How To Stop Procrastinating

How To Stop Procrastinating

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS-Lff-YaX8

If you want to learn how to stop procrastinating…. realize this.

“What is easy to do, is easy not to do.” – Jim Rohn

As stupid as this sounds, when I first heard this I was like “Uh, what!? Oh wait…. OMG of course!”

It’s really not that hard to just STOP procrastinating.

It’s mental and this entire article is littered with ideas I use to help you learn how to stop procrastinating.

Anything you want to do is really quite simple to do but you just have to start on it and do it.

The issue is that we usually just over think things so much that we get overwhelmed, but I’ll get into that later.

 

“People often ask me how I became successful in that six-year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do.

I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking and my ideas. They found that easy not to. I found it easy to network and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn’t matter.

If I had to sum it up, I would say what I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. A few years later, I’m a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.” – Jim Rohn

 

Every time I listen to ‘The Power Of Ambition’ audio book it keeps me motivated.

If you are into audio books, stop procrastinating and check it out haha.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #2

Gamify Your Life to be more productive and stop procrastination.

This is a HUGE tip on how to stop procrastinating because it turns your work into something fun!

For one I keep a list of things I need and want to do weekly and how many times. Every time I complete them it’s like a level system. I add experience points to the board and tally them up.

I know by the end of the week I need to accomplish each one X amount of times. Then I reward myself, which we talk about later.

Another way I make doing work more fun is to set a time limit on a task I need to complete.

I set the timer for an hour and see how much of that task I can get done in the time limit.

It makes you hurry and it’s kind of a rush knowing time is closing in.

You can download little timers that are more exciting than just a buzz timer on your phone.

I like this site because there is a bunch of different cool count down timers.

The bomb timer is awesome because you can watch the fuse get shorter and shorter.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #3

Realize that nothing NEEDS to be perfect.

I am still a perfectionist but I learned that wanting everything to be perfect before I released it was paralyzing me.

It made it easy for me to get things started on but hard to get things completely finished because I was afraid if it wasn’t perfect it wasn’t right.

No one knows it wasn’t perfect but you. What really matters is that you get it completed to your best ability without over thinking all of the little things that no one cares about but you.

The only reason I wasn’t getting more and more songs done is because the pressure of me thinking they needed to be PERFECT for my audience. Then I’d go back and change them or redo them and they would be overthought and worse off than they were before.

Just do it! GET IT DONE! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT MY FRIEND!!!! I PROMISE! JUST TRY!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isr1ZESvDB4

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #4

This is something that I have instilled in my mind that has helped me get started on projects time and time again.

Whatever it is, just do it for 5 minutes.

If I am really procrastinating on something and I don’t feel like doing it but I really know I need to, I just tell myself “Mr. Rob Level, just do it for 5 minutes and after that 5 minutes if you don’t feel like doing it anymore, you can stop.”

You will be amazed at how well this fights procrastination.

Because as soon as you just begin doing something you realize what I said in How To Stop Procrastinating #1… It’s easy to do….

You just didn’t wanna start on it.

Anytime I don’t feel like writing to a song, I just start and I end up writing the entire hour that I wanted to get done for the day.

Kind of funny actually but I realized how this mindset is built in now.

About 20 minutes ago after I cooked my lunch I went above and beyond and just wanted to clean the 3 dishes I used.

I started cleaning those and suddenly figured, “Why not just clean the entire sink full of dishes since I already started.” This ‘start it just to get it going’ mindset will help you fight procrastination in all parts of your life.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #5

Make A To Do List. Yea Yea, I know you know.

This is part of the stop procrastination starter kit so you already know to do this but still, let’s go over it because it plays a huge role in my life every single day.

When you have a to do list it reminds you of exactly what you need to do. There is no forgetting anything or burdening yourself with trying to remember “Wait, wasn’t I supposed to do something?”. Just put it in the list and keep working on everything.

If it’s a big task, break the tasks in the to do list down so that they are smaller and seem easier to get done.

It’s a psychological trick that will help you not procrastinate doing them.

Then use the timer above to breeze through them.

To the left you can see a small example of my to do list still today.

I also put time of completion by them so I can choose which tasks to knock out depending on how much time I have.

People generally recommend you knock out the bigger tasks first and then the smaller ones but I recommend you do what you FEEL like doing so that the task is done more passionately.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #6

Start your day right and use the power of momentum.

This is a HUGE HUGE HUGE HUGE tip. I live by this!

Have you ever woke up at noon or even 2PM and felt like your day was already over so your day just feels super unproductive?

Well the earlier you get up the more stuff you get done in the day.

If you get up at 6am like I do, before it’s even noon you can read some of a book, meditate, hit the gym while listening to an audio book for an hour, shower, write lyrics for an hour, write a whole song, have breakfast AND lunch and a few other things.

When you get that much done in the earlier part of the day, you feel so energized and motivated from your accomplishments that you want to keep getting more and more done.

That’s the power of momentum.

It helps you stop procrastinating more than I can express through words.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #7

In order to boost the power of the how to stop procrastinating tip above you need to get a miracle morning routine.

Let me explain.

Within the first 10-15 minutes of waking up I have already completed this entire list.

Do you now how freaking amazing I feel when I just woke up for the day and I have already done all of these things?

I feel like I can do anything! My momentum is already rolling and also every part of my brain and body woken up and ready to get it!

It’s so much harder to procrastinate with such a great start to your day.

Anytime I am in conversation with someone about how much I hustle, I mention this as one of the 1st things.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #8

Find the best ways to get into a work flow.

Once you find the best method that works for you that allows you to work in the perfect work flow, you know that you can get started on work and just knock it out with ease.

You just gotta find the best method for you.

I read a book called ‘Daily Rituals‘ hoping to find a work flow pattern from a legend in history that I could apply to my life.

But do you know what that book showed me? It showed me that everyone’s method and approach is different.

From there I started trying to find what works best for me. This article is littered with little ideas and strategies I use to stop procrastinating and get work done.

I’d tell you exactly what works for me but really it’s just all of these combo’d up mixed with my mind state and that’s a lot to explain.

 

1) First find out if you work best during the day or at night. Sometimes we are just programmed to be better workers at different times in the day.

2) Then find out what kind of method works for you.

 

You can try a bunch of techniques and methods to fight procrastination and work more such as the Pomodoro Technique.

Which is really just working for 25 minutes straight and then having a 5 minute break then repeating that 4 times. Then take a 15-30 minute break.

 

I personally work for hour and a half work flows and then break for 15 and then repeat.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #9

Set up a reward system and make a deal with yourself.

If I finish this now, I can go to the club later tonight. (or whatever you want to reward yourself with later)

This kind of stuff really works. It’s the same reason a bodybuilder can keep on a good diet. He knows he has a cheat meal coming sometime in the week and that makes him okay with eating the bland food all week.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #10

Just like rewarding yourself, also make consequences if you don’t do it.

Oh.. you didn’t finish writing that song verse and other tasks today because you were playing video games instead?

You better do it before you go to sleep or you’re going to have to stay in this weekend and knock it out to make up for it.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #11

Think about the success you will achieve if you learn how to stop procrastinating.

For one, day in and day out over time from stopping the procrastination in your life, you are going to reach your dreams and goals.

Get the money, get the cars, the girls, whatever the heck your goal might happen to be.

That’s the long term excitement in the thought process but it is very real my friend.

Lazy people don’t achieve great things. They only dream. Dream AND work is the key.

Additionally, when all of your stuff on your to do list is completed  you will feel like a super human.

Think about the amazing feeling of accomplishment you get at the end of a day where you got so so much done!

I love the feeling of an amazingly productive day. I fall asleep easy because I know I did my best and I’m not worried about things I ‘have to do’.

Think about that for a second.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #12

Just like the to do list I also keep a log of everything I do.

Every time I knock out a task, I get to write it down as a reward.

Every time I write something I have accomplished down on paper I feel a rush of excitement and accomplishment for not procrastinating.

It also allows me to look back at the list anytime I feel like maybe I haven’t done much today.

It keeps me feeling great and accomplished through the whole day. It sits right next to my laptop so I can easily jot down things I have got done.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #13

Tell a friend all of the things you are going to accomplish (make it reasonable)

When you tell someone else that you are going to accomplish things, you feel the pressure of how stupid and lazy you will feel if you don’t do them.

This is a swift kick in the butt that will help you stop procrastinating.

I do this purposefully all the time. People already think really highly of me and so there is even more pressure if I don’t do what I say.

I’m a hustler and I don’t want anyone thinking I’m not.

Are you a hustler? Do you want people to know you’re a hustler? STOP PROCRASTINATING!

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #14

Don’t think about it and how much work it will be, JUST START DOING IT.

Usually we overthink things and that’s why we don’t just start and get things done.

We think about alllll the things we want to get done and that overwhelms us, so we never even start.

Look at the task and within 10 seconds GO at it with all you have.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #15

Don’t change tasks AT ALL. Don’t look at your phone, don’t go to the toilet without your work in your hands, don’t do anything that stops you from your workflow.

Do not let yourself get distracted. A slight change in activity will throw off the momentum you had going in the activity.

Trust me on this. Just stick to your activity in front of you until it is either finished or until the allotted time has passed.

There is a reason the Attention Deficit Disorder is so rampant.

We never focus on what’s going on in the moment. We get distracted, it throws us off and we are right back to not finishing the task at hand.

I have over 100,000 followers on my Instagram and I always like checking it because I talk to people and like how it feels. But it’s a huge distraction.

I can grab my phone at anytime and suddenly spend 30 minutes talking to random people in my DMs or responding to comments.

When I made it a habit to put my phone on the other side of the room so I would stop looking at my phone in the middle of tasks, I started getting things completed more often.

Which brings us to the last one.

 

How To Stop Procrastinating #16

This is a must to stop procrastination.

You MUST get rid of as many of the distractions in your environment as you possibly can.

Turn off the TV, unplug the video game system and put it away in the closer, kick your chatty friends out, put your energetic dog outside, tell your girlfriend you need alone time to work on your current tasks.

I used to be addicted to computer games and as soon as I felt the slightest bit of negativity towards doing a task I would just relapse and play the computer game.

How did I stop being addicted to it?

Well first I realized that it was just a huge waste of my time and playing the game wasn’t making me any money or helping me build any kind of skill set that was going to help me in my life.

Then I uninstalled the game, then I blocked the website from being able to be accessed on my browser, then I told the virus software on computer to not allow any files with it’s name in it.

Now I would have to jump thru all those hoops before I can even install the game.

Finally laziness pays off because I’m not doing all that lol

Like I tell people who are trying to lose weight, if you want to stop eating junk food, stop having it accessible in your pantry.

You’ll only be able to eat the healthy foods you bought that are in your fridge. Problem solved.

 

If you want to learn how to increase your focus, I recommend you start doing small amounts of meditation.

Just 5 minutes of it a day. It will help your mind work better and stay in a better flow state to get more work accomplished.

Also, doing intense exercise like HIIT training has recently been proven to increase your mental work loads and endurance during mental work.

These little additions will help you stop being distracted on a different level to help you learn how to stop procrastinating.

 

If for some reason you are unhappy and that may be leading to your procrastination you should really check this out.

Everyone should read that sometime to boost their way of life.

 

– Your Friend, Rob Level