Brian Tracy shares six tactics to beat procrastination: list every step before starting, prepare everything in advance, take one small step to build momentum, break big tasks into slices, use five-minute blocks to chip away at work, and do the hardest thing first to clear the logjam.
Start with the end in mind. What would your project look like if it were completed and excellent in every respect? Hello, I'm Brian Tracy and today I want to tell you how to get more done by managing your time effectively. Tons of time management hacks and strategies have been developed over the years by hundreds of people to help you get more done in less time. Here are six of my favorite task management tips to help you stop procrastinating in your work and personal life. Think about which one of these ideas could be most helpful to you right now in your current situation. The first tip is you can get more done by thinking on paper. List every step of the job or task in advance. Break down the job into its constituent parts before you begin. Simply writing down every detail and thoroughly preparing in advance will help you to find a good starting point. Once you do that, just keep on following the steps that you've laid out for yourself until the job is complete. Second, come fully prepared for each task that you work on. When you sit down to work or begin a task, make sure that you have everything on hand so that you won't have to get up and move until the task is done. Being fully prepared is a powerful motivator for staying with the task until it is finished. Third, take one small step to get started. There is an 8020 rule that says that 20% of the task often accounts for 80% of the value of that task. This is probably what Confucius meant when he said that a journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step. Once you've taken even one small step to start the job, you'll often find yourself continuing on with the task to completion. Fourth, you can do what I like to call the Salami slice method. Just as you would never try to eat a whole loaf of salami at once, don't try to take on all of a job from the start. Sometimes the best way to complete a major task is to take a small slice and complete just that piece. Just as you would take a single slice of salami and eat only that. When you select a small piece of the task and then discipline yourself to do it and get it over with, it will often give you the momentum you need to counter inertia. Stop procrastinating. The fifth method to help you manage your time is called the Swiss cheese method. Just as a block of Swiss cheese is full of holes, you treat your task like a block of cheese and you punch holes in it. Select a 5 minute part of the job and do only that. Don't worry about the whole job. For example, if you want to write an article or a book, break the task down into small pieces that take an identifiable amount of time to complete and do just one small piece at a time whenever you get a chance. Many authors begin by writing one page a day. If you are doing research, you can read one article per sitting. Many people write complete books on airplanes or complete their college degrees with blocks of time between their other activities. If you wrote one page a day for a year, you would have a 365 page book by the end of the year. The fact is, you will be more effective if you deal first with whatever is causing you the greatest emotional distress or fear. Often this will break the logjam in your work and free you up mentally and emotionally to get things done. Before we wrap up, I'd like to leave you with a thought to share with your friends and followers. Here it is. Start with the end in mind. What would your project look like if it were completed and excellent in every respect? Now I'd love to hear from you. So my question today is what can you do to help get motivated and stop procrastinating? Leave a comment below and I'll be sure to follow up with you. Thanks for watching. And remember, if you want to change your future, take action and take action now. To learn more time management tips like these, click the button on the screen or in the description to get my free Eat that Frog transcription. If you enjoyed the video and feel it was valuable, subscribe to my Channel like like this video and share this video with your friends or anyone else who might benefit from this information.
