You're Not Done Pulverizing Yet. Here's More.

Part II

I love the way Andrew Grant compares killing procrastination with elephant eating. After all, procrastination is the category 5 of “dragging your feet until they fall off” don’t wanna’s. According to Andrew, and I agree, it does not have to be difficult to beat this cloud that follows us around. (Ok, it follows me around too but I just didn’t want to be the only one out there.) Andrew continues with Part II:

Tip #4. Chunk it down. As someone once said, you can’t eat an elephant in one bite, but you can eat it, one bite at a time. So step 4 is to define those bites. In our example, Bite 1 is “go to the store”. Bite 2 is “buy the crates”. Bite 3 might be “clear the contents of the small area directly under the stairs, sorting it into the appropriate crates and throwing out what I no longer want” . Note down all the little bites on your goal map, but take care not to fall back into ‘pencil sharpening mode’ again and spend all night on your ‘Bite chart”.

Tip #5. Take the first bite. This is the toughest one of the lot. Get in the car, get down to store and buy those crates. It’s called taking action and is the stage where most people fall right down in their carefully mapped-out tracks.
Tell yourself that you’re only going to do this one thing, focus entirely on that and get it done.

Tip #6. Review and reward. Once you’ve done it, take a tiny break and review progress. When you get back from the store with your new crates, go back to your goal map, cross off Bite 1 and give yourself a little pat on the back.
You have taken action and you deserve recognition. Don’t get carried away, though; you’re not a Nobel prize winner yet.

Tip #7. Eat the rest. After your brief review and reward break, transfer your focus to Bite 2 and take some more action. Do it; review and reward again; then take Bite 3 and so on. Don’t worry, you won’t be constantly stopping and starting.

I guarantee that you’ll feel so good about yourself after two or three bites that you won’t want to stop and you’ll be so thrilled with progress that the whole job will be finished before you know it.
Try this seven step technique next time you are stuck in reverse and you’ll soon see that procrastination is a pathetically weak enemy, that you can beat with your eyes closed.

Hi, my name is Andrew Grant. I hope you enjoyed this article. If you would like to read more great articles on self improvement and making money online, I'd like to invite you to subscribe to my free newsletter, which you'll find at : http://www.money-and-mind.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Grant

Write it down,

Carma

You CAN Pulverise Procrastination

PART I

I am the Procrastination Queen in my house! Andrew Grant is one of about 70 authors who are participating in the LKarticlechallenge. Thirty articles are to be written by September 30. Each writer who accomplishes this achievement will receive the Golden PJ’s Award. This is a wonderful exercise for writers who are looking for more exposure and experience in writing articles and networking. In addition, you can expand your learning curve.

Another great reason for entering the LKArticlechallenge is you get to meet great writers like Andrew Grant and you get to give some link love and promote their work. Enjoy this article on how to kill procrastination. I am sure many people will be able to identify and learn from it. I am posting in two parts. Andrew writes:

"I hate procrastination. It is one of the most infuriating parts of my personal make-up and is responsible for so many missed opportunities, wasted hours and failed projects that if it was a person, I’d probably be doing a life sentence for its murder by now.

Fortunately, I’ve found some less violent ways to eradicate this dream destroyer from my life. Here are my 7 top, procrastination beating tips, that will work for you, whether you are climbing a mountain or just tidying up your basement.

Tip #1. Recognize it. You have to know your enemy and procrastination is a master of disguise, so it can sometimes be hard to spot. But when you hear yourself saying things like. “Before I do (my target) I just have to…”, or “I can’t start (my target) till I have…”.

This is what I call the ‘pencil-sharpening mode’ – spending all your time in preparation and never actually doing. Learn to spot these excuses.

Tip #2. Stop it in its tracks. Once you’ve flushed your procrastination into the open, you must take positive action to prevent it taking over. Listen to your excuses and do two things. Firstly, tell yourself to stop being scared of the task you have set yourself and hiding behind these pathetic walls and secondly, incorporate the excuse into the solution, by including it in the next stage.

Tip #3. Define the task. Whatever you want to do, it is no use being nebulous and vague about it. You must define and measure your goal. Write it down, map it out, make it real and tangible and most importantly, take the excuse from stage 2 and include it as part of your road map.
For example, if you keep telling yourself that you can’t tidy the basement, till you have gone to the store and bought a set of plastic crates; make “go to the store” the very first step on your goal path."

Hi, my name is Andrew Grant. I hope you enjoyed this article. If you would like to read more great articles on self improvement and making money online, I'd like to invite you to subscribe to my free newsletter, which you'll find at : http://www.money-and-mind.com

Write it down,

Carma

Ready, Set, 1 - 2 - 3 Write......

Screech!!!! Halt!!! Wait, wait. I just saw the latest software for writers who are just starting out on xyz website and it is a must. A manuscript cannot be written without it. I can't start writing until I have that in my writer's tool kit. I mean it is very important to keep track of my word count.

Oh, and while I was at the bookstore I just had to buy this book on how to sell books and articles. Never mind that I already have 10 books with all the advice that any novice writer needs even though I don't have anything written yet, but I know I will, so I need to be prepared.

I can't forget to subscribe to 15 magazines, websites and news papers and read 30 books before I put my first word on paper.

Now....What else do I need? Oh, what about that seminar?....oh, oh, dictionary, thesaurus, uh, ......just put it in the basket. I'll read later.

Okay, okay, you get my drift. As a new writer, blogger, etc, I have found myself doing everything BUT writing lately. Instead, I have gathered as many self-help books and articles on a freelance writing career, looking for THE secret. I have discovered that I have THE secret. It is in my fingertips right here, right now.

I realize I am not saying anything new to you veterans out there, but if there are any new writers listening in...run...don't walk to the nearest keyboard or note book and start putting your words down. Until that happens, you will never be a "writer" and any advice you receive won't do you any good until you put it to Action.

All of those things I mentioned above are very important but my point is that they do not stand alone and a writer can not learn by osmosis. I appreciate all the help that is out there for people like me and I shouldn't waste it by doing nothing.

To name a few of the important people who are here to help fledgling writers like me are Lisa Gates of Intrinsic life design, FundsforWriters, Writer in the making, The Golden Pencil and on and on. Please visit them.

Write it down,
Karma