How to Stop Procrastinating: 7 Timeless Tips

“Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”
Spanish Proverb

“How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.”
Martin Luther

 

One of the most common problems is procrastination. We know what we want to do and should do. But still we end up spending hours upon hours doing “easier” work or escaping via TV, blogs or music.

Now, nothing wrong with a little escape from time to time. But if you procrastinate too much you will not get the most important things done. And you will also send yourself into negative spirals where your self-esteem plummets and you spend your days or more in a vague negative funk.

 So what can you do? Here are 7 timeless tips to help you to stop procrastinating and start living your life more fully.

1. Stop thinking. Start doing.

“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.”
Eva Young

A bit of planning can certainly help you to achieve what you want to achieve. A lot of planning and thinking tends to have the opposite effect.

You think and think and try to come up with “the perfect plan”. A plan where you don’t have to make mistakes, where you will never be rejected, where there will be no pain or difficulties. Such a thing does of course not exist. But as long as you work on that plan you can protect yourself.

2. Don’t blow a task out of proportion.

“If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.”
Olin Miller

”Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible.”
George Claude Lorimer

By over thinking and putting things off you are not only trying to protect yourself from pain. You also make mountains out of molehills. The quotes above are so true it isn’t even funny. The more hours and days you put something off the worse it grows in your mind.

Because you are dwelling on it. And so it expands in your mind. And since you are putting it off you are probably thinking about it in a negative way. This makes a little thing a big Godzilla, a horrible beast that is threatening to ruin your life.

So plan a little and then take action.

Often you don’t even have to plan, you have been there before and you know what needs to be done. So stop thinking and just do it no matter how you feel and what you think. How you feel right now changes as quickly as the weather so it’s not the perfect guidance system or anything. And you don’t have to obey what it says (it’s not chains made of iron). You can just do what you know is right anyway.

3. Just take the first step.

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

When you start to look too far into the future any task or project can seem close to impossible. And so you shut down because you become overwhelmed and start surfing the internet aimlessly instead. That is one of the reasons why it is good to plan for the future but then to shift your focus back to today and the present moment.

Then you just focus on taking the first step today. That is all you need to focus on, nothing else. By taking the first step you change you mental state from resistant to “hey, I’m doing this, cool”. You put yourself in state where you become more positive and open, a state where you may not be enthusiastic about taking the next step after this first one but you are at least accepting it. And so you can take the next step. And the next one after that.

The thing is, you can’t see the whole staircase anyway and it will shift and reveal itself along the way. That’s why the best of plans tend to fall apart at least a bit as you start to put it into action. You discover that your map of reality doesn’t look like reality.

4. Start with the hardest task of your day.

“Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.”
Dale Carnegie

Maybe you have an important call to make that you also fear might be uncomfortable. Maybe you know you have gotten behind on answering your emails and have big pile to dig into. Maybe you have the last five pages of your paper to finish.

Whatever it may be, get it out of your way the first thing you do.

If you start your day this way you will feel relieved. You feel relaxed and good about yourself. And the rest of the day – and your to-do list – tends to feel a lot lighter and easier to move through. It’s amazing what difference this one action makes.

5. Just make a decision. Any decision.

“In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
Theodore Roosevelt

We feel bad when we sit on our hands and don’t take action because it’s unnatural. The natural thing is to be a decisive human and take action.

When you procrastinate you want to do something but you don’t take the action that is in alignment with that thought. You become conflicted within.

What you do always sends signals back to you about who you are. Sure, doing affirmations where you say to yourself that you are confident can help you. But taking the confident actions you want to take over and over again is what really builds your self confidence and a self-image of you being a confident person. When you procrastinate you lower your self esteem and send signals back to yourself that you are a ,well, a kinda lame and indecisive person.

6. Face your fear.

“Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the “someday I’ll” philosophy.”
Denis Waitley

I think this is true. It’s easier to live on that “someday…” thought. It’s harder to just take action. To risk looking like a fool. To make mistakes, stumble and not avoid that pain. To take responsibility for your own life.

The easier choice can come with a sense of comfort, with a certain level of success, pangs of regret for all the things you never dared to do and a vague sense of being unfulfilled. You wonder about what would have happened if you had taken more action and more chances.

The harder choice gives you, well, who knows? But it will sure make your feel more alive.

7. Finish it.

“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task”
William James

“Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started.”
David Allen

Not taking the first step to start accomplishing something can make you feel bad. But not finishing what you have started can also leave you in a sort of negative funk. You feel fatigued or stressed and sometimes you don’t even know why. It’s like someone zapped your inner power.

Written by Henrik Edberg

Marketers Say Fuel Scarcity May Linger Till May

Marketers and depot owners have said that consumers might have to endure inadequate supply of the fuel till May.
This is contrary to the promise by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, that lingering fuel scarcity in the country would end on or before Thursday, April 7.
The minister had initially given May as the most likely date for the fuel scarcity to abate but was forced to recant and say the situation should normalise latest by Thursday following criticisms from different segments of the country.
The marketers told one of our correspondents in Lagos on Sunday that the situation on the ground did not give any hope that petrol would be readily available at filling stations this month.

A source said the fuel situation may linger for some time as only one of the three parking spaces at the Apapa Port was discharging Premium Motor Spirit.
He added that instead of the two vessels that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation had promised would discharge by last weekend, only one actually came in.

How to Convert your Waste to Wealth

I know that someone reading this article will be wondering how one can actually convert waste to wealth. Another might ask, “Is it possible to convert waste to wealth? Well, the truth is that it is very possible and it gives me pleasure to write about this because I am about to reveal something that only a few people know about. This is one business that is often over looked by many, especially farmers but sincerely it is the most versatile and prolific agricultural venture that can give any farmer one hundred percent (100%) return on investment (ROI) within six (6) months to one (1) year of starting it. This business is “Mushroom Farming”; this crop is so versatile that there is nothing to discard even after harvesting for several months. The contents of the already used colonized bags can also be used as organic manure for other crops. Mushroom can also be used to produce juice, just as we have the fruit juices everywhere.
Now, let’s talk about what this waste is, the waste I am talking about is saw-dust. We know that mushrooms grow on old fallen trees and woods and it’s not possible to get enough mushroom for a nuclear family, talk more of getting enough for commercial purpose. The only way one can get enough mushroom and sell for money is by using sawdust to plant the mushroom. As I said earlier saw-dust is waste so using it to cultivate mushroom will not cost you much, and since it is waste it has to be sterilized before using it to cultivate mushroom. Mushroom also has seed known as spawn which has to be inoculated into the sawdust. So you don’t need to go to the bush of forest to look for mushroom on fallen trees. I also talked about colonized bags on the first paragraph, now I just want to explain what colonized bags are. Colonized bags are the bags in which mushrooms are planted. The saw-dust is usually put into the bags, sterilized and the spawns inoculated into the saw-dust.
On a final note I want to encourage anyone planning to go into agriculture especially now that the crude oil market is failing, and the immediate past government has mapped out plans to diversify the economy through agriculture, to consider mushroom farming because it will sure give you far more than what other regular agricultural products will give you. One reason is that it is in high demand but we have very few mushroom farmers. In case you are wondering where to sell it or who will buy it, I have good news for you. There are millions of people that need mushrooms, companies, super markets and restaurants that need mushrooms daily. Besides that, you can produce juice with mushroom as I said earlier and we have packaging companies here in Nigeria. I have written some articles on mushroom farming. So, to get more detailed information on mushroom farming, you can visit http://www.mildbizpreneur.com/?p=78

Written by Mildred Opara

Imo Govt. Signs MoU For Production Of Electronics

                                                                    Rochas Okorocha

The Imo State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Chinese company to commence the production of electronics and electrical materials.
The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, recently received the Chinese delegation at the Government House in Owerri the Imo State capital.
He said that the MoU signed with the Chinese company is a testimony that the vision of the second phase of his administration, which is majorly on industrialisation and creation of job opportunities, has kicked off.
He promised that the state government would give the Chinese company the necessary support and assistance needed to concretise the take-off of the project.
The base of the production would be at the premises of the state-owned Resin Paints Factory located at Aboh, Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State.

How To Write A Good Business Plan

The need for a business plan in every business cannot be over emphasized and not startup does well without a business plan. Whether you’re starting or growing your new business, writing a business plan is a must for the growth of that business. Your Business plan will provide the road map to achieve the success you want. The question here now shouldn’t be IF you write your plan, but how to write a business plan that will take your company to the level you want it to go.”

“Your business plan is simply your answer to the comprehensive list of questions. The first and most important question is this: where do you want your business to go? Stated differently, what do you want your business to look like in two, three, five or even 10 or more years? What level of income/revenues and profits do you have at that time? How many employees are employed? How many locations is the company operation on? And so on.”
“Generally, your business plan should be to answer these questions for a shorter period of time, particularly one year. That is, what are your business’ goals for the current year, and what must you accomplish to make the year a success for your business.

In answering and to answer these business planning questions, you naturally have to answer questions pertaining to each of the core business plan sections as follows:”

1.Company Analysis: Your Company has a product or service to offer to the public now right? What are they and/or what will you develop and offer in the future for the growth and betterment of the company?”

2.Industry Analysis: what is the size of your market? How big is your target market and how are they changing with time? What are currently and what will be the future trends are affecting them and do these trends bode well for your business in future?”

3.Competitive Analysis: who are your industry based competitors and what are each of their key strengths and weaknesses? In what areas of this do you have or gain competitive advantage? And How are you going to do that?”
4.Customer Analysis: who are your perfect and target customers? What are their demographic ( age, race, level of education, sex, economic status, among others) and/or psychographic profiles? What are their needs? Can and are they ready, willing and want your product?”

5.Marketing Plan: What are the ways and how will you reach your target customers? What promotional tactics, logistics and marketing channels will you employ in your business? How will you place price tags for your products or services? What are the brand positioning you desire for each?”

6.Management Team: who and who comprises your current team for the best development of your business and what key hires must you make in order to execute on the business opportunity in front of you. Are you going to build a Board of Advisors or Directors for your company? If so, who will you seek and why?”

7.Company Operation Plan: what is proposed company your action plan? What are the areas and milestone you must accomplish to go from the current position your company/business is now to where you want it to be at year’s end? At the end of five years or more?”

8.Financial Plan: how much external funding (if applicable) do you need to build your company? In what areas will these funds be invested and how are these areas rated according to their order of importance? What are your projected income/revenues and profits over the next one to five years of your company existence? What assets must you acquire to make your company stand?”

Giving the right Answers to the questions in these eight principal business plan sections helps you come up with specific business goals. They also help you with the best answers of the most important question to add or include when you write the Executive Summary of your business plan for your proposed business, which is this: why is your business uniquely qualified to succeed after start up?”

Trial Of Nnamdi Kanu Adjourned Till April 26

The trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr Nnamdi Kanu, which was expected to continue on Tuesday morning has been adjourned.
 Kanu’s counsel, Chuks Muoma (SAN) applied for stay of proceedings pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed by them challenging the ruling of the court delivered on March 7 granting the request of the Federal Government to shield witnesses.
 Justice James Tsoho has therefore adjourned ruling on the stay of proceedings to April 26.