Your Personal Procrastination Prescription

“What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.”

- Abraham Maslow

A common recipe for failure is the mixture of the right idea with the wrong plan. Recently, I was unable to sleep because of nasal congestion and sneezing.   To find relief I took some cold and flu medicine. The medication did not help, so I visited my doctor.  The doctor told me that I had seasonal allergies; not a cold. He then prescribed a specific remedy based on my situation.  As it turns out, I had the right idea, but the wrong plan. 

Your desire to stop procrastinating on important tasks is the right idea. The fact that you continue in this habit is an indication that you have the wrong plan.  What can be done to put the right plan in place? 

Consider Your Personality
Your personality is a blend of genetic and learned tendencies.   According to modern psychological research, everyone falls into one of four categories: Driver, Sanguine, Analytical or Peacemaker. 

Below is a breakdown of these areas along with a procrastination prescription that is specific to each type:

1. Driver Dan – Dan is the “type A” personality.  He is driven, results focused, confrontational and assertive. Michael Jordan and Donald Trump would be good examples.
   
   Drivers have a tendency to respond to deadlines, so the best way to overcome procrastination would be to make sure you give yourself a firm deadline for completion. 
   
   I am a “type A” personality.  When I have a major writing project, I block off one hour each day using a kitchen timer.  Have a daily deadline forces me to make the most of the time.


2. Sanguine Sally – Sally thrives off of being the center of attention and loves to hear the sound of her own voice.   She lives for the here and now and likes to have fun.  Kim Kardashian and Dennis Rodman come to mind when I think of a Sanguine. 
   
   You will procrastinate most on tasks that you do not perceive to be fun and enjoyable.   Creating a reward system for accomplishing the objective is a way around this.  Treating yourself to a weekend getaway as a reward for finishing that business plan will help you move forward.


3. Analytical Al – Al likes to have all of the facts and details in order before he takes action.  Engineers and accountants tend to have this type of personality.  The movie character “Dr. Emmit Brown” from Back to the Future fits the description. 
   
   Your tendency is to be slow in making decisions when the next steps are not concrete.  Having the plan written out in detail before you proceed will lessen the chance of procrastination. 
   
   If you are writing a book, having the title, chapters and talking points for each chapter written out in advance would be a great way to start.


4. Peacemaker Patricia – Patricia likes to see everyone get along, avoids confrontation and does not want to make waves.  She is agreeable and easy to like.  “Mr. Rogers” of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood would be an example. 
   
   You like doing tasks that are easy for you, and get overwhelmed by those that seem complex. Your natural response to a complicated assignment is to do nothing.
   
   Breaking the task down into specific action steps, and committing to a one step at a time  will make things easier. You must ask yourself:  “What is the next step?” 
   
   If you are writing a business plan, focus all of your initial attention on the first step of creating a vision statement.  Focusing step-by-step will be easier for you than looking at all of the details of the project as a whole.

Procrastination is nothing to take lightly. Having the right prescription based on your personality will help you to break the habit! 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS.  For additional insights that will help you overcome procrastination, download my ebook, One Moment in Time. 

How To Stay Focused When the Journey Is Uncomfortable

“Eric, I scheduled you for an appointment with the eye doctor today.”  This statement from my wife seemed insignificant at the time. Everything changed when the doctor reported that I had a detached retina and that if it was not treated, I risked blindness. 

I had canceled the previously scheduled eye appointments, guilty of the very thing I speak about – procrastination. I don’t look forward to the long wait and uncomfortable eye exam, so it was easy for me to find reasons to put it off. Are there any uncomfortable tasks that you have been putting off that are vital to your success? 

If you procrastinate for too long, it can cost you your vision. Not necessarily your physical eye sight, but your vision as it relates to your goals and dreams. So, how do you stay focused when the journey is uncomfortable?

1. Accountability – My wife is the ultimate accountability partner. If I have a doctor’s appointment, I know that she will remind me about it before- hand, and ask me how it went afterwards. 
   
   Finding a like-minded accountability partner that you have to answer to, will keep you on track. Once you have identified this person, pick a goal that is critical to your ultimate purpose. Then, communicate your goal to your partner and establish follow up timelines. 
   
   Hiring the right business coach can also keep you accountable. One of the biggest challenges with being an entrepreneur is not having a boss to hold your feet to the fire. A good coach can make you aware of patterns of procrastination and provide you with someone to answer to.


2. Association – Make it a habit to have regular fellowship with groups of people that are on the same path as you. My involvement with the National Speakers Association keeps me accountable and helps me stay focused on my goals as a professional speaker. 
   
   If your goal is to grow as an entrepreneur, plug into your industry’s association and commit to attending the meetings. I have found that attending the annual conventions will shorten your learning curve by as much as six months in comparison to not attending. 
   
   Many of these associations form “mastermind groups”. This is a select group of people that meet on a regular basis for the sole purpose of sharing best practices and holding each other accountable. 
   
   The clients that I have worked with report that finding the right mastermind group is a life changing experience.

Having an accountability system and attending regular association meetings will help you to stay focused when the journey is uncomfortable.

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

For additional information on seeing your vision through, read my ebook, One Moment in Time. 

Three Keys to Finding Your Calling

The year was 2002 and I was a District Manager in Corporate America responsible for over 500 employees and 17 locations. My boss called me with some great news. The Vice President of the company wanted to offer me the position of Midwest Regional Manager. I would be responsible for over 5,000 employees in 7 Midwest States. The promotion would include a significant increase in pay and I would be one of the youngest Regional Managers in the history of the company!

I spoke to my colleagues and they advised me to accept the position, and that saying NO would be career suicide. I asked my boss what he thought and he agreed. 

I took everyone’s advice into consideration and said NO to the opportunity. 

On the surface, taking the position seemed like a no brainer, but it failed The Line- up Test because it did not line up with the vision that I had for my life. The single factor that will help you to say NO to the wrong opportunity is clarity of purpose. When you are clear on your life’s purpose, your gut will tell you when you are taking a course of action that does not line up -- even when it seems like a good idea on the surface.

The question becomes:  How do you go about finding your calling? Keep reading and you will discover my three keys to finding your calling:

Pro Bono
This is a Latin phrase for professional work that is done for free. If we lived in a world without money, what would you spend your 5-8 hours doing? Your answer is an indication of your calling. I am sure that Lebron James and Tiger Woods would play their respective sports if there was no money involved. 

Passion
If you could make a difference for anyone or any cause, what would it be? I have observed certain ministers, police officers, and teachers in action. The passion that they demonstrate is a sign that they consider their work a calling and not just a job. 

Personal Abilities
What talent do you possess for which people are always complimenting you? Those compliments are confirmation of the direction that you should pursue. For example, if people in different settings are always complimenting your public speaking ability, joining your local Toastmasters club would be a good next step. Once you enter an environment that allows you to cultivate your gifts, your next steps become clearer.

I am living proof that when you make decisions based on what you believe you are called to do, everything works itself out. Three months after I said no to the promotion, the company went through a restructure and eliminated the job. If I had not listened to my gut, I would have been unemployed.

What would you do pro bono? What you are passionate about? What are your personal abilities? You will find your calling and make your future decision making process much easier once you answer these questions. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. To get additional information on how to discover your calling, download my latest ebook, One Moment in Time.

Motivational Message: What Drives You?

This week I share a short video that will inspire you to find your true purpose and passion in life. Time is best spent doing what you love. 

Sincerely,
Eric Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. My ebook, One Moment in Time, will help you find and focus on your passions. It's is now available for download on my website. 

How to Avoid the Al Bundy Syndrome

In 1987, The Fox network launched a popular sitcom called Married with Children. This was a show about a dysfunctional family of four living in a Chicago suburb led by patriarch Al Bundy. 

Al had an unfulfilling career as a seller of women’s shoes and was always down on his luck. He was constantly disrespected by his wife and kids, and seemed resigned to his fate of being unhappy. A constant theme on the show was Al’s recollection of his high school glory days. 

He was always remembering this time in his life when he was the big man on campus. His favorite story to tell was the one where he scored four touchdowns in one game to help his football team win the state championship. Al spent more time reflecting on the past than he did planning for the future. I call this habit the “Al Bundy Syndrome”. 

Where's your focus? If you spend most of your time dwelling on a past result or relationship, then you are just like Al. Without a plan for the future, you end up with a present reality that leaves you unhappy. So where should your focus be? 

1. Your Passions
How would you spend your time if money was not an issue? If you woke up tomorrow morning with $50 million dollars in the bank and had the luxury of only doing what you loved, how would that change your schedule? 

For example, I am passionate about public speaking. With this in mind, I started to make future plans that gave me opportunities to practice my passion. I joined Toastmasters and taught classes at my local church. The more time I devoted to public speaking, the more doors opened to allow me to speak at a higher level. Using my passion as a starting point allowed me to move from speaking for free to speaking for a fee. 

2. Your Purpose
A member of my church just celebrated his 90th birthday. His sons threw him a surprise party where hundreds of people got together and said all of these great things about him and his life. He then took a moment to speak to everyone and told the audience about the accomplishments that made him most proud. 

Imagine that you can fast forward to your 90th birthday celebration. Who would be there and what would they say about you? What would you tell the audience about your life? Completing this exercise will help you to gain clarity on your life’s purpose. 

Al Bundy lacked a plan for the future, so past glory is all he had left. Even if you are married with children, knowing your passions and purpose will allow you to avoid the Al Bundy Syndrome. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. If you would like more strategies on pursuing your passion, download my ebook, One Moment in Time.