August has been a 'not-so-productive' month for me. I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been a bit quite lately for the month of August. Aside from having no blog posts, no facebook and Instagram updates and no rants on twitter (this is okay tho, lol), I haven't done anything good at all. I almost got kicked out from a freelance group I'm in due to inactivity. A chronic procrastinator, eh? There would be days when I just feel like sitting on the couch the whole day watching some random movies from my laptop, or get totally hooked with my phone OR..or..or just lay in my bed with James Patterson's (Invisible) while playing soundtracks from HE IS WE at the background. No finished tasks. Though I love doing these things, I mean, who don't want to do these things right, but one month for doing this is just unacceptable.
I don't know if it was just a mere procrastination or I was just being such a lazy couch-potato. Now, I'm bummed realizing if I should have done this and that, I might have had a good September starter. But yeah, there's no use crying over spilled milk so I just have to make the best out of this month, so, I've set goals for September to keep me motivated and made some tactics to prevent myself from procrastinating. Though I may procrastinate on some days, I'm now learning how to turn this bad habit to my advantage. Below tips have somewhat motivated me to finish everything I had to do before the day ends. I know it's a sign of procrastination when I'm busy writing tips for this post instead of actually getting started on my other tasks, but at least, this is a positive procrastination, lol. I hope this inspires you as well :) (But Brace yourselves guys, this is such a lengthy post. Forgive me!)
1. Stop doing a lot of THINKING without ACTING.
- I often write down goals I wanted to accomplish for this month or this year, but I often forget them or ignore them as the day progresses. I just do them when I feel like it. Yes, I do a lot of thinking on what I want to do with my life but usually got stuck doing other things instead of starting what I intended to do. But now, it's time to MAKE A MOVE. Unless you start taking actions, you can never see any progress in your life and have that success you dreamed of celebrating.
2. Do what it needs to be done - TODAY
- Taking smart actions indeed breed amazing results and good plans executed today is better than a perfect plan executed someday. But this doesn't mean beating yourself up just to finish all those tasks then leaving yourself exhausted. Of course, we should still be gentle and kind on ourselves, balance things out and have days for relaxation. I always tend to procrastinate, but then I realized all those time I wasted procrastinating never will and will never be back. So now, I'm changing for the better!
3. Practice, practice and practice Self-control...
- Whenever I caught myself procrastinating, I ask myself "Is this what you want for yourself?". And whenever I do this trick, I always shake my head, get up and do something better. And once I get the ball rolling, I tend to realize I can do other better things rather than just sitting all day long. We can always control ourselves if we wanted to. As they say, "If you learn self-control, you can master anything" and the best way to gain self-control is to practice it.
Yes, I know it's an "easy-to-say, hard-to-do" tips but if you don't like where and what you are right now, you can always go for a change. Remember, "You can do whatever you set your mind to do."
Okay, so that was loooonngg......
So, how do you stop yourself from procrastinating? Share your thoughts below!
1. Stop doing a lot of THINKING without ACTING.
- I often write down goals I wanted to accomplish for this month or this year, but I often forget them or ignore them as the day progresses. I just do them when I feel like it. Yes, I do a lot of thinking on what I want to do with my life but usually got stuck doing other things instead of starting what I intended to do. But now, it's time to MAKE A MOVE. Unless you start taking actions, you can never see any progress in your life and have that success you dreamed of celebrating.
“Interrupt your thoughts of "I should", with your action of doing.”
― Steve Maraboli
2. Do what it needs to be done - TODAY
- Taking smart actions indeed breed amazing results and good plans executed today is better than a perfect plan executed someday. But this doesn't mean beating yourself up just to finish all those tasks then leaving yourself exhausted. Of course, we should still be gentle and kind on ourselves, balance things out and have days for relaxation. I always tend to procrastinate, but then I realized all those time I wasted procrastinating never will and will never be back. So now, I'm changing for the better!
“...the best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, all your enthusiasm, on doing today's work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future.”
― Dale Carnegie,
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
― Karen Lamb
3. Practice, practice and practice Self-control...
- Whenever I caught myself procrastinating, I ask myself "Is this what you want for yourself?". And whenever I do this trick, I always shake my head, get up and do something better. And once I get the ball rolling, I tend to realize I can do other better things rather than just sitting all day long. We can always control ourselves if we wanted to. As they say, "If you learn self-control, you can master anything" and the best way to gain self-control is to practice it.
“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
― Marcus Aurelius
“Self-control begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don't control what you think, you can't control what you do. Simply self-control enables you to think first and act afterward. ”
― Napoleon Hill
Yes, I know it's an "easy-to-say, hard-to-do" tips but if you don't like where and what you are right now, you can always go for a change. Remember, "You can do whatever you set your mind to do."
Okay, so that was loooonngg......
So, how do you stop yourself from procrastinating? Share your thoughts below!
