PROCRASTINATION WAITS FOR NO ONE (or PUT OFF PROCRASTINATION)

By SHELLEY STOCKWELL-NICHOLAS

Do you think of reasons not to do what you say you need to do? Do you belong to a procrastinator’s support group… that never meets? If so, how can you get into gear?

People ask; “Shelley how did you write 24 books?” I feel like a deer in the headlights… because I too am amazed. “How did I do it? After all, I’m naturally a slacker… so laid back that I could easily be like Ferdinand the bull who spends his days sniffing flowers and sleeping under a tree.”

Then, I remember the day I had one of those honest talks with myself. You know the one where you tell yourself the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

For years I bragged about my book and there was no book. Nope. Just scribble on scraps of paper. I fessed up and said to myself, ‘Shelley, you are full of it… There’s no book… So what are you going to do about it?”

The solution slapped me across the chops like a dead fish. ‘I could hypnotize myself!’

I did just that and it worked! I imagined my first book… It would be on everyone’s coffee table… I’d go on talk shows… I’d be famous… and a legend in my own mind.”

Then I did the unthinkable… I actually sat down and made a book happen. I was on automatic pilot. And guess what? My book, “Insides Out” was a raging success and I went on the talk shows. The law of attraction resulted from action.

How about you? What’s your dream? Do you want to lose weight? Make new friends? Up your income? Get in shape? Write a book? How will it benefit you to get it done?

So, without delay, here are simple ways to motivate yourself to DO IT… NOW.

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1. DO IT WHEN IT COMES TO MIND: If possible; DO IT NOW! I’m reminded of the old song; “Oh you can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd. You can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd… but you can be happy if you’ve a mind to. All you got to do is put your mind to it…knuckle up, buckle up… DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!

2. SAY YES! On your road to happiness and success, negative self-talk stomps on the brakes. So take your foot off the brake, say yes and turn on the green light. Instead of “I can’t!” “I’ll fail.” “I don’t have the time” “I’m only a good starter…”… AFFIRM; “I can.” “I succeed” “I make/take the time.” I go full speed a-head.” “What it will be like having achieved or completed this?” “I am a good starter and finisher.”

3. START AT THE END: Imagine your task or goal as a done deal. Notice how you feel having taken care of it. Then think back to the action steps you took to make it so.

4. SET ASIDE TIME Set aside 20 minutes or more each day as your JUST DO IT time. Put it on your calendar. Schedule it like you do any appointment or a lunch, exercise, and activity date. Be single-minded… multitasking can wait…A sense of urgency can help. Set a time to remind you that NOW is the moment of sweet aloha… When you bite the bullet and get it done…

5. MAKE IT A HABIT. Look at your list and calendar first thing.

6. DO IT FIRST. If you have a to-do list, do the thing that needs to be done first. Commit to doing it the night before so your inner mind motivates you while you sleep. When you awaken, you’ll make it happen. Get up early if you need to and make “it” your first task of the day.

7. GIVE YOURSELF VISUAL REMINDERS

Write down your task or goal… Post it with post-it notes. Write out what needs to be done step-by-step. Cross off the steps as you complete them. Reward your action.

8. MAKE A PLACE TO DO IT. Make a space to do it and then be there. Clear off a place at your desk or table or garage or where ever that is devoted to making it happen

9. DISS DISTRACTIONS. Turn off your phone or leave it in another room. Turn off notifications on your computer. Close any distracting files on your computer. Shut the door. Don’t turn on the TV. Unplug your gaming device.

10. MIND; YOUR SELF-TALK

Self-talk is another name for self-hypnosis. Affirm what you want to happen: “What do I need to do?... I imagine it as a done deal. As I think back on the steps I take to make it a done deal, I affirm that it is fun for me to take the necessary steps. There are two things doing it or thinking about doing it. So do it. Do it. Do it. I get things done. It’s easy and fun to get it done! I’m keenly aware of my self-talk and I quickly and easily change it to positive. I’m keenly aware of my outer talk and make it positive. I go full speed a-head. So it is and so it shall be.”

Local Personality, Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas, PhD is a hypnotherapist, mindfulness and NLP trainer, artist and the author of 25 books. She certifies practitioners through the International Hypnosis Federation.

You can call her at 310 541-4844 or email at shelleynicholas@cox.net