Overcoming procrastination with Brian Tracy, eat that frog!

Procrastination. We all suffer from it. Why do we do it? And how can we overcome procrastination?

Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash.

What is procrastination?

Procrastination behavior according to Tim Urban

  • Rational decision maker
    This character equates to our ability to think in the long term. This is the person who takes schedules and deadlines into account.
  • Instant Reward Monkey
    This character equates to our desire for instant rewards. Doing things we enjoy makes us produce endorphins and dopamine. This naturally feels better than cleaning or working. This monkey hunts for that yummy feeling nonstop. This causes you to spend hours gaming or watching videos on youtube when you should really be doing other things.
  • Panic Monster
    This character comes to life when the monkey has had a good time and deadlines are getting close. There is time pressure and now you can get busy with the things you need to do. Suddenly you can get more work done in a few hours than you have done in the past few weeks.

Why do we suffer from procrastination?

  • Taking on too much
  • Lack of motivation
  • Perfectionism
  • Fatigue
  • Many distractions

Here are five tips that can help you:

  • Too much hay for you
    Divide the work into smaller tasks. This gives you a clear overview of what you need to do and the threshold is lower. Start immediately with the smallest task and finish it. This will ensure better motivation!
  • Lack of motivation
    This is often because you are thinking negative thoughts linked to the task. Thoughts like “I don’t feel like it” or “I don’t want to do this”. Replace these thoughts with positive ones. Think about how you feel when the task is done. Also think about the fact that you can then do whatever you want!
  • Suffering from perfectionism
    Convince yourself that not everything has to be perfect. This is not possible at all. Everyone makes mistakes, that’s allowed and you learn from it. This also applies to you!
  • Often tired or not fit
    Take better care of yourself. Eat healthy, keep moving and get a good night’s sleep. When you are fitter you will suffer less from health and have better concentration.
  • Lots of distractions
    Very simply, make sure they are not there. Put your phone away and close your email. Lock yourself up completely so no one can disturb you. This sounds very simple and it is, but too often we don’t do it!
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.

Overcoming procrastination

Step 1: Bring your frogs into focus.

  • A-items are the most important tasks, these are your frogs. These tasks produce the most results and have the worst consequences when you don’t do them. If you have several of these prioritize them as A-1, A-2, A-3 etc.
  • B items are tasks that have minor consequences, these are your tadpoles. These tasks are what you should be doing. But the world won’t end if you put it off for a day. You don’t start these tasks until after all the A tasks are finished.
  • C items are tasks that you would like to do but that have no consequences if you don’t do them. You can only start with these after all A and B tasks are done.
  • D items are tasks that you can delegate to someone else. Anything you can delegate you should delegate. This gives you more time to finish your A tasks.
  • E-items are activities that you eliminate. These are tasks that are not necessary and only take up time. The only way to control your own time is to stop doing things that are not necessary.

Step 2: Separate frogs from tadpoles.

Step 3: Start with the most fat and ugly frog

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