You know, quite honestly, I didn’t feel like writing this post today. And there’s a lot of times when I don’t feel like working out; I don’t feel like eating clean; I don’t feel like getting started on a big project with a deadline months and months down the road; I don’t feel like even getting out of bed.
The thing is… if I don’t do those things then where does that leave me? No improvement, no expansion of my comfort zone, no growth, no learning.
That’s not a state that I want to be in.
The “Magic” Phrase
So many of us (myself included) use the words, “I don’t feel like it” or “I’ll do it later” as excuses to avoid the work that needs to be done NOW. We tell ourselves that it will be ok – we can just start later when we feel like it. There’s two problems with this: One, you will probably never feel like it. Two, saying those words (“I don’t feel like it”) literally does absolutely nothing to change your situation. It’s just a “magic” phrase that we use to give ourselves permission to not do what needs to be done. That article will still remain unwritten, that job will still remain undone, that project will still remain uncompleted, those missing reps will eventually be noticed.
You’re putting a halt to your goals, your visions, your dreams, YOUR LIFE. That’s absurd! I have the same annoyance with hitting the snooze button because what we’re doing is telling our subconscious mind that we don’t want to live our life. That we would rather stay in bed and do nothing all day – how sad is that?!
Now I’m not saying this to attack anyone, but we are in serious need of an elevation of consciousness- everyday we should wake up ready to be full of love, joy, and life. We should not be dreading the thought of having to start our day, pursue our dreams, or do the work that needs to be done.
Now is the time to take action. Now is the time to pursue your dreams. Now is the time to get in the best health of your life. Now is the time to go after that relationship you want. Now is the time to start building your business. Now is the time to go experience the world. Make no excuses. The only time there is, is now.
Please remove this magic phrase from your vocabulary. It’s not doing you any good.
The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals
I recently read the article by James Clear, “What Makes The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals” and a lot of what he says relates to this topic of procrastination. He says, “It doesn’t matter what you are trying to become better at, if you only do the work when you’re motivated, then you’ll never become consistent enough to become a professional.”
If you want something in life, it doesn’t matter if your sick, tired, scared, or feeling unprepared – your ability to show up everyday and just make some progress even when you don’t feel like it is literally all that you need to become better and achieve remarkable results.
It’s simple. You do the work. You manifest your dreams and get to see the results.
But for many of us, this is a daunting task.
The Pain Of Getting Started
No matter what the task, the hardest thing to do in the world is getting started. Everyday, we have blank template to work from; as a writer, I have a blank google doc to work from, as a student, you may have a blank study guide to work from, as a salesman, you have a blank list of contacts you need to create to form your network.
It sucks.
Nobody wants to start from scratch. But that’s what we are given. And if we don’t decide to do the work, consistently, even when we are lacking the motivation, even when it’s not that exciting, then we will never see the results that we desire.
People who achieve their wildest dreams show up every single day. People who live ordinary, unexciting lives show up when they feel like it. Don’t be like the rest – start showing up for your dreams and your future RIGHT NOW.
How To Overcome Procrastination
Becoming a pro, overcoming procrastination, and getting yourself to do the things you don’t feel like doing is painful, but with consistent practice, anything is possible. Here’s some tools for you to use to overcome your old habits.
1. Write down your why. NOW.
Purpose is everything. If you don’t know exactly where you want to end up, you will never get there. No matter how hard you work your bum off, if there is no destination in mind, you will get to a place called “nowhere”. You can read more about this in my post, How Visualization Will Lead You To Success.
Coming up with your WHY is not an easy task. And for most people, it will not come out easy. When you say your WHY out loud, it should be full of emotion and you should be on the brink of breakdown (ok, maybe not that dramatic but it should be powerful and loaded with feelings).
A good exercise I learned while reading Millionaire Success Habits, by Dean Graziosi was the 7 levels deep exercise. What you do is grab a partner that is positive, optimistic, and supports you with your goals, and have them ask you WHY you want what it is that you want. You’ll tell them a pretty good response – they will repeat it back to you, and ask WHY it is that you want your first WHY. You again respond and then your partner will repeat back to you your first why and explain you want that why because of your second why and then ask why you want your second why, and you will continue this until you get seven WHY’s deep. That’s the magic number. That’s when you find the truth and when real, raw emotion gets shown.
You don’t need a partner to do this exercise, however, the results will be so much powerful if you do. So seriously. Right now. Stop reading this post. Go and write down you why.
2. Rewrite your story
What makes maintaining a new habit incredibly difficult? It’s the constant repetition of our old stories being played in the back of our mind every single second of every single day. If you think you’re a bad speaker, your thoughts and actions will be aligned with that; if you think you’re a procrastinator, your thoughts and actions will be aligned with those of a procrastinator. If you want to make any change, you need to first change the thoughts in your subconscious mind to support the new behavior that you are trying to incorporate. You do this by re-writing your story.
Here’s what I want you to do:
Find an old photo of you that really just makes you cringe. Print it out or copy and paste it into the notes on your phone. Now write down all of the attributes, characteristics, feelings, thoughts, actions that this person does. Don’t go easy on yourself. Make it ugly. When your finished, give that character a name.
Now, find one of your best photos of yourself. One that makes you smile, or one that shows your confidence – anything that is full of vibrancy and life. Print it out or put it in the notes on your phone. Now write down all of the attributes that your best self has. Write down all of the things this person dreams to be and the steps they are taking to get there. Write down all of the attributes, characteristics, feelings, thoughts, actions, and emotions that this person has on a daily basis. Describe this person as the person you wish to become, however, write it down in a way that sounds like you have already achieved it. Then give them a name. Here’s a look at what I wrote in my notes for this exercise.
Now, you have your new story. At minimum, read it once in the morning and once at night. If I were you, I would write it down 1,000 times, post it on your bathroom mirror, next to your bed, in your car, on the refrigerator, everywhere – that way you will remind your subconscious of who it is you want to become. It may be silly at first saying all these things about you that you don’t believe to be true. See what you believe 28 days from now. This could transform your whole world.
Let me pause here and let you soak in these first two steps. I want you to understand just how powerful and absolutely necessary these two exercises are to overcome procrastination and achieve any level of success in any endeavor.
The other day I was listening to the Ed Mylett Show and he was on the topic of why having a vision and a WHY is just so important. Something he said really stuck with me: He said that when we stop doing the work, when we stop showing up every day, we won’t notice the effect right away. In fact, the negative effect won’t be noticed for 60-90 days! On the other hand, if you do show up every single day, the positive effects can take 6 months to a year to 5 years to show up! That’s why consistent progress is so crucial. It takes time for benefits to come into fruition. You have to pay your success tax before you achieve your success.
3. The Five Second Rule
Here’s a technique that I’ve been practicing a lot with getting up out of bed early – it translates to any kind of procrastination as well. I picked up this simple technique from Mel Robbins:
Whenever you “don’t feel like it” or whenever you feel resistance to starting a task, give yourself a countdown from five to zero. And then literally picture that you are a rocket ship that is going to take off in five seconds. You count down, and as soon as you hit zero you get up, get out of bed, you do your work, you move move move. There’s actually a ton of research out there that shows we have about five seconds before we successfully talk ourselves out of a task. Don’t let your mind hold you from your own greatness. Try this one out.
4. Give Yourself Permission To Do Imperfect Work
A lot of time we don’t feel like starting because we are afraid we aren’t going to produce our best work – or in other words, we feel like we are going to create a piece of crap. I’ve got news for you – your first *anything* will be crap. Your first YouTube video will be crap, your first draft of an essay will be crap, your first blog will be crap, your first attempt at sales will be crap – but you can’t do your 50th, or your 500th if you don’t do your first. Start now. Give yourself permission to produce something that isn’t your best. Then improve it. Go. Start. NOW.
5. Train Your Mindset of “One More”
Another technique I picked up from The Ed Mylett Show – always do one more of everything that you do. You have to make 25 phone calls today, make 26. You have 10 reps of an exercise in 5 rounds, do 11 reps your final round. You have 500 words to type today, type 600. You have 50 pages to read in a book, read 51. Sure, it’s no fun in the beginning but soon you’ll find it easy to do those “I don’t feel like it tasks”. Not only that, but you’ll be training and priming your subconscious mind to know that you deserve to win. You have been doing more than everyone else. You have been working harder, training harder, and learning more. You deserve to win. Once you actually believe that you deserve to win, that’s when you start to see real results.
Remember, You Are Not Alone
Whether overcoming procrastination or trying to become a pro – it’s hard freaking work. But we can get there, together. This website is home to a growing community of committed individuals who want to be more, see more, and do more all while living with topnotch health. We are all looking to improve and I want to help you however I can on your own journey.
What areas of your life do you find yourself “not feeling like it”? What do you want to become a pro at? Let me know in the comments and do me a favor and share this with your friends! Let’s grow this awesome tribe!
If you’re interested in going paleo, I wrote a tutorial that will explain everything and help you get started right now. In college? I’ve got a super detailed guide on how to maintain your diet and find the resources you need to stay healthy ! Have any questions about anything? I’m happy to help!
