Brian Tracy explains why we procrastinate and how to stop. Start with your worst task first, break big projects into smaller steps, and stop waiting to feel like it. His book has sold 2.5 million copies in 51 languages.
2,500,000 copies
51 languages
A free 14-step goal-setting guide
Before 6am
Hello, I'm Brian Tracy, and today I want to talk to you about the awful nature of procrastination. As you become aware of procrastinating, you can overcome it and then turn it into execution. Most people procrastinate at some point in their lives, and it's usually over things that they don't enjoy doing or they feel overwhelmed about, or they put it off because they're not as fun or as satisfying as doing other things. There's always a reason to procrastinate. Now, that's one of the reasons I'm such a big fan of diving into a cold pool first thing in the morning. Because if you can get that out of your way first, it's pretty easy to deal with anything else that that comes your way. So what I do, I now have a home with a big pool. What I do is I get up in the morning and I quickly go downstairs and jump in the pool before I have time to think about it. And wham. You jump in that pool, you hit that water, and you're on your way for the rest of the day. For some people, procrastinating seems to take the pressure off of us for a moment. But the longer we procrastinate, the. The more the stress builds as the time between when we intended to accomplish a task and when we actually accomplished it. Your ability to overcome the tendency to procrastinate is going to be the key to your success. The great one. Wayne Gretzky was fond of saying, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. And procrastination is a guaranteed way of assuring that. That you're not taking enough shots. Think of it this way. Once a difficult task is finally done, we feel a great sense of relief, of exhilaration. You might wonder why you put it off for so long too. And you vow never to get in the same position again. It's possible to stop that cycle with some actionable steps and changes in how you look at the tasks in front of you. I wrote a book on procrastination a few years ago that has now sold 2,500,000 copies in 51 languages all over the world. And people say it changes their life. And you'll say it as well. Overcoming procrastination involves actively checking in on your own personal growth so that you can ensure that you're making progress towards your goals and not getting off track. First, recognize when you are procrastinating. You're probably often aware that you are procrastinating, but it's not always obvious in the beginning stages. If you're doing any of the following things, you're sure as heck probably procrastinating. Does this sound like you A task keeps showing up on your to do list day after day or even week after week, even though you know it's important but you're not getting it done. Or you opt to start your day with low priority tasks instead of ones that have a looming deadline or take longer to finish. Or you're easily distracted by the need to get up for a snack, check your email, look at social media, or any other easy or even mindless task. Once you do decide to sit down and work on an important task, we call this the attraction of distraction. You agree to take on low priority tasks that people ask you to do throughout the day instead of sticking with your high priority to do list. Or you keep waiting to get in the right mood or find the perfect time to tackle a task. You kind of talk to yourself and think of reasons to put it off. Being aware of habits like these can help you prevent procrastination by proactively avoiding them. As you become aware of procrastinating and understand why you're doing it, you can overcome it and then turn it into execution. Second, don't overwhelm yourself. Feeling overwhelmed about your goals leads to putting them off. Desmond Tutu once said that the only way to eat an elephant was one bite at a time. In other words, any task can be completed if you break it down into enough manageable and measurable tasks. This means getting out your to do list and organizing your tasks so that you know what to do first, what to do second, and so on as you do. Keep in mind that the task you least want to do is the one you should do first. The most challenging items on our to do list are are the ones that we are likely to procrastinate on, but they're also the ones that have the greatest positive impact on your life if you actually finish them. So instead of putting it off, eat that frog. No one would ever look forward to eating a live frog, but if you start your day with the most challenging, awful task first, then everything else is going to seem easy by comparison. You'll be amazed at how productive you become by eating the frogs first and applying this concept throughout your life. The frog is the worst task and we say do the worst first is whatever it is we say when you eat a live frog, you'll be satisfied at knowing that's probably the worst thing that's going to happen to you all day long. So next Wake up Earlier when waking up earlier may not necessarily give you more hours in the day, it does tend to positively impact your mindset. Rising early can give you time to reflect and contemplate and calmly plan before the rush of the day ensues. You can use this early morning time as your quiet time for a healthy mindset or exercise time to start your day with energy and enthusiasm. Recent study shows that self made millionaires and billionaires get up before 6am Unsuccessful people get up at the last minute. Successful people get up before 6am and get started exercising or planning their day. Unsuccessful people get up at the last possible minute, fill themselves full of coffee and then go off to work trying to think what they need to do that day. So do what the most successful people do and soon you get the same results that the most successful people get. You have to be disciplined, motivated and focused to wake up earlier, but the benefits in productivity and are often well worth it. Then let go of perfection. Perfection is not the answer or end goal. As Winston Churchill said, procrastination is the enemy of progress. Having the mindset that your end product and each step along the way have to be flawless encourages procrastination because nothing ever feels proud, perfect and the end date drags on and on. Don't ever get caught up in the details so much that you lose sight of the big goal. Work hard and do your best to execute the tasks at hand. Lastly, set objectives, goals and rewards to help to stay on task. Some of the best secrets to overcoming procrastination come from the these key Set smart goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bounded. Find an accountability partner or coach to help you stay on task and you help them to stay on task. Give yourself rewards after completing certain milestones to encourage you to stay motivated and hold yourself back from giving yourself rewards until you finish the job. To further help you to turn procrastination into execution, now Download my free 14 step goal setting Guide. It will help you to develop a targeted plan of action to accomplish your goals in achievable steps. Now I'd love to hear from you. So my question today to you is how can you turn procrastination into execution? 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. If you enjoyed this video and feel it was valuable in teaching you about time management, subscribe to my channel. Like this video and share this video with your friends. Don't forget to click the button on the screen for a free gift. Thanks again for watching.
