You wake up feeling overwhelmed. Too much to do, in too little time and you just can’t muster up the energy or the will to do it. Does that sound like some of your mornings? That is not the vibe that starts your day off right!
The tone of your morning will determine the tone of your day. Set the tone for an excellent day
We would be remiss if we did not say this first. The foundation of any day is quality sleep so that you awake with a well-rested body and mind . After a night of restful sleep, you will wake feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the day. There is absolutely no substitute for sleep.
Control How your Day Begins
One of the keys to controlling how your day begins and to feeling motivated is to start your day by engaging your brain to do something totally for yourself and within your control.
1. Choose to do two things that you can complete quickly and effectively.
Choose two things that can be done quickly because that is the quick-energy start your brain needs for momentum. They should also be achievable so that you start your day with a sense of confidence and stability.
2. Do these two things soon after you awake and before you go to work.
They can be part of a good morning routine like eating a healthy relaxing breakfast but they should not be mundane like brushing your teeth. Therefore, the two tasks should not be work related or instant gratification type activities. Checking email, your smart phone for messages or social media puts you in reactive or defensive mode. What might you find? An email asking for work-related documents? A friend’s crisis post on Facebook? These are the kinds of things that could potentially keep you from concentrating on your own concerns.
Instead of reaching for your phone, reach for paper and a pencil, the ingredients for a tasty breakfast, or your hat so you can get outside. You could make your bed so it is more welcoming for later in the evening. You could meditate, read five pages of a book or open your blinds and stand in the sunshine to do one minute of deep breathing. You could do something that challenges or excites your brain or pick one of the many key elements of self-care. Ben Franklin used to ask himself this question every morning: What good shall I do today?
Set your alarm five or ten minutes earlier if you must. Just make sure that you complete both things for yourself.
Being absorbed in and achieving two things for yourself is a gesture of self-respect. You will start your day with a calm state of mind and a feeling of self satisfaction which helps to ground you. The positivity and achievement set the vibe for an excellent day whether you are headed for a productive day at work, spending time with family, or having a me type day.
There are five common underlying causes of procrastination. While you may not be able to entirely avoid them, the good news is that common issues can be overcome by implementing a simple strategy or two. In the list below, #1, #4 and #5 are possibly the easiest to overcome.
Maybe you do not understand what you need to do or you need to obtain more information or clarification. A simple way to solve this type of problem is to ask for help when you need it. Seeking directions, clearing up ambiguity, or asking for help is sensible and smart. It is a sign of respect and shows you have confidence and are a team player.
Perhaps you need to fine tune your proficiencies in the areas where you tend to procrastinate. Maybe it is more about gaining insight into working smarter than about working harder or longer. Seek advice about what exactly you need to do to advance your abilities or change a behaviour? Are you willing to skip something in your lifestyle in order learn or practice new skill?
You may not be cognizant that you fear the potential pain from making a mistake. It is not the mistake itself, so much as that you may fear potential criticism, judgment, vulnerability, failure, rejection, ridicule, doing the wrong thing or anything that can possibly mess with your identity and self-image. In the midst of this type of fear it is difficult to understand the things that could potentially make your life a lot better. While there is no magical cure, you can shift your perspective in two ways.
First, accept these two truths:
This is especially true if you are doing new things. As a beginner you should expect to do some things imperfectly. However, your second try will be an improvement and your third and fourth attempts will be great. Instead of the all or nothing approach think more about the value allowing yourself to be less perfect about some things so that you can concentrate on what is important.
Second, try to gain an understanding that when you do something to the best of your ability, any achievement, no matter how big or how small, is the gift you are giving yourself. How you feel about your accomplishment in school, work, or any personal pursuit outshines and outlasts the notions of others around you. What you assume peers and coworkers might be thinking will have long been forgotten, but that gift you gave yourself keeps on nourishing your well-being.
Your brain needs a target to aim at before it can activate the mental muscle to focus. Your brain wants to know:
Write a daily plan filled with clarity:
Be precise in defining a better target so your brain does not have to guess.
When you choose a task to work on, focus on what you “should” do, not what you “could” do.
This is a biggie and often the most incapacitating. When you envision finishing a task your brain can take that simple task and envision all aspects of it. Your brain makes it into a mountain of things to do, and turns it into overwhelming frustration and confusion. Then your brain finds it easy to not take action. When you think about going to the gym, it is not a single treadmill that your brain envision, it is row upon row of exercise equipment, and how tired you will be after working out on each and every one. Your brain would be much happier if it only expected you to simply drive to the gym.
Have you ever been so overwhelmed and felt under so much pressure that you muttered, “Screw it, I don’t even care!” Then you don’t go to the gym; any housework you planned to do comes to a standstill.
Clearly when work pressures weigh you down, one remedy might simply be that you need to take a break and get some rest. However, as a general rule, people who feel overwhelmed and end up procrastinating just need a place to start.
Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago tells procrastinators, “All they can see is forest and they become so overwhelmed by the size of the forest (or project) that they’re paralyzed into inactivity.” He tells procrastinators, “Cut down one tree at a time. You can’t do one tree? Give me three branches. Once you’ve gotten started, and made even a small bit of progress on your task, there’s a good chance you’ll keep going.”
Not everyone is inclined to like all tasks. Unfortunately, the task will not go away. Focus on starting rather than on finishing. Break the task into smaller doable segments.
Decide one small thing to do first: Starting is usually the hardest part. If you are writing a letter, instead of staring at a blank document you can start by putting the date at the top. If you need to clean your refrigerator, start by cleaning just half of a shelf or one drawer. Do not write a book, write a paragraph. Make it as easy or as minimal as possible to get started.
Use the push 5 rule to get started:
What most people find is that after five minutes of doing something, it’s much easier to continue until the task is done. By thinking about the task as something that may take only 5 minutes, it feels much less overwhelming and a lot more doable. Small measures of progress help you maintain momentum over the long-run, which means you’re more likely to finish large tasks.
By simply working for a limited amount of time you went from standing still to moving – and according to the laws of physics, something that’s already in motion requires a lot less force to keep in motion. That’s how momentum works in your mind too.
Eventually you can set a timer, and make yourself stick to one task for 10 minutes at a time. Add another minute or two until you're able to work for at least 30 minute stretches.
Pay attention to when thoughts of procrastination start to creep into your mind. When you feel tempted to procrastinate, push yourself to spend at least a five more minutes working on the task.
Once you begin focus on what you have done rather than what’s left to do.
Flexible thinking allows
you to think about something in more than one way. It plays a key role in reducing anxiety, as well as not being overwhelmed or stifled by unpredictable circumstances in
your life or workplace.
Inspiration can strike when you least expect it, but that is an inefficient way to develop an idea or approach decision-making and problem solving. Instead, try one of these 7 quick and easy individual brainstorming techniques.
True professionals do not do things just for the sake of appearances. Your commitment and what you do back stage and unwitnessed is garners the respect of others, gives you satisfaction in life, and contributes meaningful value to a project or organization.
There is only so much energy you can muster, and few hours in the day. One of the most serious causes of work stress and unhappiness is failing to keep commitments. Are you making extraneous social or commitments that are affecting your well-being?
With the right sensory technique you will feel a sense of assuredness and always have a rescue tool to relieve stress on the spot. What is your sensory resuce toolbox?
As a professional, you want to get the job done – and done well. You also want to keep advancing and identify opportunities. This easy pen and pencil tool can help you with a plan.
