hills surrounding his farm. In the nest was a warm egg. The curious farmer decided to preform an experiment. He placed the egg in his hen house to see if one of his chickens would mother the egg.

In time the egg hatched. The baby eagle grew up with the hens pecking for seed feed and sleeping in the hen house.

Years later the now elderly eagle was in the yard when a movement in the sky caused it to look up.

A majestic eagle was soaring overhead and the elderly bird thought for a moment "if only I had been born an eagle".

Maybe you could take flight if you only knew what you were capable of.

Quotes

"If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." - Vincent Van Gogh

Every grown-up man consists wholly of habits, although he is often unaware of it and even denies having any habits at all. - Georges Gurdjieff

Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.

- Charles Reade

Making Real Change

Changing your life is like getting out of the rain:
Willpower, desire and determination are like using an umbrella to avoid the rain. They help but they are temporary, they are based on mood and moods come and go. Willpower, desire and determination are great for getting you started but they are not a long term solution.	If you really want to avoid the rain you don't grab your umbrella you move to a sunnier location, like a sunny beach. If you really want to change your life you need to change the practical circumstances of your environment and adopt new habits. New habits and circumstances will ensure you act in new healthier ways no matter what your mood.
If you keep doing what you've done you will keep getting what you've gotten. To really change your life you will have to make decisions that are difficult and uncomfortable.

Well, what are you waiting for ?

There is an old saying about saving money, the most important thing is that you do it early and do it often.

A similar thing could be said about developing healthy daily habits. Don't worry too much about how you are going to record your progress, don't even worry too much about what habits you are going to be recording. Pick some and get started today!

HabmitMix provides a free account so you can get started recording your habits on a daily checklist.