Self Image and Self EsteemLive by Design, Not By Default

At some point or another, virtually everyone has experienced the effects of procrastination.  Postponing what needs to be done has the secret power to create your life by default.  When you put off until tomorrow what needs to be done today, you end up robbing yourself of living by design and getting what you really want. If you have ‘tomorrow is another day” syndrome, rest assured there are solutions waiting for you to overcome procrastination.  I’ll be sharing two easy suggestions on how to stop procrastination.

Procrastination can be pleasurable.  You get pleasure not doing what needs to be done. To stop procrastination, you’ll need to exhibit self-discipline in the early stages.  The act of deferring what needs to be done is simply a bad habit and like any bad habit, can be replaced if your desire is strong enough.

At first, it will be difficult, however if you follow the two suggestions below, it will become easier as you create empowering habits that enhance and support the intentions you have for your life.

Suggestion #1:  Create A List Of What Needs To Be Done Daily

This may appear overly simplistic, but do you have a to-do list of things that need to be done on a daily basis? Most people don’t.  The majority of the time you delay is because you are unclear of what tasks need to be done.  After you’ve completed your daily list, prioritize your list in order of importance.  Say to yourself WTF, that’s worse things first.  This helps you to get the things you don’t really want to do get done, when your energy is high as opposed to waiting later in the day as your energy fades.  As you complete your list, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and pride.  This is because your brain releases a hormone called Beta-endorphin.  This is nature’s  ‘feel-good’ hormone or nature’s ‘happy drug’.  Just this alone should provide you with incentive and momentum to stop procrastinating.

Suggestion #2:  Do Similar Tasks At the Same Time

While going through your to-do list, perform similar tasks at the same time when possible.  Here’s a good reason to do this.  As you approach a task to be done, you have to prepare to do the task, then you have to do the task, and finally you wrap up doing the task.  This starting and stopping action eats up valuable time and energy and can make it seem as if you’re working hard and have nothing to show for it.  Grouping your tasks together increases your personal productivity.

A huge benefit of stopping procrastination is that your life will substantially improve.  As you make a daily habit to consistently create a to-do list and accomplish your tasks, you will slowly stop procrastination in its tracks.  You’ll be delighted to see how eliminating procrastination can lower stress and make you feel as if you’re in control of your day, rather than the other way around.  And lastly, don’t procrastinate applying the suggestions on how to stop procrastination.

Being 100% responsible for your life is something that most people tend to overlook.  They feel they must accept the circumstances that life throws their way.  This is the farthest thing from the truth.  One definition of responsibility I like is being responsibility for your life, for your feelings and for every result you get.

It seems that popular culture loves to dodge responsibility.  However, the exact moment you choose to take 100% responsibility for your life is the moment you take back control your life and claim the personal power you’ve always had. 

Taking 100% responsibility can bring a sense of confidence and calmness to your life.  Knowing that you are responsible for the results you get will cause you to stop making excuses when things don’t go the way you expected.  Instead of seeing your results as a failure, consider it a success.  All outcomes are successful; it may not be the outcome you wanted.  And the beauty of this is you’ve got personal evidence of what will and won’t work.  This saves you precious time because you learn from your results and you don’t repeat the same actions next time.

As you become responsible for your life, it will cause you to see that everything in life has a price and you must pay it.  If you’re honest with yourself, you may find you don’t really want to pay the price.  However, you either pay in one way or the other; you pay the price with the pain of self-discipline, which can feel like pounds today.  Or, you can pay with the pain of regret, which can feel like tons in the future.  This is totally up to you. 

When you choose to be responsible for your life, you also give up playing the blame game.  How often do you consciously or unconsciously blame someone for what you don’t get?  Perhaps you blame your employer, an organization, the government, the economy, your circumstances, or the good old standby; your parents.

If you’ve blamed others or yourself for less than desirable circumstances in your life today, choose to break this type of behavior.  Accept and forgive yourself and others for what happened to you in the past.  Resolve to move forward.

As you create your personal definition of responsibility, you’ll discover that making the choice to be accountable for your life will give you the personal power to be do or have what you want and to live your life by design and not by default.

What is your definition of responsibility? Knowing this can help you create your exciting lifestyle.  Claim your free gift today from www.LifeUnstuck.com