Shout out to all the pros! How do you avoid procrastination?

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If I'd never procrastinated in my life - I'd be a millionaire by now. lol. Recently, there has been a lot of hype on how procrastination spurs creativity. New opinions and researches have come rolling in - majority in support of procrastination. Have you listened the TED talk "Inside the mind of a master procrastinator"? I recommend listening it if you are like me - a master procrastinator!
Inside the mind of a master procrastinator | Tim Urban - YouTube
But even if procrastination ignites creativity, what about the famous saying "Time is money'? For each hour I waste, I dread upon it later, and the cycle repeats every day. Not to mention the instances when my client is not sure about the deadline (and says i want good work, time is not an issue), lol. This literally takes me on an imaginary vacation trip to huawei until the client jolts me up from my slumber sound sleep (asking for progress!).

Recently, i have found a way around it...a way to trick the 'procrastinator' within me. Instead of trusting my will power, i ask my clients to give me a sharp and tight deadline. I usually ask for it by saying something like "I would highly appreciate if you could give me a sharp and well-defined deadline. This really helps me chain-down the procrastinator within me."

I would love to know who you are; a pre-crastinator or a procrastinator? If former - you are my hero, if later - What measures you take to curb down procrastination?
Thanks
Junaid
#mind warriors #avoid #procrastination #pros #shout
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  • I pray for blessings and that works each and everytime!
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  • I have built discipline over the years.

    I never came easy to me. I struggled a lot to stay focused....

    To me it all start with the morning. If I start my day the right way, I will be productive all day. So having a good morning routine is key for me.

    You need to build good habits because willpower is limited and will run out of it quickly.

    I recommend you to read this book:

    http://www.lifefreedomuniversity.com...g-book-review/
    • [1] reply
    • Hi Valmont, that's a great tip. Early mornings are the most productive time of the day. Whenever I am overloaded with work, instead of going for an all nighter, I prefer to wake up early in the morning and do the most difficult tasks first. It has always worked well for me. Nice tip. May be I should start being an early bird, every day. Cheers!
      Junaid
  • Haha! Ok, I laughed. the video was good especially with the Procrastination monkey and the character who appears midway through it.

    Anyway, like what most people said here, having a habit of what to do makes it easier. When writing articles in the morning is as automatic as brushing your teeth, it works. You just need to build that habit though, and the only way to do it is if you start and continue.

    For everything else, there are ways to be more productive, like planning priorities, chunking down your tasks into easy steps, and DOING THEM. Taking breaks and resting is essential too.
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    • Hi Reimaru, these are all great tips. The only way to punch procrastination in the face is to break your habit gradually. As you pointed "The only way to do is start and continue.' Thanks for your suggestions! Cheers!
      Junaid
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  • Write down your to do list based on what MUST be done, what CAN be done and what NEEDS to be done soon, and most importantly if you know you're not going to meet a deadline be honest and contact your clients to discuss your progress and when client's should expect your work. Apps such as Insightly help me so much, as they are on my smartphone and on my laptop and constantly send reminders to me to keep me in check and organised.
    • [1] reply
    • Hi Ginger, I have heard about many such apps, but haven't tried any of them yet. Maybe I should now. However, I do craft time tables. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. The thing that I am failing to address is 'distractions'. Especially, when you are staring at a blank page, with a boring blinking cursor, even an irrelevant fb notification drives me crazy I would love to know how you say "No" to distractions like social media, emails or friends even?! Thanks for your great tips!
      Junaid
  • Oh my goodness, I’m the worst procrastinator! The amount of time I’ve spent avoiding things that are only small jobs once I get going is ridiculous!!

    I have really had to discipline myself since I started working from home earlier in the year otherwise I could put off tasks for days. Yes, set deadlines do help, however, I’d rather rely on myself than a client to get myself in order so I’ve had to put things into place myself.

    To-do lists and timetables are great (sound a bit basic, but if you’re a true procrastinator you’ll see the value in this!) I’ve also had to treat my working from home day just like a day in the office with set start and break times. Now, while this might seem a bit like I’m taking away the benefit of working from home, it’s working for me for the time being.

    I also start working on tasks with the later deadlines first, which encourages me to work faster knowing I still have upcoming deadlines to meet for future tasks – it might sound a bit backwards but it definitely helps me to get things done.

    I’ve done a bit of research on this myself and there’s also a few apps that you can download. I’ve never used any of these myself as I’m a bit too wary of the consequences of not being able to procrastinate if I NEED to (!) but you might find these useful, and I’d love to know if you do?

    Freedom – this cuts off your internet access during specific times and blocks access to email and other social media sites.

    Write or Die – This gives you a set number of words to achieve per hour and starts messing with your typing if you don’t work fast enough!

    There’s plenty of help out there and fellow procrastinators should unite! I’m really enjoying this thread and would love to hear some more suggestions of how you beat the procrastination.
    • [1] reply
    • Hi, nice to hear from you. Wow! I like the idea of Write or die. I should probably try this and see how it goes for me. Just want to add something here. Lately, I was reading an email from Danial D Piazza (he is a well-known blogger).

      He narrated his story saying that he tried every God damn app available on market to beat down his procrastination -all in vain. Nothing was working for him. So, he decided to try something new. He hired a mentor, especially assigned to watch out for how is doing with his time. The mentor used to ask him, every now and then, about his progress towards his daily goals. Not only that, the mentor also went ahead and start throwing him a motivational email every day. This email was packed with valuable information on how to manage time and why time is so important for successful people.

      Daniel says the approach of hiring a personal trainer who gave him a "personalized" push on how to beat procrastination was something that worked for him!

      I liked Daniel approach. But maybe his procrastination was a lot severe than me (or us). I think we should try working around with these apps first, and then, if things don't work, we can think about hiring a virtual trainer! Thanks for your detailed input. Cheers!
      Junaid
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  • I try to work on the project a little bit everyday during the morning.
    I made a habit to start my online marketing work at 5AM. Most of the time 'just starting the work' beats the procrastination.

    There are some moments during the year however, when I find myself avoiding the work, oversleeping or watching so much tv like a procrastination pro! I see this as a sign that my mind NEEDS A BREAK FROM WORK.

    I throw away the guilt and worry about procrastinating and tell myself I am having a vacation I deserve! =)

    There is just so much sleeping or binge tv watching you can do that soon you are just so eager to get back to work, and won't have any problems about procrastination.
  • It's simple.

    => Programming <= : rewire your thought patterns and everything is feasible.
    Everything is just a perception and it may so happen.
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  • The rule is...if I write it down - It has to be done!
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    Shout out to all the pros! How do you avoid procrastination?

    If I'd never procrastinated in my life - I'd be a millionaire by now. lol. Recently, there has been a lot of hype on how procrastination spurs creativity. New opinions and researches have come rolling in - majority in support of procrastination. Have you listened the TED talk "Inside the mind of a master procrastinator"? I recommend listening it if you are like me - a master procrastinator! Inside the mind of a master procrastinator | Tim... But even if procrastination ignites creativity, what about the famous saying "Time is money'? For each hour I waste, I dread upon it later, and the cycle repeats every day. Not to mention the instances when my client is not sure about the deadline (and says i want good work, time is not an issue), lol. This literally takes me on an imaginary vacation trip to huawei until the client jolts me up from my slumber sound sleep (asking for progress!).