An easy way not to put things off until later is to read. From Procrastination to Productivity

This book is dedicated to all who have had the courage and perseverance to seek help in overcoming procrastination, which takes a lot of energy. The book was written for people with low self-esteem; for those who, having taken it in their hands, hoped to preserve some part of their personality and at the same time were sure that he also had something to say on this topic.

But separately I want to note - this book is for Elizabeth.

It has been almost twenty-five years since this book was first published in 1989, and thirty-five years since I began working on its materials.

Since then, in my seminars and private meetings with clients in need of psychological counseling and therapy, I have dealt with the most inveterate forms of procrastination and established myself in the opinion that the habit of doing something at once (for example, continuously working for fifteen to thirty minutes ) and using the “flow” exercise will work most of the time.

In this edition, I have refined and clarified some of the ideas and refined the exercises, but the main idea is that the habit of taking action, remains unchanged.

Procrastination is a form of behavior that you develop to deal with the anxiety that comes with starting a task and trying to finish it. This is not the best solution to a problem that is boring or takes too much effort. By using an immediate task strategy, you can stop procrastinating and double your productivity (and often your income). When you learn to work efficiently—in a state of “flow,” using more of your natural resources—you will have less reason to avoid important, priority tasks.

The technique I propose will free you from feelings of shame and guilt and give you the opportunity to become the master of your life. You will get rid of the internal conflict: "You must ..." - "But I do not want to ..." You will begin to live your life guided by choice- the leadership function of your "I" and a new identification of yourself as a person who works productively.

Special exercises will help you break the cycle of procrastination, get rid of the self-imposed label of a person mired in a sea of affairs. Instead, you will become something of an athlete at their best, who can ignore distractions and focus on what needs to be done right now. You don't have to wait until you feel confident and motivated - start now and see what happens. You will move very quickly from ignorance to knowledge– and this is what lies at the heart of creativity.

Much has changed in the world since this book was published. Internet, SMS, email, Cell phones- all these are just additional distractions that can lead you away from the decision to start an important project that will change your life. With instant feedback, these devices have a huge advantage over activities that require months or – like graduating from college, writing a book, learning to play the piano – years of hard work. All the more reason to use the tools offered here.

We all need to use strategies and techniques to avoid the frustration caused by the fact that at the end of the next day or week the thought again arises: “I have not done anything in my priority direction. I worked, but I still can’t say what I was doing all this time ... ”This is the feeling that everyone has more people who become workaholics (the downside of procrastination): they consider all tasks to be urgent and at the same time avoid completing those few truly priority tasks that bring profit and give satisfaction from being busy with something important.

Changes in today's approach to work - downsizing and downsizing of companies - means that more people are working as two or three people and more and more we are trying to start our own business. We feel overwhelmed with work and squeezed like a lemon (and, in general, we are). All the more reason to learn to focus, work in a state of "flow" (see Chapter 7), and try to achieve work-life balance by building it using the strategies in this book.

Research from the US National Institutes of Health and advances in neuropsychology and behavioral medicine over the past 20 years have proven that we can control our negative habits by just taking a few steps. The data obtained supports the principle: you need to know when, where and how to start a project and how to replace procrastination with healthy habits of a person who works productively. My book is about just that.

Introduction

Human nature is underestimated… we have a more complex nature… which includes not only the need for meaningful work, responsibility, creativity, but also the desire to be honest, just do what makes sense and do it well.

Abraham Maslow

This book will help those who strive to effectively carry out complex projects. In the same way, it will help those who, because of large tasks, ignore small ones: it will teach them to set priorities, start things on time and bring them to the end. If you don't have an extra minute in your schedule, this program will allow you to do other things without feeling guilty and at the same time improve the quality and efficiency of your main work.

If at work you are prone to excessive panic and often fall into a stupor, then this book will help you overcome the initial fear and proceed calmly. You will learn to use useful internal dialogue that will help you make the right choice, and thus get rid of inconsistencies in your thoughts.

The typical procrastinator completes most tasks on time, but the fear of being rushed at the last minute detracts from the quality of the final result. Procrastination happens to all of us in certain situations, whether it's budgeting, filling out a complex legal document, or redecorating a house...anything that we put aside in favor of more enjoyable activities. Each of us has tasks and goals, the implementation or achievement of which we try to postpone or even avoid them.

From Procrastination to Productivity

The habit of procrastination draws people into a vicious circle: they feel overwhelmed with work, they feel pressure, they are afraid of making a mistake, they try to fix it, they work harder, they feel resentment, they lose motivation - and everything ends with procrastination. The cycle begins with the fear of getting bogged down in rubble and ends with an attempt to ignore the "terrible" thing. As long as you are in this cycle, there is no way out. You can’t even properly recuperate and feel how useful every free minute is for creativity, not burdened by guilt. And any time spent (even spent on pleasant things) is perceived as a hack that replaces true occupation. Your negative thoughts and feelings about work, free time, yourself, and your chances of success make procrastination part of your sense of self.

Instead, you can develop a willingness to take action: stop being afraid to make a mistake or be swamped with work, forget about low self-esteem and focus on what you can start without delay.

Hello book lovers!

Price - electronic version for free.

The size - 123 A4 pages in Word.

My "hero" for today - Neil Fiore and his book The Easy Way to Stop Procrastinating.

I worked, but I still can’t say what I was doing all this time ... "

As usual - the usual common truths, long forgotten or never tried on yourself. However, there are some nuances here. The publication is not so bewitching (as it seemed to me) to read it in one breath. Moreover, at some point you may catch yourself thinking: ok, I'll read it later". Specifically, I encountered such a phenomenon, but, thanks to the simplest advice from the book, I found both the time and the desire to finish reading it.

Not sure if a book is worth your attention. If you want to manage your life yourself and spend time on what is dear and important to you, then it’s worth it.

The technique I propose will free you from feelings of shame and guilt and give you the opportunity to become the master of your life. You will get rid of the internal conflict: “You should…” – “But I don’t want…” You will begin to live your life guided by choice – the leadership function of your “I” and a new identification of yourself as a person who works productively.

The book contains many life stories. ordinary people who turn to a psychologist for help in order to cope with their laziness, postponing things for later, fear of taking a step forward towards achieving the main goal in life. It motivates. You shift any story onto yourself, only mentally rephrasing it in your own way.

How does this book help? Tips that are available to everyone and everyone. And, for free. Take - I do not want!

Advice such as "Just do it...", "Do your best..." or "Pick yourself up..." is based on the old diagnosis: "If you weren't so lazy, you'd have done it by now." Relatives, mentors, and friends only exacerbate the problem by saying, “This is a really difficult task. You'll have to work hard. Nothing to play the fool. No hangouts with friends and no rest until it's all over." What they are trying to say by this can be reduced to the following: “Life is a boring and complicated thing. And she has no time for fun. Work, of course, is a terrible thing, but it must be done. This old perception of work and life is akin to Woody Allen's remark: "Life is a constant pain, and then you die."

METHOD "ONE". Start deciding instead of being obligated.

Neil Fiore forbids forcing himself to do something. He is categorically against such expressions as "I must", "I must", "I need to". He protests, tears and throws those who build their lives on the principle of coercion.

Small digression. I think you will agree with me that we often force ourselves to do something, mentally saying: “I have to complete my diploma”, “I have to pay the bills for the apartment”, “I need to walk the dog, no matter what” . So right? Neil Fiore offers to convince yourself on a subconscious level that you do not HAVE to, but WANT it. " Do you want to add last chapter, you decided walk the dog, you choose pay bills now without going into debt. YOU DECIDE. You and no one else. Simple, but you get power over your life. Over time, you get used to the idea that every decision made in life is yours. Not states, moms or supervisors. And it comes at a cost. The hardest thing is to force decide to begin.

METHOD "TWO". Imagine the collapse, and then relax.

The author proposes to look ahead and imagine the worst thing that could happen to you in your situation . By the way, a great option. You tried? For example, I wrote a diploma and was very afraid of not being able to pass it on time finished work. And she worried, hesitated, denied herself rest, was in constant tension. And, it would seem, what could happen? "Troika" instead of "excellent"? Inadmissibility? Exception? So what? Three is not a disease. Non-admission is not the end, there is a chance to defend yourself next year. Exception? You can recover! And so it is in all matters. Why are we afraid to ask a passerby for directions? Maxim, what happens - we will not get an answer. This is not where life ends. And after you accept the situation and find ways to solve the “worst that can happen” - it’s not at all scary to take on work . You already know what to do in the most terrible and ridiculous situation.

METHOD "THREE". Graphically paint the plan of the day by the hour. Time is full!

Neil Fiore suggests that you write down your every action throughout the day. What time did they get up, when they ate, when they went out for a smoke break. You can simply visually see how much time you spent watching the next episode of Desperate Housewives and how many hours you spent “lying on the couch”. Time can be spent more rationally. For example, watch a series while cooking.

METHOD "FOUR". Talk to yourself. About important things, of course.

It is important to be able to talk to yourself and calm yourself, in any situation, under any circumstances. You can’t assume that talking to yourself is nonsense.

It is not discipline, willpower, or pressure from other people that makes it easier to complete a series of complex actions. It is rather the freedom of choice in the presence of an alternative, personal dedication and willingness to take responsibility for the consequences of their decisions, which strengthens the will and uplifts the spirit.

Talking to yourself mentally don't lie that you don't do that!) You are looking for solutions to any situation. What if I turn right now, because then I will see what is around the corner, and if the cafe is exactly there, then I will understand how to get to the clinic, which is two buildings from the cafe.

METHOD "FIVE". Actually, NO!

I think you have often heard advice that goes like this: "learn to say no."

For procrastinators, the ability to say "no" is a particularly powerful weapon, as it is an opportunity for them to make a choice. Saying "no" is just another way of conveying to the listener the thought, "I may not be perfect, but I have enough self-respect to say, 'No, I don't have to'." And also in this way you can refuse to take on too much and therefore not feel overwhelmed. It's a way of saying, "I know you can put pressure on me, but you can't compromise my self-esteem."

You don't owe anything to anyone, so by making the decision to deny someone a favor, you free up time for things that are more important to you. You should not agree to every request of the asker if it cuts you off with your plans.

METHOD "SIX". Just start.

Every business needs a start. Just select the photos you want to print for a long time. Well, or not all, at least 10 photos today. Then things will go faster, because it is not worth leaving unfinished business. Don't you turn off the gas stove if you've already started cooking pasta? And cook the pasta, and turn off the stove, and wash the pan! J

METHOD "SEVEN". Reverse plan.

A great way to do business, which involves a lot of time. Do you want to receive a housing subsidy? Plan backwards:

September 1, 2017 - Enrollment under the Young Family program to receive a subsidy for improving housing conditions.

May 15, 2017 - Go to the housing department for a list of required documents for a subsidy.

And that's not all advice! There are many more! And most of them will really come in handy for you to work more productively and properly allocate your time.

Here are some other truths from the book:

The main message of the Unschedule is as follows:
do not work more than twenty hours a week on a project;
do not work on the project for more than five hours a day;
you must play sports, play or at least dance for one hour a day;
you must set aside at least one day a week when you will not do any work at all;
set yourself the goal of doing quality work for thirty minutes;
work for an imperfect yet perfectly human effort;
start small.

Manage your time, always specify the exact date in your plans:

Only add to your schedule
predetermined times, such as meals, sleep, appointments;
free time, recreation, entertaining reading;
communication, lunches and dinners with friends;
playing sports to maintain health, such as swimming, running, exercising in the gym;
ordinary things, such as: travel time to / from work, study, appointment with a doctor.

Notschedule your project to work. Remember that above all, the Unschedule guarantees you guilt-free rest and entertainment and legitimizes your personal time. This first step will prevent you from intimidating yourself with overly ambitious and dictatorial work plans that usually end in failure, disappointment, self-criticism, and procrastination.

In general, the book is an excellent guide for those who are used to putting everything off “for tomorrow”. Specifically, I realized that there is a lot of free time that goes “to nowhere”. I also understood how you can start the business that has been put on the back burner for more than a year. For example, after six years (!!!) I go to my homeland to see my relatives. And also, I decided to try to fight with our laws regarding some issues (which I wanted to do about four years ago, but decided to do "after").

Perhaps this book will help you get started. Now, not tomorrow.

In psychology, the tendency to constantly put off all things for later is called procrastination, and a person who has such a tendency is called a procrastinator. Sometimes this habit is also called the "syndrome of tomorrow."

Procrastination at first glance resembles slowness or laziness. But in fact, it is very different from them, because with slowness a person does some work, just does it slowly. When lazy, he does not do it at all.

A procrastinator knows that things are waiting for him, but he is constantly distracted by various trifles, that is, he does something, but not what he needs. As a result, his time is spent inefficiently.

For example, a girl plans to sit down to write term paper. She turns on the computer and while it's loading, she goes to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. Suddenly she remembers that she has run out of milk and goes to the store. He returns, on the way he meets a neighbor with whom he stops to chat.

At home, he sits down at the computer, but decides to first look at the mail and look at his page on the social network. Then she “walks” through the links and suddenly remembers that she didn’t make coffee. In the kitchen he sees a hungry cat and gives her food. She sits down at the computer again, starts working, but then she is distracted by a phone call. And so it goes until it's time to sleep. This situation is repeated day after day, the deadlines are running out and in the end the work is done in a hurry.

This is a typical case of procrastination - instead of immediately getting to work, the girl is playing for time.

If you think before you act, you can talk yourself out of anything, no matter how important the matter is. Turn tasks into habits to stop procrastinating.

Procrastinators don't like to be accused of dragging out or shirking work and trying to find convincing arguments to justify their behavior. Although often they are dissatisfied with themselves, although they do not admit it.

Psychologists say that about a fifth of the adult population of the planet has a chronic form of procrastination. True, to a small extent, the tendency to postpone things for later is inherent in almost everyone. But if such a tendency becomes a habitual state in which a person stays most of his time, then here we can already talk about procrastination. By the way, such a habit is not innate, but rather acquired, which means that it can be fought.

What threatens the habit of postponing everything for "tomorrow"?

Obviously, many people are familiar with the situation when, postponing work for “tomorrow”, we realize that tomorrow has already come more than once, but we still have not taken it up. Loading ourselves on the last day, we experience both nervous and physical overstrain, we drink coffee endlessly so as not to fall asleep, we do not get enough sleep. We promise ourselves that this is the last time, in the future we will do everything on time. We hand over the work, we take on the next one - and everything repeats all over again. It is clear that such constant rush work will sooner or later affect health.

A person who has the habit of “flying” often feels guilty both in front of himself and in front of those around him for delaying work or not doing it quite well. What quality can we talk about if it was done in a hurry!

Because of the habit of postponing everything until later, many people have not been able to realize themselves, fully reveal their abilities and talents and achieve success.

Why do people develop the habit of procrastinating?

To know how to beat procrastination, you need to know why it occurs.

One of the most common reasons is a job or business that a person does not like, so he internally resists and delays time, only to not take on them.

There are not so few people in the world who live without setting any goals and without any aspirations. They have no vital energy and for them there are no priorities.

Some people just don't know how to prioritize. They are not able to distinguish between major and minor cases, they cannot organize their time, they take on everything at once and, as a result, do not really have time for anything.

Sometimes people tend to put off difficult tasks, subconsciously afraid of not being able to handle them or not knowing where to start.
Procrastination can be caused by certain phobias or fears. For example, a person who is afraid of pain or an unpleasant diagnosis often, under some far-fetched pretext, postpones a visit to the doctor every day until tomorrow.

Postponing work for later and those who are haunted by the fear of failure. People who suffer from excessive shyness also play for time so as not to demonstrate the results of their work.

How to overcome the habit of putting everything off until tomorrow?

If a person has realized that the habit of putting off all things for later entails many problems that interfere with life, and it is necessary to get rid of it at all costs, then he will surely succeed. It is important to ask yourself the question that the famous American entrepreneur Steve Jobs formulated: “Do you want to spend your life selling soda, or do you want to change the world?”.

A procrastinator, aware of his habit of constantly being distracted by extraneous matters, should make a plan and write down in it everything that he needs to do, as well as indicate the approximate time that he is going to spend on each task. A clear time frame will allow you to become more disciplined and organized.

Even if the upcoming tasks seem tedious, difficult, uninteresting, etc., it is worth take the first step. As they say, "The road will be mastered by the walking one."

As a rule, we postpone for later those things that cause us internal resistance. Here it is worth remembering the words: “If you cannot change the situation, try to change your attitude towards it.” That is, every unpleasant duty or necessity can be looked at from a different point of view: “I am afraid to go to the dentist. But the sooner I start treating my teeth, the easier the treatment will be.” Or: “The sooner we start the repair, the sooner we will finish it and be able to go on vacation.”

It also happens that we are entrusted with a task from which we have no right to refuse, but which seems to us senseless. Due to the lack of motivation, we can not take it in any way. However, in almost any business you can find (or invent) personal meaning which will serve as a stimulus. Here, by the way, it will be recalled the old parable of the three men who carried stones. When they were asked what they were doing, one answered: “Pasha like an ox”, the second said: “I am earning money”, and the third: “I am building a temple here!”.

After a successfully completed task, it is necessary to reward yourself: take a bath, walk, run or just sleep. After all, the body requires a mental and physical reboot.

Some people do the opposite: not meeting the deadlines, they deny themselves something: movies, meetings, entertainment. Others have come up with the following way to punish themselves for being disorganized: they deposit some amount of money with one of their friends on the condition that if they do not complete the planned work on time, the friend will keep the money for himself.

The French writer Victor Hugo is said to have done this: he ordered his servant not to give him clothes until he had written a certain number of lines.

Thus, in order to accustom yourself to do the work on time, you need to:

distribute all cases in order of importance;
break a complex task that requires more time than others into several smaller ones;
find motivation in every business;
remove all distractions away from the eyes;
do not take on a new business until the old one is finished.

Postponing things for later is often not a sign of laziness, but a symptom of a loss of motivation. For thirty years, the author, well-known psychologist Neil Fiore, has been successfully using a simple strategy in working with procrastinating clients: stop reproaching yourself for failures and imperfections, change the position from “I have to” to “I wanted it myself”, determine personal and work goals and make a plan to achieve them, in which time for rest will be immediately reserved. And to implement the strategy, you need to use the step-by-step methodology described in this book. If you're looking to increase your efficiency by breaking the habit of procrastination, this is your book.

* * *

The following excerpt from the book The Easy Way to Stop Procrastinating (Neil Fiore, 2007) provided by our book partner - the company LitRes.

Introduction

Abraham Maslow

From Procrastination to Productivity

Instead, you can develop a willingness to take action: stop being afraid to make a mistake or be swamped with work, forget about low self-esteem and focus on what you can start without delay.

A new definition of procrastination

Most Popular psychological theories explaining the reasons for procrastination provoke self-criticism by labeling you, implying that you are lazy, and requiring more and more discipline. But there is a huge difference between simply diagnosing a problem and choosing a program to solve it. People who put things off for years and ignore the main goals in life know so well what self-criticism is. What they really need is a positive, actionable technique for working through blocks and achieving goals.

Some books offer trite advice like "Break everything down into small tasks..." or "Set your priorities...". But such advice is useless, because it misses the point: you yourself would do everything right if you could ... if it were so easy.

Nobody just takes time. People do it because it makes some sense, given how sensitive they are to criticism, mistakes, and their own perfectionism.

To overcome procrastination, you need to learn to have a positive attitude towards human nature, because it is its inherent motivation and curiosity that brought us out of the caves. Human nature drives us toward what Maslow calls "the need for meaningful work, responsibility, and creativity." If we can adapt, we will overcome fears and open up completely new horizons for human achievement.

There are probably some leisure activities and types of work in your life that you are ready to do without delay. You don't procrastinate 24 hours a day. If you turn your attention to what you love, you will see that it is not just laziness that speaks in you. With a lot of thought, you can find your innate energy and drive to start working productively and achieve something.

If past experiences have led you to associate work with pain and humiliation, even attempting a daunting or unpleasant task can bring back criticism not only from your current boss but also from your parents, supervisors, or teachers. Any self-doubt blocks the mind, you just have to think about a project that you think is difficult to handle.

Pain, resentment, fear of failure have already become associated with certain types of tasks. When life seems to offer you too many of these problems, it feels like you are driving with the brake pedal pressed; you have lost motivation and doubt whether you have enough fuse to complete what you started. In this case, your indignation seems justified.

Your first step to overcoming procrastination and becoming productive involves redefining the term and redefining how and why we use it. Procrastination is not the cause of problems with problem solving; it is rather an attempt to work through numerous basic problems: low self-esteem, perfectionism, fear of making a mistake, fear of success, indecision, lack of balance between work and free time, ineffective goal setting and negative thoughts about work and about oneself.

The absolute overcoming of procrastination must include the satisfaction of blocked needs that force a person to procrastinate. Let's start with a new definition:

Procrastination is a coping mechanism for anxiety associated with starting or completing a task or making a decision.

Based on this definition, we can say that those who are most prone to procrastination are those who find it difficult to start a business, who are afraid of criticism, mistakes, and are also afraid of missing out on other opportunities due to attachment to one project.

The habit of taking immediate action

Advice such as "Just do it...", "Do your best..." or "Pick yourself up..." is based on the old diagnosis: "If you weren't so lazy, you'd have done it by now." Relatives, mentors, and friends only exacerbate the problem by saying, “This is a really difficult task. You'll have to work hard. Nothing to play the fool. No hangouts with friends and no rest until it's all over." What they are trying to say by this can be reduced to the following: “Life is a boring and complicated thing. And she has no time for fun. Work, of course, is a terrible thing, but it must be done. This old perception of work and life is akin to Woody Allen's remark: "Life is a constant pain, and then you die."

The proposed program is based on more positive definitions, which are more in tune with positive psychology Abraham Maslow than the positions of Sigmund Freud. It has more faith in human nature, and therefore goes beyond the usual manual book, describing more acute anxiety associated with mistakes, perfectionism, or criticism, leading to procrastination.

We will focus on getting rid of self-alienation - a state of self-directed action - which is the result of previous experience and the influence of the cultural environment. It arises from a misunderstanding of the puritanical work ethic that your worth is determined by your performance, as well as the negative Freudian view that the "lower" part of you should be subordinated to society. Instead, you are guided by the advice given here, reconsidering your attitude to work, gradually resolving internal conflict and completely surrendering to the task.

By providing yourself with inner security and the opportunity to have a positive internal dialogue, you reduce the fear of being imperfect, allow yourself to take risks, and begin to act faster.

Since this positive philosophy is rarely applied in practice, you will hardly find references to other sources in this book. However, the theoretical component of this book is consonant with the less practical, but still very rich in ideas, works of Matthew Fox (1) , Jean Synod of Bohlen (2) , Dan Goleman (3) , Martin Seligman (4) and Gerald Jampolsky (5) .

My program The Now Habit (“The habit of acting immediately”) includes 10 of the most effective ways to overcome procrastination.

1. Ensuring self-confidence will help to “lay a straw” of psychological safety for performing complex, sometimes vital tasks, in order to reduce the fear of mistakes and learn to cope with them, starting to work with renewed vigor.

2. Changing negative attitudes towards yourself as a result of successful internal dialogue teaches you how to track unacceptable thoughts and understand the harm they cause you. Replacing them with positive wording will redirect your energy to the task at hand and push you to make quick decisions.

3. Using signs of procrastination to start getting rid of it It will help you apply old habits to form and strengthen new, positive ones.

4. Rest, not burdened by guilt, will teach strategic planning of free time, shifting the focus from work and thereby subconsciously prompting you to return to it later.

5. 3D thinking and the reverse calendar help control the fear of getting bogged down in business. You will create your own step-by-step task calendar with time for rest, and really evaluate your achievements.

6. Turning your anxiety to your own good Demonstrates how making a plan to manage distractions helps you achieve your goals and not be afraid of difficulties in the future.

6. Anti-schedule will allow you to feel the inner freedom that will be rewarded by a guilt-free vacation planned in advance, as well as create a realistic picture of the free time you have. You will have a feeling of time being used correctly - and you will see how much you managed to do.

7. Setting realistic goals will help not to think about the goal, the achievement of which is not possible in this moment, and will direct your energy to other problems that require immediate solutions.

8. Work in a state of "flow" will relieve stress and create interest and motivation for fruitful work with increased concentration for two minutes or less, letting you know that no matter what sensations you own project you will be as productive as possible.

9. Controlled Regression prepare for "scheduled stops" so you can quickly turn them into new opportunities, learn to anticipate the temptation to procrastinate, and bring consistency to your general plan achievements.

Expect a wonderful change

Many of the strategies described here are by no means new, but what is new is that you can finally put them into practice in solving questions thrown up life. With results-focused techniques and the ability to recognize and avoid old pitfalls, you will suddenly find yourself more confident in situations that used to be stressful. You will find that you are more capable of self-help, that you can replace self-criticism with positive, task-oriented thoughts and turn frustration into good.

Since completing my PhD, I have worked with thousands of clients and hundreds of organizations to create strategies to help participants change their behavior, free themselves from destructive behavior, and increase self-esteem and self-confidence. I used my methodology to find time to work on a number of articles and four books in 15-20 hours. productive work a week, without tearing yourself away from friends, family, and also without missing training in preparation for three half marathons. This same system has been used successfully by my clients who consider themselves chronic procrastinators. It will work for you too!

Greetings dear friend!

Do you know an easy way to stop putting things off until later, indefinitely?

This is a problem of many, many people, but not everyone knows that it leads to very deplorable and irreversible results.
Postponement is an anchor that prevents us from moving, as they say now, in a trend.

The wave is rising

Now many have to work twice or even three times more actively than before. I want to do everything in order to keep my job. It's so difficult to get a new one, and at home family, children.

However, not all cases want to be done as they come. Some of them are put aside. Maybe because they seem very complicated at first glance. Or is there a possibility that the problem will disappear by itself. Or I don’t want to start today, because I still won’t have time to finish before the end of the working day.

Make a promise to yourself to start tomorrow with this unfinished business. But tomorrow there are new cases that require even more urgent implementation. Postponing things like this is called procrastination.

It would seem that you have been working all day. Performance per high level. But all the same, there are imperfections that “pull for the soul”, cause concern. A wave of dissatisfaction with oneself, uncertainty in one's abilities and business skills gradually grows. The feeling that you are driven into a corner, and there is no way out, is tormenting.

The boss hints that you are apparently lazy. They could have completed the task long ago, but "things are still there." To the detriment of your personal time, you stay after work to "pick up the tails".

On weekends, you refuse to go for a walk with your children because you took work home. Your wife was offended by you for not attaching a new shelf in the kitchen again, where she wanted to put a fashionable climbing flower.

Productivity continues to drop. The number of unfinished business grows like a snowball. Stresses follow one after another, increasing the fear of job loss and family breakdown.

Over time this leads to a decrease in self-esteem, a deterioration in attention, and in the worst cases, to nervous diseases. After all, it is no secret that both office workers and workers in production often experience the feeling of a “squeezed lemon”.

It is urgent to find a way out of this situation. Delay can only worsen it and lead to a nervous breakdown.

Who will help?

Is there really no way to break out of this vicious circle? Is it really impossible to immediately take up the task assigned and bring it to its logical conclusion?

How to make it so that the concentration of attention on one task being performed helps to complete it in a short time and with a good result?

What to do? How to force yourself to clearly and consistently solve the questions posed, without driving yourself into a "debt hole"?

How to learn to live and work without taking into account distractions. To become a free person, confident in himself and his abilities?

To be a respected and reliable employee, a good family man and a beloved parent?

Bet on the right horse

It would seem that it’s easier: to find suitable exercises or even a book, read, do the exercises and you will become a different person. Alas, this is not the case for everyone and not always. The first small successes quickly disappear.
To get a sustainable result, it is better to work under the guidance of a competent specialist.
This will be the easiest way. I emphasize: the easy way get result and not just do something there.

Professionally engaged in psychology for a quarter of a century.

Dmitry has written two books and created more than fifteen courses - trainings on various topics of self-knowledge and personal development. Many people have been involved in these trainings and have achieved stunning results.

There are trainings on self-hypnosis and self-realization, on goal-setting and liberation from bad habits (“10 simple steps to become a non-smoker") are a great success. Thousands of people have changed their lives for the better.

On the problem that we are discussing today, there is a separate training How to stop procrastinating

After passing it, you will be able to:

Replace negative attitudes with positive ones.
Gain confidence and boost your self-esteem.
Change your old habits for qualitatively new ones that improve your life.
Allow yourself to spend your personal free time with joy and a positive attitude, and not with a sense of guilt for putting things off.
Learn to make the right schedule, where a sufficient amount of time will be allotted for work and rest.
You will be able to realistically imagine the goals to which you are going and the ways to achieve them.
Labor efficiency will increase. Energy will be directed to completing tasks, and not to self-criticism about pending cases that cannot be reached.
You will learn to focus on the end result. And become a winner where you previously experienced stress.
You will be able to help yourself in any stressful situation.
Both small and big things you will start doing as soon as they arrive. And learn to praise and reward yourself for it.
With pleasure and pride you will accept praise from other people addressed to you, realizing that this is true.
You can not be afraid of temporary difficulties and problems that one way or another will meet on your way.
Forget that there was a sad period in your life when you actually considered yourself a complete loser.

And many many others. Don't waste time. Postponing things turns simple things into difficult things, and difficult things into impossible ones. It is the anchor that keeps us in place. And sometimes delay is like death!

On this "major" note, allow me to take my leave.

Thank you for your interest in the article. I would appreciate a comment (at the bottom of the page).

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Have a nice day and good mood!