How to Overcome Procrastination | Jack Canfield

Hi there. I'm Jack Canfield. Do you find it hard to motivate yourself to do what you know you need to do in order to create a better life for yourself? Well, today I'd like to share some tips on how to pull yourself out of procrastination paralysis and activate your ability to accomplish any goal. You know, I've worked with a lot of people over the years, and without exception, the single biggest obstacle that that has held them back from achieving their goals has always been themselves. Now we are our own biggest roadblock. We let our fears immobilize us and tell ourselves stories that justify our reluctance to take action. And we convince ourselves that we're not good enough and that our efforts will probably end in failure. But those stories are pure fiction and have no real basis in reality. And so today, I'm going to show you how to rewrite those stories when once and for all, so you can free yourself from procrastination paralysis and finally become a doer instead of just a dreamer. Now, first off, I'd like you to stop telling yourself that you're a born procrastinator or you're naturally a lazy person. It's not true. You were not born that way. It's just a story you tell yourself, which means it's a story you can change. So from now on, every time you chide yourself for procrastinating or being lazy, and I want you to tell yourself that you already have everything you need to accomplish any goal you can imagine, because that is the real truth of the matter. Second of all, I'd like you to consider this. Is it really your tendency to procrastinate that's stopping you from taking action? Or are you simply overwhelmed? You know, all too often the reason why you don't take action is because you're not sure what action you should take. Your goal seems so big that and there's so much to learn and do that it seems like an unimaginable task. So it's not a character flaw that's holding you back. It's a lack of clarity and planning. Now, the other reason is you have so many things to do and no criteria for deciding which one to do first. So refer back to your passions, your purpose, and your top values to help you decide which ones to do first. And once you do decide, clarify your goals, chunk them down into small but achievable action steps, and. And then systematically completing those small steps one after another. Here are some tips to help make that easier for you. First, start your day by setting three to five small goals for yourself and then commit yourself to completing them before you go to bed that night, no matter what. Now make sure your goals are realistic and they're achievable because the act of achieving them and crossing them off your list is going to give you the confidence and the momentum you need to keep on going. Now my next step is to eliminate the distractions that prevent you from fully focusing on your goals. Now one great way to do this is to use an online website blocker app that prevents you from wasting time mindlessly surfing on your favorite websites or social media networks so you can spend that time more productively working toward your goals. Now some of the best ones are freedom, stay focused, limit, waste no time, website blocker and pause. So just type in website blockers in your browser and find the one that best fits your needs. You know, I particularly like pause, which gives you a green screen for five seconds every time you access a new website, which gives you five seconds to pause and actually reflect on if you really want to watch another cute cat video on YouTube or get back to work. Now another important thing is for you to give yourself hard deadlines and then commit to achieving them. Then when you do achieve your goal, I want you to reward yourself for it and this will boost your confidence and your motivation and help you maintain your focus and your momentum. Now another great way to avoid procrastination trap is to focus your time and energy on the things that matter most to you. Now a lot of us will procrastinate when we're forced to work toward outcomes and we just don't really care about. It's a lot easier to stay motivated when you're spending your time and your energy on something that's aligned with your purpose and your passions and that's deeply important to you. So when it comes to taking action, make sure to focus your time and your energy on the things that matter most and then delegate everything else as much as you can. Now I also encourage you to get an accountability partner. A powerful way to avoid slipping back in inaction is is to share your goals with another person and then make daily or weekly reports on your progress. Now when you have to be accountable for your efforts, I promise you, you're more likely to make those efforts count. The simplest method with your accountability partner is to have a five minute call every morning at the same time, if that's possible, and then commit to the three to five things you're going to do that day and then reconnect the next day and report on what you actually accomplished and what you didn't and your partner does the same thing with you. Now this is especially important if you're a solo entrepreneur or if you're the one at the top of your organization or your team. Finally, I encourage you to use visualization and affirmations to create an action focused mindset. Keep your goals top of mind and learn to see yourself as someone who gets things done. Because when you tell yourself you're a goal achieving powerhouse, you will become one. Now I'd like to hear your thoughts after watching this video. What one or two actions can you take today to bring yourself closer to your dreams? So I encourage you to identify one small task and then schedule time to make it happen today. Because every action you complete proves that you are the kind of person who does get things done. And that will make it so much easier for you to maintain your confidence, your momentum and your motivation that you'll need to keep taking action after action after action until you eventually make all your dreams a reality. Now if you found this video helpful, please make sure you like it, share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel for more videos like this one. And make sure to click the link on the screen to receive a free gift. And for some additional resources on how to overcome procrastination, make sure to visit my website@jackcampfield.com thanks for watching.