Increase Productivity - Procrastinate Tomorrow
"Procrastination is the thief of time."
The one resource we can never get enough of is time, but most of us squander it as though it were unlimited. How productive were you yesterday?
All of us only achieve a fraction of what we intend to: the key to a productive life is to maximize that fraction.
I have tried many techniques for maximizing my own productivity, and have found some that work all the time, some that work sometimes and some that don't work for me at all. The secret of success is to find those that work best for you.
Follow these three rules to get started:
Rule 1 - Don't self-sabotage
We sabotage our own efforts in ways we never think about. My cousin has a notice on her refrigerator door that says "Diet begins tomorrow!" - when I saw it I enjoyed the joke.
Thinking about it later, though, I realized what a disaster it was. Every time she goes into the kitchen, she sees that notice, even though she's not aware of it.
Her subconscious mind gets the message and reinforces it several times a day, and the subconscious mind is completely literal: it doesn't understand jokes. So the subliminal message she gives herself is "Grab some food now, because you won't get a chance tomorrow". No wonder she continues to gain weight!
What self-sabotaging messages are you feeding to your subconscious?
Rule 2 - Get Help From Your Subconscious
If you do not enlist the aid of your subconscious in reaching your goals you are setting yourself up for failure. That's why "Procrastinate tomorrow" works as a message - your subconscious wants to do stuff now because you will procrastinate tomorrow!
Yes, I know it sounds corny to post inspirational messages to yourself, keep repeating affirmations about how good you are and chanting mantras. Your subconscious mind, though, doesn't see it that way. It's like having a two-year-old occupying a part of brain you never use: if you ignore it or feed it bad information it will keep getting in your way, but if you encourage it your subconscious is a powerful ally!
Can you use a powerful ally to help you reach your goals?
Rule 3 - Set Goals
Many of us set goals, fail to reach them and give up. Every time I would read about goal-setting I used to groan inwardly, believing that it was a chore I had to do but being sure that I would hate every minute of it. Worst of all, I knew I'd feel bad when I failed.
Does this sound like you?
Well, I've got news for you. Setting goals can be fun. Working on achieving goals can be fun, and actually achieving them can be exciting!
If you don't believe that, try to remember a time when you had a great desire to do something difficult and you finally achieved it. Can you remember how good it felt? (And don't tell me that never happened to you - I know better!)
The trick is to know how to set goals that excite and inspire you, rather than drag you down.
The one resource we can never get enough of is time, but most of us squander it as though it were unlimited. How productive were you yesterday?
All of us only achieve a fraction of what we intend to: the key to a productive life is to maximize that fraction.
I have tried many techniques for maximizing my own productivity, and have found some that work all the time, some that work sometimes and some that don't work for me at all. The secret of success is to find those that work best for you.
Follow these three rules to get started:
Rule 1 - Don't self-sabotage
We sabotage our own efforts in ways we never think about. My cousin has a notice on her refrigerator door that says "Diet begins tomorrow!" - when I saw it I enjoyed the joke.
Thinking about it later, though, I realized what a disaster it was. Every time she goes into the kitchen, she sees that notice, even though she's not aware of it.
Her subconscious mind gets the message and reinforces it several times a day, and the subconscious mind is completely literal: it doesn't understand jokes. So the subliminal message she gives herself is "Grab some food now, because you won't get a chance tomorrow". No wonder she continues to gain weight!
What self-sabotaging messages are you feeding to your subconscious?
Rule 2 - Get Help From Your Subconscious
If you do not enlist the aid of your subconscious in reaching your goals you are setting yourself up for failure. That's why "Procrastinate tomorrow" works as a message - your subconscious wants to do stuff now because you will procrastinate tomorrow!
Yes, I know it sounds corny to post inspirational messages to yourself, keep repeating affirmations about how good you are and chanting mantras. Your subconscious mind, though, doesn't see it that way. It's like having a two-year-old occupying a part of brain you never use: if you ignore it or feed it bad information it will keep getting in your way, but if you encourage it your subconscious is a powerful ally!
Can you use a powerful ally to help you reach your goals?
Rule 3 - Set Goals
Many of us set goals, fail to reach them and give up. Every time I would read about goal-setting I used to groan inwardly, believing that it was a chore I had to do but being sure that I would hate every minute of it. Worst of all, I knew I'd feel bad when I failed.
Does this sound like you?
Well, I've got news for you. Setting goals can be fun. Working on achieving goals can be fun, and actually achieving them can be exciting!
If you don't believe that, try to remember a time when you had a great desire to do something difficult and you finally achieved it. Can you remember how good it felt? (And don't tell me that never happened to you - I know better!)
The trick is to know how to set goals that excite and inspire you, rather than drag you down.