It’s 6pm. You haven’t really accomplished anything today … but hey, you needed some time to relax. You took a long lunch and re-watched a couple of episodes of a TV show. You spent an hour or two in a coffee shop, flicking through a few newspapers. You updated Facebook and Twitter and Google+ …

… so why do you feel stressed?

Chances are, you weren’t really relaxing. You were procrastinating: putting off what you wanted to get done because you felt some resistance to it.

Here’s the difference:

Procrastination is unfulfilling. It’s a displacement activity – and you’ve constantly got a nagging voice at the back of your mind reminding you of all those tasks on your to-do list. Procrastination might make you feel a bit better temporarily, but you’ll end the day feeling frustrated with yourself.

Relaxing is restorative. It’s a deliberate choice – not something that you seem to fall into. You relax during scheduled breaks, or when your work is done for the day, rather than whenever you start to lose focus on a task. You’ll not only feel good while you’re relaxing, you’ll feel good afterwards, too.

How to Procrastinate Less …

1. Block any websites that tempt you to procrastinate. (You might even want to shut off your internet connection entirely for an hour or two.)

2. Remind yourself that if you get all your tasks done, you’ll be able to relax sooner. It’s easier to stay on-track when you’ve got something to look forward to.

3. Pick one task to focus on at a time. It’s very easy to end up procrastinating by constantly switching between tasks. (“I’ll just check my emails…”) If you find your attention slipping, remind yourself “I’m working on X right now.”

4. Take regular breaks. No-one can stay focused for hours at a time. Aim to work for 20 – 45 minutes at a stretch, then give yourself 5-10 minutes to stretch, walk around or even meditate.

… And Relax More

1. Schedule in time to relax. You might, for instance, plan to go to a movie on Saturday afternoon – which makes it easier to stay focused on chores in the morning.

2. Make a deliberate choice about what to do. You don’t necessarily need to decide ahead of time – often it’s good to follow the whim of the moment. But do pause to consider what you’d really enjoy.

3. Fight any feelings of guilt. We all need time to rest and recharge. Don’t let other people tell you that you “should” relax in their way: if you want to spend Saturday catching up on TV, and you find that rejuvenating, then go ahead!

4. Set firm boundaries around your work. You might need to do some tasks outside 9am – 5pm (or whatever your hours are) – but try to set aside at least one full day every week when you don’t work at all.

So … will you find time to relax properly today? Let us know your thoughts and tips in the comments!

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement| PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement

Benjamin Franklin said, “You may delay, but time will not.”

All of us at times are guilty of procrastination. We put things off, and delay the inevitable. The word procrastinate actually means to move something forward to another day.

It reminds me of a story about a WWII veteran. He was looking in his attic one day and saw his old army duffle bag. He opened it up and decided to put on his uniform. The uniform was a little tighter than it once was but he looked in the mirror and remembered the feeling of being a soldier out on the battlefield.

When he reached in his pocket he felt something and he pulled out a claim ticket. It was for a pair of shoes that he dropped off to be fixed years ago. The shoe repair store was still in business, so he decided to go and see, if by chance, they still had his shoes.

The owners Son now ran the store and looked at the claim ticket puzzled. “I’ll go and take a look in the back, but this was a really long time ago.” He told the Army Vet.

After a few minutes the man returned and said, “You won’t believe this but I found your shoes!”

“They will be ready for you on Wednesday.” ?

A mentor of mine is fond of saying, “The word that is synonymous with wealth is urgency.” And for each of us to be more productive, efficient, effective and successful we need to overcome the nasty habit of procrastination.

So why do we procrastinate? There are many reasons:

* A perception that a task is unpleasant or overwhelming
* Fear of the Unknown
* Fear of Change
* Perfectionism
* Fear of Failure
* Disorganization

But regardless of the reason, the outcome is always the same. Deadlines are not met, stresses are raised, guilt sets in and it makes us look bad to others.

Most importantly, we usually procrastinate the things that are most important and make us the most money.

Things like:

* Making Salse Calls
* Preparing For Important Meetings or Presentations
* Having Tough Conversations

We allow the unimportant to get in the way of the important. Instead of making sales calls, we take out the trash and organize our office. When we are supposed to be preparing our presentation, we surf the internet or look at cool power point designs.

Yes, procrastination gets us all at times.

But I believe urgency is synonymous with wealth because wealthy people are productive. They are organized, efficient and willing to do the uncomfortable to create comfort.

So what is the remedy?

Here are a few ideas;

* If we feel overwhelmed, instead of being paralyzed break it down into actionable steps. Make one big project into 10 small projects and get to work.

* If we are afraid of being uncomfortable (making sales calls for example) then set up a reward that motivates you. If I make 10 calls, I get a piece of my favorite cake.

* If you are constantly putting things off and not following through then set up accountability with someone who will call you on it and keep you on track.
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Ty Bennett is the author of The Power of Influence. Described by Peter Vidmar as “How To Win Friends & Influence People for our day.” To learn more or get a copy of The Power of Influence — click here.

-what are some ways you have found helpful in dealing with the challenge of procrastination?

Motivation Articles, Essays, Tips and Advice

If you let it, procrastination will rob you of your time, money, success, and motivation to do the things you need to do to have the quality of life you desire. If you are one of the few people who is not plagued with the problem of procrastination then you are blessed beyond all measure. If not, you will want to know how to stop procrastination before it stops you.

The task you intended to complete today was put off until tomorrow and there was good reason to do so, but you can’t remember why just now. Procrastination comes in many disguises. It’s called rationalization sometimes. You say, “I didn’t get started on that project because the weather was too hot or I didn’t have all the parts.” One can always come up with many good reasons to delay a project.
Read the rest of «How to Stop Procrastination»

We have all been blessed with the ability to make our own decisions. These decisions either our lives or restrict us from reaching our potentials. We make dozens, even hundreds of decisions, everyday without giving thought to most of them.

Everyday, we decide when to arise, what to eat, what to wear and what route to take to work, which way to look or wherever our destination leads. These are made with little pause or thought. Others require a little more insight such as where to vacation, who to date, who to marry, which car to buy and which neighborhood is best for security and schools.
Read the rest of «Making Clear, Conscious Decisions i…»