Monthly Archives: November 2019

Psalms and Procrastination – Chapter 1

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Let’s leverage the Bible and it’s teachings to overcome procrastination.  Much can be learned from scripture. Here’s a look at Psalms (Tehilim) ch 1, v 2 & 3.

V2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

V3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

It’s about vicarious victories. That is, sometimes, many times, modeling after other people that have been successful at what we ourselves want to achieve is a great way to push ourselves to achieve, to succeed. To overcome obstacles.

It’s also about hanging around with the right people. The beginning of the chapter, and of the book of Psalms by the way, the very first verse, talks about how the happy one is the one that does not find themselves in the company of the evil, or at least of negative people, of bad role models.

The second, tells us to seek positive role models. And Who of course is the most positive of all role models? It is none other than God Him/Herself!

Verse 3 is very telling as well. It’s about the fruits of our actions. The one who models themselves after successful people, and in this case God, will find themselves as if they are planted along the river side. Just like a tree takes its sustenance, its energy, its power, from the flowing waters of the river. And those flowing waters, and that successful self placement, are what allow the tree, and what allow us to grow  and to bring the fruit in its time.

That’s a very important point. To overcome fear, low self confidence, impulsivity, all underlying causes of procrastination, keep in mind that the fruits will come in the right time, if you put yourself in the right situation, and use the right Role Model.

Focus

Here are 10 More Great Ways to Focus on One Thing at a Time

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  1. Treat a task as an opportunity to excel and not as a burden. If you keep complaining about your work, you will not be able to focus, and eventually you will give up and the rest of the work for others to finish.
  2. Meditate! This helps you concentrate on things more and develop a calmer approach when it comes to dealing with a difficult task. This will improve your concentration “muscles” and will replenish your mind with the right attitude and drive to work harder.
  3. Breathe before your start your work. Breathe calmly and properly – this will encourage your mind to relax and take things one stride at a time. If you come to think of it, breathing becomes forceful, shallow and fast if you feel rushed and if you lack concentration.
  4. Create a normal and steady flow of things. This means that you need to plan and follow your plans by the book. This will keep you from stirring away from what you need to do, thus making your work effectively and efficiently.
  5. Get plenty of sleep. If your body is well rested, so will your mind be. A well rested mind and body leads to a better attitude towards work. Lack of sleep can make you impatient and in a hurry to finish things which will lead to poor quality of work.
  6. Learn how to wait. Take your time and understand that not all things can be done in a snap. Results can or may take time to reflect, so you have to make sure that you wait it out as patiently as possible. Anticipating results is can also keep you from concentrating on what you really have to do.
  7. De-clutter your surroundings. It is not just your mind that you need to organize. You also need a more organized work place – imagine trying to get things done but you keep getting held back by the clutter in your office. A clean work area can help you focus on your work more.
  8. Find a buddy who can help you get back into focus every time you get distracted. Distractions are unavoidable at times, and it would be best to have someone to keep you in synch with your goals. Find a member of your team that you can really trust.
  9. Read your emails before you start your work. If you do this right in the middle of your work, you will obviously get distracted. The lack of focus will deter you from completing even a single task.
  10. Do not be scared to handle one task. Do you know the reason why people handle too many things at the same time? Aside from the fact that multi tasking can help show how productive a person is, it’s also because some people are scared of failing altogether. But you know, if you handle and focus on just one task, it will help you do your best and your undivided attention can almost guarantee that your chances of succeeding will be extremely high.

Finding your focus is never easy, that is if you do not have the right attitude and mindset. However, if you put your mind to it, you will be able to completely focus on the important things first before jumping on to the next one.

Costs of Procrastination

Procrastination Comes with a Cost

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Be honest – are you one of those people who puts things off? It’s ok – we all do it. It’s human nature. “Why do something today when you can do it tomorrow,” or so the saying goes. But procrastination (to give it it’s “proper” name) can cost us more than we can imagine.

Why do we procrastinate? In general, we procrastinate because the task we are putting off is unpleasant in some way. Either we don’t like doing it (like making that phone call…), or there is some physical discomfort (like going to the dentist). The task may even be boring and monotonous, or just plain difficult. Its about avoiding some sort of stress, be it fear, anxiety, low self-confidence and the like.

But the effects of procrastination, the costs, can run deeper than just not doing the task. Other problems it may cause are:

Being branded as lazy: When people notice that you haven’t completed particular tasks, you can be branded as a lazy person. Not only can this affect your job or personal life (promotions and the like), but it may mean the tasks you really want to do are offered to someone else who is considered more reliable!

Creates clutter: Many unfinished tasks can leave a lot of clutter around – books, papers or other items that are needed to perform the job.

Bad for morale: There is nothing worse than knowing you have a job you need to do, and knowing at the end of the day that the job wasn’t done. It can make you feel down, and even preoccupy your mind while you’re trying to concentrate on other things.

You have no leeway: When you put something off, jobs accumulate. This means if an urgent task suddenly comes in, you have no leeway to drop everything and work on it – there are too many other outstanding things that need doing.

The task becomes more unpleasant: The job itself may not change by putting it off, but the feeling in our mind of how unpleasant we think the job will be grows. We think about how we have to explain not doing the job to other people, and the whole situation feeds on itself and becomes ugly.

Now to be fair, sometimes procrastinating isn’t a conscious action. Particular jobs just never seem to get done, even though you never consciously decided not to do them. But at other times you do make the decision not to do the job at the moment, and just put it off.

But you can save yourself a lot of mental clutter, and perhaps even more discomfort later on, if you just adopt a “do it now” attitude. Decide that you’re just going to get the job out of the way when it comes it, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. By doing the job straight away, often you will realize that the discomfort you associated with the task was simply your mind feeding on itself as you were putting it off. And the sense of relief you get from finishing the task is well worth it.

So, now you know about procrastination you have to ask yourself the question – “what am I going to do about it?” Hopefully you will decide to banish procrastination from your life, and reap the rewards of that decision!

Stay Focused

10 More Ways to Focus on One Thing at a Time

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Focusing on one task at a time can help you get more things done, compared to multitasking that can divide your attention and in the end you will be doing less than what you are supposed or expected to produce.

Here are 10 more ways to stay focused:

  1. Accomplish small tasks first. This will give you enough time to do the rest of your tasks without worrying about the minor ones that could disrupt your normal work routine or pattern.
  2. Never ever start a new project for your business, unless you are completely sure that the previous one is done. Remember that you should also not think about the remainder of your tasks or taking additional workload that can affect your concentration and productivity.
  3. Flexibility is key. Do not force yourself to complete one task if you know that you do not have enough resources to do so. Doing a task haphazardly results to poor quality of work. What you need to do is to try doing as much as you can, and leave the remainder of work for tomorrow, until everything gets done.
  4. Stop procrastinating and start working! If you stop making excuses why you were not able to finish your tasks on time, it means that you have the wrong attitude towards work. Instead of making excuses and blaming others, why not focus and start working on one task at a time.
  5. Learn to delegate other tasks. While it is important to be efficient, it is also important that show effective management and work focus through assigning or delegating tasks to other members of your team. Note that handling everything on your will ensure that you won’t get anything done. Now, if you learn how to properly delegate work, you will see that each employee or person will learn how to focus on one thing and be productive at the same time, including you.
  6. Beat laziness. If you are lazy, even if you are doing just one task – to market your business online, you will never get anything done. Stop being a sloth and move quickly but accurately.
  7. Keep yourself from feeling rushed or always in a hurry. If all you can think about is break time, as well as the end of your work day – you will not be able to concentrate on your task. Do not rush, take your time and find a comfortable work pace.
  8. Avoid information overload. If you keep stuffing your brain with too much information that you may not be able to make use of, the chances of confusion and distraction is extremely high. Deal with data or information the same way when you eat at a new restaurant. Trying each dish one at a time to completely savor or taste every flavor for better appreciation.
  9. Do not force things to happen. Face it, if the only thing that you can think of is to get the job done the soonest time possible, you are forcing a result out of your chosen task. Let things fall in to place by focusing on one aspect of your campaign at a time – completion of your task is just within reach.
  10. Be one with your work – this means that both your mind and your body should be really into the project that you need to complete. If you are not grounded, your attention will be divided, your mind and body will not work together.

Finding your focus is never easy, that is if you do not have the right attitude and mindset. However, if you put your mind to it, you will be able to completely focus on the important things first before jumping on to the next one.

Win

Simple Steps To Beat Procrastination

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One of the better means that can be employed to beat procrastination is being aware of how to manage time in the best and most effective manner and though procrastination is a very common occurrence in our lives, there is still a need to overcome procrastination so that many of the adverse consequences of procrastinating do not end up spoiling your life. Thus, any help you can get cure your procrastination would be welcome and so there is a need to look at some of these steps that can do the trick for you.

A very simple step you can take in order to beat procrastination is to do the task that you consider is the worst at the top of all your other tasks. The advantage of taking this option is that much like swallowing a frog, once you get that into your system the rest of the tasks will pass off much better and will be easier to do. A second step that you can take if you want to cure procrastination is to break down tasks into easily manageable smaller tasks, Remember, the best way to climb a mountain is to take one step at a time. The wisdom of breaking down tasks into smaller tasks will make more sense to you and thus prove an effective remedy to procrastination.

Those putting off exceptionally difficult tasks can learn how to overcome procrastination by thinking of the task in small pieces rather than a large problem. Think back to other projects that were completed and relate them to the existing one. To help learn how to overcome procrastination avoid planning long projects, start with ones that can be done in five or ten minutes and do not stop until the either the time expires of the job is complete. Either way it will be a positive step in the right direction.
You can also beat procrastination by delegating work to others including friends, and once you get a task begun, the rest of the task becomes easier to perform and in the same vein you can also try and do parts of a particular task that is more pleasing to do first and then do the rest of the task later. That way, the unpleasant tasks don’t seem so unpleasant and you will have taken a step forward which often is the hardest part about doing your work on time.

Another useful method that can be employed at conquering procrastination is taking just fifteen minutes on every task that needs to be performed in which time you can get the task moved ahead and then a momentum can be built that will make the rest of the task easier to complete. Other steps that you can take to beat procrastination include tracking your goals and trying your best to keep the tasks moving ahead, and best of all you should have a system of reward and punishment for tasks completed on time and those have remained unfinished respectively. The best part of procrastination is that it is something that is not permanent and though you may be successful, procrastination can still affect you, and remember that with some of these simple tips, you can easily beat procrastination.

Focus

10 Great Ways to Focus on One Thing at a Time

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Focusing on one task at a time can help you get more things done, compared to multitasking that can divide your attention and in the end you will be doing less than what you are supposed or expected to produce.
Now, if you want to be more productive, there are at least 30 ways to practice single tasking – that is focusing on one task at a time.

  1. Concentrate and turn off everything that can distract you from completing your task. This includes your mobile phones, contact with people as well as locking your doors until you get your project done.
  2. Give yourself a target and a time frame – this will ensure that you are in synch with your schedule. If you are on the right track, you will notice that work gets finished easily and on time.
  3. Stop dilly-dallying and work! More often than not, interruption or lack of concentration doesn’t come from external factors. These distractions come from you. Convince yourself that it is a must that you complete your task and that you should avoid doing or getting into something that can keep you from single tasking.
  4. Post-its are great reminders. If you have a bunch of sticky notes lying around your office, try writing some motivating quotes to keep you focused on one task before moving on to the next. Especially if you are working in front of your computer, stick those notes on your monitor to keep you motivated.
  5. Since multi tasking doesn’t leave you room to relax, single tasking can give you enough opportunity to stop for breaks. So to take advantage of this privilege, take 10 minute breaks once in a while to refresh your mind and relax your body.
  6. Create a vision – of what you would want to accomplish at the end of each task. If you want to succeed in your online marketing business, envision that all your hard work has paid off and that you have gained more online followers and loyal customers and the results will not be far off from what you have planned to achieve.
  7. Prepare yourself emotionally. Psych yourself and focus on the task at hand. Just think about the positive results that working on single task can do for your business and your online marketing campaign.
  8. Use technology and make it work to your advantage. Since you are in the online marketing business, make use of your tech-skills and come up with a single campaign to promote your business, products and services online.
  9. Block out your schedule. Take note of what your project needs and how long it should take you to complete it. Set definite schedules for each part of your task and surely you will find it easier to accomplish.
  10. Start fresh every day. And because you are single tasking – which means that you are focusing and doing one task at a time, you will have more room to take breaks and start fresh come every work day. Since you do not feel tired, you be refreshed and ready to face a new day.

Finding your focus is never easy, that is if you do not have the right attitude and mindset. However, if you put your mind to it, you will be able to completely focus on the important things first before jumping on to the next one.

Mindfulness

The Importance of Developing Mental Clarity

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Sometimes new ideas or opportunities can come at you in warp speed. That’s because we live life in the fast lane and that’s not likely to change. But it does mean that you have to be ready to grab the chances that come your way.

Life is not a yes or no experience. It’s more multiple choice. You won’t be presented with simply one choice or one route to take in life. Instead, you’ll get hundreds of choices that come your way every day of your life.

These choices that you make will decide whether you experience success or suffer through a setback. Sometimes we make choices based on what we’re focusing all of our mental energy on.

We can become so focused on accomplishing something a certain way or before a certain time that we close our mind off to any other options. This means a different opportunity – a better one – can get overlooked.

You should always take the time to develop mental clarity about every move that you make in life. Don’t allow yourself to be led by your emotions and don’t make snap decisions.

If you’re presented with an opportunity that requires immediate action, you’ll want to be careful that if you take this action, it keeps you on the track you want to be on.

Some opportunities really are a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and if you travel toward them, you’ll get success. But others only have an empty journey that takes us farther away from what we intended on doing.

Check every idea and every opportunity to be sure that it lines up with your plan – that you don’t have to lower your morals or change who you are to grasp the chance.

It’s better to remain true to who you are and the vision that you have for your life than to be misled by too good to be true opportunities that can affect what you really want.

This is why it’s important to have goals. Goals can help give you clarity when things become less clear to you. You can check every opportunity that arises against your goals.

Every opportunity that you take should bring you closer to your overall end result. If it doesn’t, then it could be a wasted experience. Having mental clarity can help you get in touch with your inner self and quiet the clamor that comes with a busy life.

It can let you see whether or not you’re engaging in peak performance in how you’re managing all areas of your life. Clarity comes from being mindful. Practice making thoughtful decisions and get in the habit of living life from a clear perspective.

Time Management

Just What Is Time Management?

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Forget all the complicated and sometimes confusing definitions you’ve heard in the past. Time management is actually very simple. It is the way you choose to spend your time.

Whether you realize it or not, you already do engage the process of time management. You simply can’t help it. If you are living and breathing, and make any move to do anything, you are applying a process in time management. In short, you are choosing what to do with your time.

What this means is that there is good time management and bad time management. When you choose to engage in productive or good time management, you are organizing the tasks or actions you want to accomplish into a logical and cohesive progression that will allow you to complete each and every task within an equitable time frame. At its best, this type of time management does not create stress or drive up your blood pressure. Instead, it actually makes the day run smoother, and empowers you a little more each time you can strike one action item off your list.

Good time management is a proactive process. You define what must be done within a given period of time, prioritize those action items and then develop a plan of action that will make it possible to successfully accomplish each one within the time allotted. With your plan laid out, you then take the initiative to start at the beginning and keep going until everything on your list is done.

By contrast, bad time management does not make the day pleasant at all. You are much more likely to feel constantly stressed out, as action items appear as if from nowhere. People are constantly demanding to know what a report was not completed or why there is no food in the cupboard.

Bad time management leaves you feeling powerless to do anything to improve the situation. The hopeless feeling continues to grow until you more or less shut down, deciding that those action items weren’t that important anyway. You put yourself into a state where you basically move through the day, never quite getting a handle on what is going on and only accomplishing something when pressured by outside forces to do so. At the end of the day, there are still many action items left to accomplish, leaving you a general feeling of having failed.

If you are still reading, then there is a good chance that you recognize a bit of yourself in both these scenarios. Most of us do tend to engage in both good and bad time management from time to time. The goal will be to rethink the way we apply time management principles so that we are exercising good time management more of the time and finding ourselves bogged down due to bad time management much less often.