Put Off Procrastination! By Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas, Ph.D.
Put Off Procrastination!
By Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas, Ph.D.
Procrastination waits for no one. Do you put aside what needs to be done– giving every excuse under the sun?
Do you ignore, deny, or space complete?
A procrastinator’s support group never meets!
So, how do you get in gear, my dear…read on:
People ask; “Shelley how did you write 25 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 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 kind of talk where you tell yourself the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
For years I bragged about my first book and there was no book… just scribble on scraps of paper. So, I fessed up and said to myself, ‘Shelley, you’re full of it… There’s no book… So what are you going to do about it?” The solution slapped me across the chops. ‘I could hypnotize myself!’ Duh. As a professional hypnotist that’s how I help others to be motivated. So, I did just that and it worked! I used self-hypnosis and imagined my book… “on everyone’s coffee table… I’d go on talk shows… I’d be famous… a legend in my own mind.” Then, I actually sat down and made a book happen. Hypnosis made it easy… 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 my 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.
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 success, negative self-talk stomps the brakes. So step on your exhilarator, say yes and go! 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. 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: “Imagine what you need to do 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. I get it done NOW. So it is and so it shall be.”
FOCUSED ACTION BONUS PLAN Today do something that’s IMPORTANT to you (Not an obligation or something you HAVE to do; rather something meaningful to YOU.) Write it an action you will take and put it where you will see it; on the computer, the refrigerator, in the bathroom... Today, regardless of what else is going on: DO IT! Then smile on yourself as your pro-active focus fills you with feel good hormones.
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.