“People often say that
motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend
it daily” ~ Zig Ziglar
As you are reading this, you
probably have a goal on your own, that you’ve pushed, postponed, procrastinated
on, and other words that start with P, for days, weeks, months, or even
years.
Not only that, but you’ve
reached the point where even the thought of the goal, brings the feeling
of having butterflies in your stomach. Demon butterflies.
Hopefully, today is the day you
will break the chain as well.
Let me help you
with that
First,
the explanation.
In the beginning, when we set
the goal, we feel usually motivated, for about a day. As each additional
day passes, the resistance starts to grow.
As more time passes by, we feel
more overwhelmed, especially if we have attempted to start several
times, and failed. It stacks up, but in a wrong direction.
The biggest problem in
this scenario is that we think of the sheer size of the goal, or to
be more accurate, the list of the activities we need to do, and how much time
it will take us to do them all.
We think about the big
picture.
There is nothing wrong with the
big picture, on the contrary, we need it, but in the beginning, when it’s
the planning phase.
Immediately once the plan is
finished, you should leave the big picture aside and focus on the small one.
To be specific, just one day
ahead of you. Or, as I like to call it “A 24 Hour Life”(basically
what smarter people before me said but rephrased with a cooler name,
fancy, I know).
That’s what you should
do. Don’t think about the science or that you need 66 days to establish a
habit, it will just overwhelm you additionally, which you don’t need.
Next, to the “ONE DAY”
principle, the only other one you need is the consistency.
If necessary, sacrifice the
quality, and the quantity, for the sake of consistency.
Let’s get down to concrete steps you can take a right this moment to
take action and start working on your goal.
1.
Extract The Lessons
Look back at the previous
period, and try to pinpoint the main reasons on why you
procrastinated (be honest with yourself).
These reasons are usually
internal and external.
What I mean by this is,
the excuses you give yourself (it’s hard, you don’t know how to do
it, etc), and the distractions in your environment (the internet,
television, people, food, and other).
You probably know them already,
but it’s good to write them down, and remind yourself.
2. Stop Beating On Yourself
This is more
theoretical, fluffy advice, but still, makes sense.
Stop dragging
the luggage of your past (in)actions. That’s the thing with us
people; we like to beat ourselves, which additionally prevents us from
taking actions.
So, drop it, and focus on using
the lessons from my previous point.
Remember, think just 24
hours ahead (or 18/16 — depending on how much you sleep) — now when I
think about it, the “24-hour life” is starting to lose its meaning, but it
sounds cooler than “16 Hour Life.”)
Anyways. The moment
you forgive yourself, you will feel relieved, and slowly start
to regain that original motivation, or motivation 2.0 —
whatever you want to call it.
3.
Re-evaluate Your Direction
Now that the past is
behind you, you should look forward and get clarity on your direction.
Even if you still want to
pursue the same goal, know that it often happens that we don’t stop
and think whether or not what we are trying to achieve, actually still makes
sense for us (similar to being in an unhealthy relationship just because
you’ve invested too much time).
This is your one
shot, either drop the goal altogether or leave all the
excuses behind.
Think about your biggest goal,
and see if you still want to pursue it.
If you do, write it in one
sentence, and put a deadline on it.
If not, scratch it.
And think of another big goal you want to focus in the upcoming year.
Just one goal, not five or
ten. Let’s not copy-paste new years resolutions, year in-year out.
Once you have it, you need a
strategy.
4. Make A New Plan
In those 16 hours, your sole
focus (when it comes to your goal), should be only two things:
·
Things
you have to DO to achieve your goal (what are your most important
activities that will bring most results?)
·
Things
you have to LEARN to execute the previously defined activities
When you determine these
two points, put them in the timeline, and then…
5. … Act
To make sure that history
doesn’t repeat itself, choose just one thing you will do today — no
matter how minor the activity is.
Like slapping a muffin out of
your hand (if you want to lose weight), or learning five new words in Spanish —
a couple of random examples here, but you get what I mean.
I wrote this down
earlier, but I will repeat it because it’s probably the most important thing
you can remember from this article.
If necessary, sacrifice
the Quality, and the Quantity, for the sake of CONSISTENCY.
Final
Words
Even though it’s
simple, it’s not easy.
But, you only need to take
one small step, without thinking too far ahead, and before you know it, you
will reach your destination.
Just like I did with this
article. One word at the time, one bad joke at the time, and before you know
it, I finished writing it, and you finished reading it.
Now,
go get it — I believe in you!
Just remember every once in a
while to make a pause, and evaluate your path and plan, just to make sure you
are still on the right track.
https://www.zerotoskill.com/how-to-stop-procastinating-on-your-goals/
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