This Simple Strategy Shows You The Right Way to Use It.
Let's go straight to the point.
Procrastination happens when you have no clear image of what you want, how to do it, or why you are doing it. It's not something to avoid and be ashamed of. It's just your brain warning you, "Hey, you haven't thought this through yet, so I'm not going to give you the energy to do it." Therefore why not use the opportunity to take a break, relax, and think things through?
How to Use Procrastination to Your Advantage.
When you catch yourself procrastinating, allow yourself to procrastinate for a few minutes. There's no need to go hard on yourself for doing it. Remember, it's just your brain warning you that you have to take a break and make some things clear first.
To help your brain, you need to get clear about the What, How, and Why.
What is Your Goal? We are cognitive misers, this means we simplify information and make it generic so it's easier to understand and go by in life. In the jungle, too many questions will get you killed. So it's good to simplify things whenever you can. However, when you catch yourself procrastinating to do things, it's probably a good sign that you need to take a step back and get crystal clear about what your goals are. For example: for the longest time I would procrastinate to go to the gym. Why? Because I was only interested in getting healthy. It's a worthy goal, for sure, but it's not specific enough to make me actually do anything. The solution? One day I decided to focus only on a clear goal of doing 12 pushups. When that got easy and boring, I added more pushups, then different goals for different exercises. Nowadays, I do a 1-hour full-body workout. Clear goals, less procrastination. Unfortunately, having clear goals is not enough, it's important to know how to do things as well.
How Do You Do It? After you have a clear goal, you have to know How to do what you want to do. Where do your hands go on a pushup, do you start with a close or wide stance, knees or feet, how about the position of the elbows? When get clear about how it should be done, you won't dwell anymore. You have a crystal clear vision of how to do things go. Now, all you have to answer is the why.
Why Are You Doing This? Understanding the Why of things is not only a great way to stop procrastination but also a wonderful approach to find meaning in life. For now, let's leave the meaning of life to another post. When you are procrastinating, ask yourself, "Why you do what you do?" Are you in it for the kids? For recognition? Or because you want to look sexy in a dress and make a splash in NYE party? If you are honest with yourself and answer the Why, you will discover a real reason to motivate you and keep you on track.
How It Works in Real Life
When I catch myself dreading work and doing anything but what I need to do, I set myself 10 minutes to watch NBA Highlights on Youtube. It's a great way to go easy on myself and clear my mind of things. But before I jump into it, I write down what I'll do next, how to do it, and why I'm doing it. Ever since I started doing this process, procrastination became way less of a hassle and more of a warning that I need a few seconds to clear my mind, set better goals, and find an excuse to catch up with the latest game.
There's nothing more to it. A few simple steps and you have a strategy that is worth applying every single time. You will be delighted with how much you will enjoy procrastinating, how little time you waste, and how much you will accomplish later on.
Hope you find it helpful.
Talk to you soon,
Lucas Napier