The Best Remedy For Procrastination

A man walking down the street notices a family of three and their dog sitting on the porch. The dog is whining, whimpering, and groaning.

“Why is your dog acting this way?” asks the man. “He is lying on a nail," they replied. 

With a puzzled look on his face, the man asks, “Well why doesn’t he just get up?” 

“Because it’s not hurting badly enough,” they replied.

How bad does it have to hurt before you get off of the nail? Most change is delayed until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of moving forward. 

This is why I believe that pain is the best remedy for procrastination. So, how can you use pain as a motivating force? Keep reading and you will learn two strategies that will get you moving. 

Make Your Goal Public
Find like minded individuals to whom you can publicly communicate your goals. Be sure to let them know the specific goal and when it will be accomplished. Knowing that you will have to report on your progress can be a motivating factor. The potential public embarrassment that you will experience as a result of not following through can give you the necessary incentive achieve the goals. 

For example, I have an accountability “buddy” that I speak with on a monthly basis. Every month, we agree on specific actions that we will have accomplished by the next phone call. The potential pain of not meeting my commitment drives me to do what I said. 

Implement a Penalty System
I know of a business owner who really values a good night sleep. If he fails to follow through on completing a writing assignment, he penalizes himself by waking up an hour earlier until he gets it done. The pain associated with cutting into his sleep time pushes him to complete his writing on time. 

A monetary penalty is a great source of pain. I recommend setting up a Procrastination Jar to which you will contribute when you fail to meet a deadline.  Take those contributions and donate them to a local charity each month.  Paying $20 that you won't see again to your jar for failing to get your business plan written will make you think twice about future delay. 

So there you have it. Making your goal public and instituting a penalty system will get you moving in the direction of your dream by allowing you to accomplish your goals. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. To get additional information on the reasons that you procrastinate, 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.

Your 2-Minute Offense

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

- Cyril Parkinson

I am a fan of the National Football League. For me, the most intriguing aspect of the game is the 2-minute offense. When time is running out and a team is losing, they implement this” hurry up” offense in an attempt to catch up. There was one game in particular that comes to mind as a good example of this strategy. 

The Washington Redskins were playing the New Orleans Saints. Through the first three quarters, the Redskins were winning every phase of the game. The Saints struggled to move the ball and score points. 

Suddenly, in the 4th quarter with about eight minutes left, the Saints implemented the 2-minute offense. They scored more points in the last eight minutes than they did in the other three quarters combined! Why didn’t the Saints just run this offense the entire game? 

This reminds me of some of the executives that I have worked with that get more done the week before they go on vacation than they did in the previous three weeks of the month. Or the clerks at the local retail store that are able to check out more customers in the last 30 minutes before closing than they did the previous three hours. 

Or the college student that is able to get more accomplished on his term paper the week it's due than he did the entire semester. These three examples each have one thing in common -- improved productivity resulting from an urgent deadline. Is it possible to have the same level of focus on a project or task without the existence of a pending deadline? 

Important But NOT Urgent
The first key to maintaining the right level of focus on an important project is to begin BEFORE it becomes urgent. Author Stephen Covey breaks down time management into four quadrants:

1. Important and urgent
2. Important but not urgent
3. Not important and urgent
4. Not important and not urgent

If the college student started the term paper at the beginning of the semester, it would be a Quadrant 2 activity because it is important, but not due until the end of the term. Waiting until the last minute makes it a Quadrant 1 activity. Resolve to identify and complete your important projects before they become urgent. 

Time Block
Once you have identified the important project, the next step is to create the urgency. This can be done by scheduling specific blocks of time for completion. Using a timer to give yourself a deadline. For example, when I write my blog, I set my timer for 30 minutes. When the alarm buzzes, I have to stop whether I am finished or not. Having a deadline forces me to make the best use of the time that I have. I eliminate all outside distractions and only focus on the task at hand. Writing my blog is important, and blocking out the time allows me to finish well before it becomes urgent.

Some of the good football teams run the 2-minute offense early in the game when they are ahead on the scoreboard. If you commit to identifying your Quadrant 2 activities, and blocking out time for completion, you will have successfully implemented your own 2-minute offense! 

Sincerely,
Eric M Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner
 

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. 

What Drives You?

I thought that I had the right focus, but I was wrong. After graduating from college, my ultimate goal was to make as much money as possible. Seven years after graduation, I had achieved my objective. 

I was a 29 year old Silver BMW driving executive of a national automotive service chain, with 500 employees that reported to me. We had just won an award for having the most profitable District in the entire organization. I had made it to the top of the corporate ladder. 

One morning while driving my BMW, I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the rear view mirror. The person that I saw looking back at me was someone that dreaded the idea of going into the office! 

How could this be? I was making more money at age 29 than my father ever made, and I had the car to prove it. Suddenly, I remembered the following quote from the Author Michael Josephson: “It’s not what you drive, it’s what drives you!” 

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you dread the idea of going to your job or business each morning? Unfortunately, many people that I know are simply “going through the motions”. This lack of passion is a root cause of procrastination. The following test can help you determine if you are procrastinating because of a lack of passion for what you are doing:

Snooze Button Test
In the morning, if you find yourself hitting the SNOOZE button on your alarm clock at least two times before waking, you are not positioned in your passion. Hitting snooze, is your way of procrastinating because you are not looking forward to starting the day. 

Think about it, if you knew that you were about to do something that you were born to do, you would not delay getting started. This snooze button test can help you to determine if you are in the right business or line of work. 

The question becomes, how do you determine what drives you so that you are not failing the snooze button test? Keep reading and you learn the three questions that will help you clarify your passions: 

The Three Questions

1. What are you passionate about?

2. What does success mean to you?

3. If you could make a difference for anyone or any cause, what would that difference be? 

Answering these questions made me realize that I felt the most passion when I was helping business executives and delivering speeches. Since I have come to his realization, doors have opened for me to do what I love. Today, I never have a morning where I dread the idea of doing what I do.

So there you have it. Whether you drive a Hummer or a “Hooptie”, asking yourself the three questions will help you to pass the snooze button test and drive you away from procrastination! 

What drives you? 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

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