Break Procrastination
Transcript of Break Procrastination
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Break Procrastination – Take Back Control Of Your Life
By: Matt Ryan
http://www.ahappyself.com
http://www.breakprocrastination.com
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Disclaimer:
The author and publisher make no representation or warranties withrespect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of thecontents of this report. The information contained in this report is
strictly for educational purposes.
Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in this report, you aretaking full responsibility for your actions.
Every effort has been made on the part of the author and the publisherto represent with accuracy this product and its potential. However, noguarantees are made that you or your life will improve by using theideas and techniques in this text.
The levels on which you improve depends on the time you devote tothe ideas and techniques here and your current knowledge and skillsets. Factors differ between individuals and we cannot guaranteesuccess. Nor are we responsible for any actions you take.
The author and publisher disclaim any express or implied warranties(express or implied), merchantability, or fitness for any particularpurpose. The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable toany party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or otherconsequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of
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Table of Contents
Part 1 About Procrastination
What is Procrastination Causes of Procrastination Adverse Effects of Procrastination
Part 2 Conquer Procrastination
Getting Over Procrastination Day 1 List What You Recognize
Day 2 Answer The Questions Day 3 Create Your Calls of Action and Act Day 4 Effective Planning Day 5 Super Tips For Success
Conclusion Additional Resources
Make Money With This Guide Copyright Information
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Part 1: About Procrastination
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination according to the dictionary is defined as, “to defer
action; to delay” and, “to put off until another day; defer;
delay.”
But, procrastination is far more than simply ‘putting things off’ or
‘delaying action’. Procrastination, when gone unchecked for too long,
and in it’s most serious forms, can bear with it serious complications to
the procrastinators life, their mental health and their physical health.
Additionally, procrastination on a chronic level can be a sign of serious
psychological or physiological disorders.
Studies have shown that procrastination and perfectionism are often
very closely related. Many times when a person reads this, or is first
informed of it, they quickly dismiss it. How can a person engrossed in
the act of being perfect, defer their actions towards their goal of
perfection?
Perfectionism entails the penchant to negatively evaluate outcomes
and personal performance. This inclination can lead to factors that
cause a perfectionist to delay action; such as fear of the outcome, fear
of a failing performance or a heightened self-conscious that induces
anxiety.
For a chronic procrastinator this can lead to numerous problems that
extend from the mental health aspect quickly into physical health
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problems. Procrastination, if gone unchecked, will lead to increased
levels of stress, guilt, decreased productivity and feelings of crisis.
These psychological factors could easily manifest themselves into
serious physical health problems.
Procrastination itself comes in the form of two very different types.
The relaxed type procrastinator and the tense-afraid type
procrastinator.
The Relaxed Type of Procrastination
The relaxed type of procrastination refers to the individual that avoids
situations and events that could cause them any form of displeasure.
Relaxed type procrastinators look upon their responsibilities as being
negative aspects of life and avoid them by placing their efforts on the
things in their life they view as pleasurable and live their lives giving
others the impression that very little worries them.
This impression is merely a façade and an evasion to elude questions
and confrontations about why they are delaying to this, that or the
other. Thus, relaxed type procrastinators are often considered to be
living in a state of denial.
The Tense-Afraid Type of Procrastination
Completely different from the relaxed type procrastinator, the tense-
afraid type procrastinator procrastinates because of a sense of being
overwhelmed. They are not realistic with time scenarios and are often
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over reaching with their short-term goals, which makes them
uncertain about the viability of and the attainment of such goals.
Negative feelings of varying degrees also contribute to the delaying of
action by this particular type of procrastinator. It is common to hear
them referring to the need to unwind, or to take it easy before
completing one task or starting another. This is ‘unwinding’ is
temporary and quite ineffective.
Dealing with their negative feelings in this manner only leads to more
stress as deadlines loom and the time for whatever they are delaying
nears. In doing this, the individual increases the stress and
apprehension about the task they’re putting off and in turn, increasing
their feelings of apprehension and guilt.
They wind up becoming uncertain of their goals and the direction of
their life, which leads them to feeling awkward around goal-oriented,
self-confident individuals, which can quickly lead them into depression.
In turn, this becomes a cycle of failure preceding failure upon yet
another failure and can often lead to a breakdown in relationships and
social skills.
It’s not uncommon to find many tense-type procrastinators slowly
withdraw themselves from society and even limit their contact with
friends and family. The deeper the procrastination goes, the more ittransforms itself into something much more than simply ‘putting things
off’ until another day.
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Before we can go into effective steps to overcoming procrastination,
it’s important to understand the deeper and more underlying causes
that bring it about. By understanding these things, we’ll be able to
better understand the reasons behind the steps and procedures that
help one overcome procrastination.
Procrastination and Depression
Finally, it should be noted that procrastination and depression are
frequently linked and very closely related. The characteristics of each
are extremely similar and have the tendency to feed off of each other.
If you or someone you know has taken procrastination to such chronic
levels that even the smallest signs of depression are detected, it is
highly advisable to seek professional medical attention. Gone
untreated this could lead to even more serious life and health issues.
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Causes of Procrastination
On the surface, when an outsider looks at a person who is actively
procrastinating, they typically assume that the person doing the
procrastinating is simply lazy. The onlooker will sometimes say, ‘Just
do it and get it done with,’ or ‘what are you waiting for, the sooner you
do it the sooner it’s done.’
What the person making the statements may not realize, which is
often the case, is that the fundamental reason that something is being
put off isn’t because it’s a duty the procrastinator doesn’t want to do.
It is more than likely the effect of a variety of reasons that rest below
the surface and are deeply ingrained.
Some of the most common underlying causes of procrastination
include attempting perfection, fear, overwhelm, evaluation anxiety,
relevance and lack of confidence. Each of these reasons is hard
enough to overcome once they reach the stages of being chronic,
however, combined they become a seemingly formidable mountain of
terror for those that are stuck in the ways of chronic procrastination.
Perfectionism
As odd and paradoxical as it seems, perfectionism is perhaps the
leading cause of procrastination. The perfectionist often feels that if
something is going to be done, it might just as well be done perfect or
not done at all. This leaves projects or tasks either dusty in the
planning stages or if they do get started, left stagnant in the early
steps of development.
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What ends up happening in the life of the ‘perfect procrastinator’ is
they start, and then stop and they start, then stop and start. They
never seem to be able to follow through and others sometimes say
they are ‘underachievers.’ Being tagged with this term generally leads
to even greater amounts of procrastination.
This cause debilitates the procrastinator and leads to them not moving
forward in their careers or family life because some simple thing isn’t
as perfect as their mind feels it should be. The perfectionism cause of
procrastination can easily be followed by and cause the enhancement
of certain fears that the procrastinator has as well.
Fear
Succumbing to one’s fears makes it easy for them to start putting
things off, delaying action and ultimately not completing tasks and
goals they set for themselves. Fear of how people perceive them, fearof failure and fear of success can stop the chronic procrastinator dead
in their tracks.
In their most basic form, these fears are all fears of the unknown. The
chronic procrastinator does not know what the outcome will be or how
it will affect them and this causes their thoughts to tangle and become
tense. They freeze and put off any action until they are confident thatthey know exactly how it will come about.
Invariably, this usually results in a negative outcome and increases the
depth of their fear the next time they are presented with a similar
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situation or opportunity. It doesn’t take long for this to become habit
of life and common way of living for those that slip into the grasp of
chronic procrastination.
Overwhelm
The feeling of being overwhelmed can quickly lead a person to
procrastinating because they don’t know what to do next. They don’t
know what the most effective action to take is because there are
seems to be so many things that need to be done. This can happen
quickly without warning.
The person who suffers from being overwhelmed will typically be the
kind of person that likes to help others, they’ll take on so much
responsibility that they will suddenly freeze with inactiveness. Once
the feelings of being overwhelmed take hold it is sometimes very
difficult for this person to make even the simplest decisions.
Lack of Confidence
With lack of confidence as a cause for procrastination, this
procrastinator often has great ideas and plans but never even gets
them off of the ground because they do not have the confidence they
can actually accomplish what they have set out to do.
As with all other forms of procrastination, allowing lack of confidence
to continually control their actions will lead to even greater
procrastination and also begin to include other procrastination causes
as well.
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Evaluation Anxiety
Exactly as the definition of the words in the term mean, evaluationanxiety is the anxious feelings in regards to how you or something you
are doing is going to be evaluated by other people. Once this feeling
begins, the person who suffers from it will put things off or only place
half of their effort into whatever task or tasks they may be performing.
With the constant pressure of this anxiety, important life duties are left
undone or not completed with the thoroughness in which they couldbe. This leaves only a life of sought after dreams that are either only
partially fulfilled or never even acted upon at all.
Relevance
Sometimes procrastination isn’t about outside influences, in the case
of relevance; it’s completely about how the procrastinator associates
the benefits of a task with him or herself. Often procrastination takes
place when a person feels that whatever they are supposed to be, or
going to be, doing isn’t relevant to themselves or their life.
With this as a cause of procrastination it becomes hard to be
motivated simply because there is no visual or evident benefits for the
tasks or duties at hand. Slipping to frequently into this type of
procrastination can often lead to job loss, business failure and
disillusionment from friends and family members.
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Do you recognize any of the aforementioned causes in you life? In the
way you handle your day-to-day tasks, important projects, career or
business? Let’s now take a look at some of the major effects these
causes of procrastination can have on your overall well-being.
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Adverse Effects of Procrastination
Procrastination has multiple negative effects on a person’s life, from
bills not getting paid to deep depression to physical health problems.
Although many of these effects may start out as small annoyances
they can quickly become serious problems that go beyond simple
procrastination.
Effects on Relationships
The effects of procrastination on relationships can become quite
serious and lead to the breakdown of working and personal
relationships. This breakdown will start with relationship issues such
as perceived nagging, blaming, accusations and the procrastinator
isolating themselves from the people they care about.
The culmination of time and the breakdown effects of the
procrastination will ultimately lead friends, co-workers and loved ones
to create a distance between themselves and the person
procrastinating. This will then lead to the procrastinator being isolated
and with feelings of being alone and helpless.
It is easy to see how chronic procrastination can lead to serious
depressions.
Effects on Quality of Life
As if the loss of important relationships isn’t enough, procrastination
can also have major effects on other areas of life. A procrastinator will
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often find himself or herself feeling spiritually and emotionally empty
due to the lack of forward and positive progress in their life. Feelings
of loss and the inability to visualize becomes more apparent and a
constant part of his or her life.
If they have also experienced lost or diminishing relationships their
quality of life can spiral out of control in a sudden manner.
Effects on Mental and Emotional Stability
As the quality of life begins to diminish, so will the stability of theprocrastinator’s mentality and emotions. Failure upon failure will
mount up and become frustration upon frustration and begin to slowly
deepen procrastination within the person. This makes it not only
difficult to pull out of, but, also will enhance all of the other negative
effects procrastination has on a person’s life.
Low self-esteem, being extremely self critical, irritability and guilt aremajor signs that a person is either becoming overcome by their
procrastination or they are already to that point.
Effects on Work and Career
Very similar to relationships, procrastination in it’s chronic stages will
lead a person to become isolated at their place of work and will
jeopardize their opportunities for advancement and career satisfaction.
Missed career opportunities, missed chances for raises and lowered
productivity are all major effects of procrastinating at work.
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If the procrastination isn’t such that involves the work environment
but is more related to personal time, it can still have effects on work
and the career. The procrastinator’s mind will often be wondering off
and thinking about whatever it is they have put off and not be
concentrating on doing their job. The more this effect takes place, the
less likely they will be to keep their job, much less advance.
Effects on Physical Health
The previous effects on a person’s life due to procrastination,
especially when combined and compounded up each other, will greatly
and systematically lead to a decline in the person’s health. Physical
tensions will build; nervousness and anxiety attacks become prompted
by the pressures of not getting things done when they should be done.
It’s typical to find insomnia, irritability and restlessness as normal
parts of the life of a chronic procrastinator. As the pressures of the
procrastinators life begin to build, all of this combined into a whole,
can contribute to high blood pressure and other stress related health
problems.
________________________
The seriousness of procrastination and its effects upon a person’s life
are quite clear. Sure, a little procrastination is normal and in certain
circumstances can even be comical, however, once it’s left the realm
of being an occasional occurrence and entered the realm of being
chronic: It can have lasting and serious detrimental ramifications on
the life of the person procrastinating and the lives of those that
surround him or her.
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After taking a look at some of the issues and consequences that result
from procrastination, do you recognize any of them in someone you
love? Do you recognize anything in yourself?
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Part 2: Conquer Procrastination
Getting Over Procrastination?
The first step in conquering the procrastination demon is, like other
negative habits, to come to the understanding that it is creating
negative effects on your life. In order to effectively change a habit or
negative pattern that has developed in your life, you have to make this
recognition.
As you read through Part 1: About Procrastination, did you recognize
any of the examples and descriptions in your own life? Did any of the
examples or descriptions spark others in your mind that might be
causing negative occurrences in your life?
If you’ve recognized or thought of even one thing in the first part, then
procrastination could be a factor in your life and has, or has the
potential for developing into negative effects on your goals and on
your life’s path. It doesn’t matter if what you recognized is small in
nature or large, the fact is that you have recognized that
procrastination is a part of your life and is beginning to exhibit it’s
limiting effects.
Take your time with this first step. The better you understand that
this is, or is leading to, a problematic habit in your life; the more likely
you’ll be to take the measures needed that will head you in the
direction of overcoming procrastinating and surpassing it’s negative
aspects.
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The steps are listed as day-to-day tasks to ease the burden and lessen
the feeling that they must be all completed as quickly as possible.
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Day 1: List What You Recognize
Now that you have successfully recognized that there are some things
in your life that you procrastinate about, grab yourself a pen and
paper and make a list of them. Actually perform the physical task of
writing these down, this action on your part will make them more real
in your mind and help you connect to the fact that they are something
you need to deal with.
While you’re writing this list, take a moment
to think about each thing you write down.
When you’re thinking about these items take
into consideration the following four
questions: Why you procrastinate with this
particular item? How has continually putting
this item off negatively affected my life? How
would my life be different if I stopping putting
this item off? What can I do today, right
now, to begin changing my habit with this
particular item?
Tip for larger tasks:
If one of the tasks on your
list happens to be
something that is a very
large project or can be
broken down into smaller
steps, then break it down
into those steps.
The smaller the size of the
task, the easier it is to
manage and the less likely
you’ll feel overwhelmed.
Additionally, when you’re thinking about these items and your reasons
for procrastinating about them, be honest with yourself and don’t cop
out by using easy reasons. ‘I don’t want to do it’ is not a viable reason
for why you’re putting something off. Get directly to the heart of the
matter and dig right into the real reason.
Now, take a moment and go write your list. Again, take your time and
write down everything you can think of that you procrastinate about.
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Small or large, if it’s something you’re putting off it is having an effect
on your life. When you’re done, we’ll get started on the next step.
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Day 2: Answer The Questions
Welcome back. I bet that list you made and the questions that you
asked yourself have already got your mind spinning and your desire
for making positive changes is deepening. That’s good!!
Now that your list is complete, get yourself a few more sheets of paper
and pick your pen back up. We’re going to start answering those
questions I asked you to think about. That’s right, you’re going to
perform the physical action of writing your answers on a piece of
paper.
What I have found works best for this step
is to have a separate sheet of paper for
each of the items you have written on your
list. This leaves you plenty of room to write
the answers you’ve come up and to also
make any additions or notes at a later time.
Why all the writing?
In addition to the fact that
physically writing something
down helps ingrain it into
your memory, you are also
doing all of this writing to
help you begin a new habit:
The habit of taking action
when action needs to be
taken.At the top of your paper write the item or
task that you have recognized as being
something you actively procrastinate with.
Next write the question, ‘Why do I put off –enter task here-?’. Focus
on the question for a bit and then in your own words and with as much
detail as you can, write the answer out. Avoid writing easy answers
like, ‘Because I don’t want to do it.’ Answers of that nature will not
help you drill down to the real reasons that you’re procrastinating.
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Example:
Maybe one of the tasks you have written down that you put off is
‘Paying My Bills’. A reason you might write down for putting off paying
your bills could possibly be something like this: ‘I put off paying my
bills because when I’m done I have no money left in my bank account
and it makes me feel that the time and effort I invest in my job leaves
me with no rewards. Because of this I feel that I am letting myself
and my family down by not being able to provide the extra things in
life that could make their lives easier and happier.’
Next write the question: ‘How has putting off –enter task here- created
negative effects in my life?’. Take your time and write down, to the
smallest detail everything that you can think of that has occurred
because you have put this task off.
As with your reasons for why you put a particular item off, be as real
and as detailed as you can with your recognition of the negative
effects this is having on your life.
Example:
Here’s an example of what an negative effect may be for the ‘Paying
My Bills’ item: ‘Not paying my bills on time costs me even more
money. I have to pay late payment fees, reconnect fees or other fees
and I have even had property repossessed because of this.’
Next, write the question: ‘How would my life be different if I stopped
putting off –enter task here-?’.
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Again, get as detailed and full of feeling as you can with this answer.
What could you have? What wouldn’t you have to deal with? What
dreams and goals could you bring about faster?
Example:
Staying with our ‘Paying My Bills’ procrastination task, you might
answer this question like so: ‘If I paid every bill on time I wouldn’t
have to pay the extra fees associated with the late payment and I
could use the money that I save to take my wife and kids out to
dinner.’
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Day 3: Create Your Calls of Action and Act
Over the first two days of this process you’ve identified the things you
put off, how they affect your life and how things could be different if
you didn’t procrastinate on these tasks. Now, we’re going to get on
with making the changes and taking the actions you need to take in
order to help bring about the better things life has to offer you.
Go ahead and get out the papers you have for each of the individual
tasks or items that you procrastinate about. In the space below the
last question, write this question: ‘What can I do today to stop putting
off –enter task here-?’. You should do this for each of the tasks you
have a separate paper for.
By asking yourself this question you are creating for yourself a call to
action. For each task you have written down as something you put off
doing, write at one call to action for it. It doesn’t matter how small or
large this action is, just make sure it is something positive towards the
completion or fulfillment of the task.
Example:
Still with our ‘Paying My Bills’ task, you might create your own call to
action for this task in this manner: ‘Today I can pay my electric bill
that is due next Tuesday.’
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After you have given yourself one call to
action for each of your tasks, arrange your
stack of papers in order of importance. How
you prioritize is an entirely personal,
however, you should keep in mind whether
something has a deadline that needs to be
met or whether it is something that can wait
yet another day without generating more
negative effects.
Prioritize your tasks.
By prioritizing your tasks in
order of importance you
insure that you complete
those that absolutely need
to be completed within the
time frame they need to be
completed in. This allows
you to be more efficient
and also helps to lower
stress.
Now that you have your tasks prioritized and placed in a nice, neat pile
it’s time to get busy completing the actions you’ve told yourself to
take. Start with the first task at the top of the pile and perform the
action you have stated that you could do today. After you finish the
first, move to the second and continue in this manner until you’ve
completed every task.
If you do not have the time to complete all of the tasks, that’s okay,
you can come back tomorrow and finish the rest. Since you have
them in order of importance, you will surely be able to complete those
that need to be done soonest, first.
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Day 4: Effective Planning
Over the previous three days of work you have essential been
practicing the beginning steps of planning, this is particularly true of
Day 3. If you still have actions to complete from yesterday, go ahead
and complete them right now before moving on to this step. Don’t
worry if this takes the remaining free time you have for today as it’s
more important to complete one step before moving on to the next.
In Part 1: About Procrastination you learned
that one of the core causes of procrastination
is the feeling of being overwhelmed. An easy
way to deal with this feeling is to effectively
plan your day, your week, your month or
even your year.
Complete Important
Tasks First
With the right plan in place you will be able to
maximize the use of your time and eliminate
your feelings of being overwhelmed. The
more your practice planning, the better you
will get at it and the better you get at planning, the easier it will be for
you to overcome your feelings of being overwhelmed.
Before taking on new tasks
or projects it is key to
complete all of your
important tasks prior to
adding new ones. You will
gain confidence in your
abilities, which will help
you succumb ingrained
fears and make your next
set of tasks much more
likely to be successful.
All right, let’s get started. Go had and get out two more sheets of
paper. On each piece of paper you should write at the very top and inthe center, ‘My Week’. On the left hand side of the paper and equally
spaced down the left hand side, write the days of the week starting
with whatever tomorrow is and also the actual date that day is. As I
am writing this, tomorrow is Sunday, so I would start with Sunday and
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then ten lines down I would write Monday and so on and so forth until
I came to Saturday.
Again, starting with tomorrow list each and everything you absolutely
have to accomplish on that particular day. Include as much detail as
you can: what time of day, how long it will take, who it will be with.
As you write this schedule be very lenient
with your time, if something typically takes
you fifteen minutes to complete, allow
yourself twenty minutes. The reason you’re
doing this is so you never leave yourself
short of time and if anything unexpected
occurs, you will have time to fit that in
without placing stress on your schedule.
Schedule Unpleasant
Tasks Early In The Day
When possible schedule
unpleasant tasks early in
your day. This will help
you move through your
day with a feeling of
accomplishment and a
more positive attitude.
Example:
Sunday April 1, 2007:
6:00AM - 6:30AM Wake up, brush teeth etc
6:30AM – 7:30AM Make coffee, have breakfast
7:30AM - 8:30AM Check email, read news
8:30AM - 9:30AM Get ready for and go to church
9:30AM - 11:30AM Attend church
Monday April 2, 2007:
6:00AM - 6:30AM Wake up, brush teeth etc
6:30AM - 7:45AM Coffee, breakfast and check emails7:45AM - 8:00AM Travel to work
8:00AM - 9:00AM Work correspondence
9:00AM - 10:00AM HR meeting
10:00AM – 12:00PM Rough draft proposal for Project X
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12:00PM – 1:00PM Lunch
1:00PM – 4:00PM Finish beta formulas for Project W
4:00PM – 5:00PM Work out at company gym
5:00PM – 5:15PM Travel home
I think you get the picture. The more detail you can put into the
planning of each day, the better you will be able to plan the time to
manage it successfully.
During the week, follow this schedule as strict as you possibly can. If
your job or your daily activities vary, leave a large enough block of
time to account for this. As soon as you are aware of what you will be
doing during this block, fill it in on the sheet.
Before you go to sleep each night, review the day’s schedule and take
notice of how well you stuck to your schedule. You should also pay
particular attention to whether certain tasks took longer than you had
scheduled, or if they were completed quicker than you had scheduled.
If you notice any significant discrepancies in the amount of time a
certain task takes and this occurs three or more days in a row, you
can go ahead and make subtle changes to the rest of your schedule to
reflect the time differences.
Day 4 Follow Up Routine: At the end of this first week that you havescheduled, review again how everything went. Pay special attention to
how the amounts of time for each task panned out. Now, make a new
schedule for your next week and modify accordingly and still keeping
in mind to leave yourself plenty of time to finish certain tasks.
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At the end of the second week, do the same thing for the third.
By the time you’ve reached the end of the third week you should have
your daily tasks, and the amount of time they take, nailed down to
where they are almost an afterthought.
Finally, remember that the more you do this, the better you will
become at it. As weeks come and as weeks go you will be building a
habit of successfully planning your time, which in turn, will be building
your habit of successfully accomplishing the tasks that are required for
your daily goals and your life’s goals.
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Day 5: Super Tips for Success
Hey, how about that. You’ve made it to Day 5, in the process you’ve
successfully completed things you would normally have put off or
stressed yourself out about. You’ve learned simple techniques for
maximizing your time and reaching your goals more efficiently.
Your reward? NO WRITING FOR TODAY ☺, and great tips to help you
continue on your journey of positively achieving your goals.
I’ve interspersed throughout the course of this book certain tips and
tricks to help you along the way. However, there are so many of them
that I was unable to find room to fit them all in. So, Day 5 is a simple
listing of things that will make your goal of overcoming procrastination
a little easier.
Many of these tips you will be able to use as you continue with your
weekly schedules, some you will be able to implement immediately
and others will help simply get motivate. I have also included in this
list the tips that are included throughout the text.
Let’s get to ‘em.
Super Tip #1: Change your thought process about the things you
need to do. Instead of saying, ‘I have to do this,’ try saying instead, ‘I
choose to do this.’ Create a positive atmosphere in your mind, rather
than a negative one.
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Super Tip #2: Ask for help. It doesn’t matter with what, if you’ve
reached a standstill on a project or if your simply having trouble with
something in life. Ask for help, you don’t always have to go it alone.
Super Tip #3: Don’t expect everything you do to be perfect. Just do
your absolute best, take pride in what you’re doing and get whatever it
is your doing, done. It’s better to be slightly less than perfect than to
not have done at all.
Super Tip #4: Offer yourself rewards. This works particularly well
when you have taken a large project and broken it down into smaller
goals. As you successfully complete each goal, have a reward
prepared for that success. After enjoying your reward, get started on
the next goal. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you will bounce
through your goals and how much fun the rewards can be.
Super Tip #5: Do not stray from your time restrictions. If you know
you are going to be short on time, or if your time is already
maximized, don’t say yes to added responsibilities that will stress your
schedule. This will only serve to overwhelm and slowly break down
your successful goal achievements.
Super Tip #6: Purchase a day planner and use it. As you learn of
events or tasks you will need to attend or perform, pencil them in on
the very first day you have the opportunity to complete them. Use the
day planner to plan each and every day and stick to it. This is also
much easier than the ‘sheets of paper’ method used in this book.
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Super Tip #7: Reward yourself. As you complete certain tasks,
successfully complete a day or a week allow yourself something that
you save to do for special occasions.
Super Tip #8: Limit the commotion in your surroundings. Only take
phone calls or answer emails at certain parts of the day. Keep your
work area clean and organized. Anything you can do to take away
distractions so that it is easier for you to focus on your tasks.
Super Tip #9: When you’re planning your tasks, use your mind to
develop a very clear mental picture of the task already completed.
Feel the feelings you’ll feel when it’s done and keep your focus on the
end result. This will help keep you motivated to seeing it to the
positive end results.
Super Tip #10: When confronted with a task or project you’re
uncertain of how to proceed with, just get started doing something
with it. The key is to begin taking action. Once you actually get
started, it will be much easier to find the ‘flow’ and keep moving.
Super Tip #11: When possible schedule unpleasant tasks early in
your day. More often than not they are rarely as horrible as your mind
has made them out to be and the sooner they are off your plate the
easier it will be for you to move through your day with a feeling of
accomplishment.
Super Tip # 12: If you have a large project or a task that can be
broken down into smaller steps, then break it down into those smaller
steps. Complete each small step systematically and you’ll quickly
achieve your larger goal.
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Super Tip # 13: Get into the habit of taking action. The habit of
taking action when action needs to be taken will lead you to be able to
take action quicker and sooner in the future.
Super Tip # 14: By prioritizing your tasks in order of importance you
insure that you complete those that absolutely need to be completed
within the time frame they need to be completed in. This allows you
to be more efficient and also helps to lower stress.
Super Tip # 15: Before taking on new tasks or projects it is key to
complete all of your important tasks prior to adding new ones. You
will gain confidence in your abilities, which will help you succumb
ingrained fears and make your next set of tasks much more likely to
be successful.
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Conclusion
Well, that’s the end of the report and this guide to overcoming
procrastination. I hope you have enjoyed the process and that it has
helped you start getting things done and achieving your goals: big or
small.
If you are struggling and feeling as if you’re not making headway,
keep going. Keep the process moving and before long it will become a
habit and way of life.
Procrastination can be very difficult to overcome and keep at bay.
However: with time, patience and persistence it can be done and
thousands of people do it everyday. You are no different than they
are. You can do it too!!
To Your Success and Your ‘Self’,
Matt Ryan
http://www.ahappyself.comhttp://www.breakprocrastination.com
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Additional Resources
If, after reading this guide you would like more information on self-
improvement, motivation, goals and simply making your life better, Ihighly recommend the following online resources:
AhappySelf.com
Growing blog with posts to inspire, motivate and find success.
MotivationQuotes.com
Simple site with a ton of motivation quotes.
PositiveArticles.comGreat collection of motivational, positive thinking and self-growth
articles.
Sculptor 3 - Affirmation Software
Life strategies for helping you help yourself. Sculptor 3 seamlessly
integrates 7 technologies to create the most powerful reality creation
program ever conceived.
Self Improvement: Top 101 Experts That Help Us Improve Our LivesYou can get your hands on the greatest and most powerful self help
resources, quite literally, on the face of the earth for only $27. Jack
Canfield, Co-Creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series said:
“You can invest the next 30-40 years searching for answers or can buy
this now."
HowMuchJoy.com
Suzanne Falter-BarnsInspiring more than 785,562 people to live their joy since 1999
Helping Anyone With a Dream Live Their Joy. Learn Your Purpose.
Live Your Joy!!
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Break Procrastination – Take Back Control Of Your Life
You Can Make Money With This Guide
Not only can you make massive strides in overcoming procrastination,
but you can also make back the money you invested or turn yourself
an amazing profit.
I pay you 100% commissions and the money goes Direct to YOUR
PayPal account. There is no waiting to be paid!! That’s right, you
keep 100% of every sale and it’s extremely simple to do.
Simply send people to the sales letter site using this URL:
http://www.BreakProcrastination.com/[email protected]
Just put your PayPal email address at the end of that URL and for
every sale you make the money will be placed directly in your PayPal
account, that’s it – absolutely NO strings attached!!
*IMPORTANT*
As an affiliate please be sure that in your PayPal settings you have IPN
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Your email address will automatically be hidden as soon as the visitor
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To Your Success and Your ‘Self’,
Matt Ryanhttp://www.breakprocrastination.com/
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Copyright 2007
Personal Use Rights Only.
You may only resell this guide via the affiliate link provided.
This guide may not be copied, in part or in whole.
This guide may not be given away.
Content in this guide may not be used in anyway except for its
intended purpose and your own personal use.
All Rights Reserved
Matt Ryan
http://www.breakprocrastination.com
http://www.ahappyself.com
Questions? Comments? [email protected]