http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-security/quick-notes-to-stop-procrastination-now.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-security/quick-notes-to-stop-procrastination-now.html Sun, 23 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500
We have all heard that old adage, “We all get the same 24 hours,.” Yet, we still wonder how some people are able to get so much done in so little time while others are stuck trying to accomplish 1 or 2 projects in the same amount of time. We gawk and stand amazed at others people’s ability to stay motivated and always complete their tasks with time to spare.

For many of us, the problem lies in the fact that wait to long, often putting our responsibilities on the back burner for far too long, until it moves into crisis mode and needs to be completed at the last minute. Then we scramble like startled rabbits or stand paralyzed like deer in the headlights. Either way is unfortunate and both create needless stress in our lives. Rabbits run around helter-skelter delivering rushed jobs that are many times less than acceptable or barely tolerable. Deer types deliver nothing at all except excuses as to why things couldn’t get done on time.

The good news is that you can change, and the fact that you are reading this article indicates your willingness to do just that. The first and easiest thing to do is recognize that you have a weakness and that you are not alone. Lots of people suffer from the affliction of procrastination. In today’s world it’s easy to fall prey. Most people have 28 hours worth of work scheduled into a 24 hour day, and many wonder why when they get home from their first job, it’s so easy to push things off until tomorrow.

First of all, you need to understand some of the basic causes of procrastination. In understanding it, beyond being overworked, you can take steps to fix it. When you procrastinate, you will usually fall into a couple categories: you feel overwhelmed by the task, you have so much to do, only the things that are major fires grab your attention, or you are just plain lazy. Usually people fall into the first two categories and feel that tasks will require such large amounts of work, pain and stress that they’d rather have root canal than start the job.

Because of this, we usually will deliver a substandard job, replete with looking like you’ve been drug behind a truck to produce it, dark circles under your eyes from doing too many all-nighters. The body also suffers because of the stress it goes through to accomplish less. All of this is a result of poor project execution.

Like I said, this article will help you deal with procrastination by offering some basic tips to follow and getting rid of a few less desirable old habits.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. An elephant is the same thing as a large project, and while I don’t particularly care for elephant, when I think about huge projects, I know that I have to cut them up into more manageable pieces or bites. If I don’t, I will wind up overwhelmed and gagging on the sheer breath of it all, and I will get nothing accomplished. In order to tackle large things you need to make them manageable. The best way to do that is to take one large project and make 10 small projects out of it, each leading towards the conclusion of the whole.

Thinking this way gets you beyond standing in one spot procrastinating out of stark fear and it also helps with organization. I don’t know about you, but I work ten times better when I feel that Have a handle on the situation and am organized. Better organization will always result in better planning and execution. It makes it easier for you to visualize and perform a task. It no longer seems like a monster of a problem – it’s now a baby monster – a lot more manageable.

Whenever you finish a section of the whole project, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and success. With each successful section, your confidence will go up as well as your motivation.

Keep an personal organizer because it is like your mom constantly reminding you to wash behind your ears. It’s annoying but a necessary part of staying motivated and moving. Organizers are the fix to procrastination if used consistently. Jot down notes, keep track of obligations, tasks and important dates. You can also use it to write down ideas that can speed up the completion of your tasks and everything else which is relevant to the task at hand.

Fight the Urge to Lay Back and Do Nothing. Old habits of putting off and giving in will not leave. They have to coaxed out of your life and replaced with motivated, moving mentalities that will keep procrastination at bay. You'll need to practice this banishment of "doing nothing" for at least 30 times. On average, it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. That additional seven days allows the habit to become second nature. when it feels natural to stay motivated and moving on tasks, you'll feel it. It won't be a chore. It will just be something natural for you to do.

Conclusion

These tips are an excellent start for you to rid yourself of the dreaded procrastination blues. You can use them as a start to get up, get motivated and get moving.

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For more information on achieving success through self-improvement and personal growth, visit Tony Gilpin, self improvement professional, at http://www.objectiveselfimprovement.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-security/self-improvement-and-success-go-together.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-security/self-improvement-and-success-go-together.html Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

How do you know if someone is willing and ready to work on self-improvement?

Obviously, you can't actually answer this question directly for everyone, because each individual is different and each will approach self-improvement differently. However, self-improvement is definitely something that every person can work on. How do you do this?

Each of us has individual goals, dreams and ambitions. However, we just don't know how exactly to go about it. In fact, if you’re like just about anyone, you might even have thought about this and wondered what exactly you can do. However, you still probably don't know just how to make a plan and take the actions you need to in order to achieve your goals.

Maybe you're someone who just has a very indistinct idea as to how you can improve yourself. Maybe you think you just need a better job, better opportunities, or a loving relationship. Whatever it is, you may think that if you attained your desire, you'd be happy.

If this is you, then it's obvious that what you are currently focusing on at least to some extent is external rather than internal, as it should be. In short, you think external factors rather than your own thoughts and actions are what make the biggest difference. However, this is not true.

Let's say that one of your biggest goals in life has been to "make more money". Maybe you think that if you're rich, you can relax, do whatever you want to, and "then" focus on self-improvement. However, this doesn't do anything to actually help you establish real goals and think about how you can actually achieve what you want in life by taking specific, concrete actions. In short, what you really need is a plan.

First, think about what you really want from life. Don't focus on broad-based "goals" such as a vaguely fuzzy idea that you want "more money," without truly defining what you really want in clear and concrete terms. And don't simply drift along day-to-day, just getting by, with no real defined path.

Now, if you're happy with your life just as it is, of course you shouldn't change it. Maybe you're happy earning "just enough" and getting by, with a relatively comfortable life and a relatively secure job. But for most, this isn't enough and they need something with more passion and more meaning. If this is you, self-improvement should be your goal.

It might surprise you to know that in fact, no matter what you do, you are constantly changing. We each face circumstances that make us grow, develop and learn new skills, even if we don't consciously decide to do so. Up until a certain age, most of us learn through some kind of formal education, at least through the end of high school. After formal education is over, we still continue to learn through informal "educational" experiences that occur for the rest of our lives. Everyone has to learn and grow in order to deal with ever-changing challenges we all must face as we go through life.

In years past, this type of ever-changing "education" happened at a relatively slow pace, and this meant that we could incorporate changes as we needed to and as we became ready for them. Now, however, modern life moves very, very fast and we often aren't ready to deal with the pace at which things come to us. We're overwhelmed, even though the changes we experience are beneficial as well as stressful. For example, we have more opportunities, but also more stress and change in today's modern life compared to previous years.

One thing that is much more apparent today than ever before is the presence of competition. Technology has meant that few jobs exist anymore that are simply skilled labor types. Jobs also usually do not last for someone's entire lifetime, as jobs in the past did. Very often, people have to change jobs once or more during their lifetimes, instead of staying in one career during their whole working lives as past generations did.

Because of this, today's working adults need to be able to stay competitive by regularly acquiring new skills and new knowledge, so that they stand out from the crowd. As one of those adults, if you want this to happen, you need to continually focus on self-improvement. If you do so, you'll be more likely to keep your job, acquire promotions within your given field, and/or be able to change jobs or even fields of expertise if necessary to stay employable.

If you commit to self-improvement and personal growth, you will go a long way toward determining your own future success.

For more information on achieving success through self-improvement and personal growth, visit Tony Gilpin, self improvement professional, at http://www.objectiveselfimprovement.com.

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For more information on achieving success through self-improvement and personal growth, visit Tony Gilpin, self improvement professional, at http://www.objectiveselfimprovement.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>