Having had the opportunity to welcome Alex Thomson back to his home town of Gosport I began to wonder just exactly
how he was able to motivate himself to embark on his third attempt? I hope to
interview him one day and find out.
There is so much we can all learn from him.
Below I offer a few tips from an article I wrote some time ago but which I used as the basis for part of my Radio Solent interview on Goal Setting on Monday - motivation is so very vital for the achievement of goals.
Ten Top Tips for Overcoming Procrastination and Developing Motivation by Sue Courtney Procrastination and lack of motivation are the issues most frequently listed as problem areas for many of my coaching clients. Every one of us has found motivation hard to come by at one time or another and we are all guilty of procrastinating on some issues. The secret is to notice your pattern and then identify the reasons. This will enable you to take the most appropriate actions.
There are many types of procrastination and many solutions - can you identify yourself in one of these?
* You don't like the task so you put it off.
* You don't know how to do something - either the whole task or a part of it.
* You can't find the time.
* You don't really want to do what you said you would do.
* You have lost momentum and feel stuck.
* You need time to mull things over.
I offer my top ten tips for dealing with these issues.
1. Be sure it's your goal. Sometimes clients come to me saying that they have written goals and they know what they want to achieve, but they can't be bothered to do anything about it. This suggests that the goal may be wrong for them in some way. It may be that the goal is an 'inherited' goal - parents may have exerted pressure to follow a certain career path such as doctor or teacher, when my client may want to be an artist or writer. Sometimes goals fall into the 'should' category - I 'should' put in for a promotion at work (when you actually want to stay as you are, or leave).
2. Make it manageable. The goal may be the right one, but it is so huge that you may feel intimidated and not know where to start. The goal may actually be in your panic zone, not your stretch zone. In this case, the goal needs chunking down. There are several ways to do this. You could mind map each action you can identify and pick one to start on - maybe the one that seems easiest or most fun. You could mind map the necessary actions, put them in order and make a start on the first one. Alternatively, you could mentally take yourself to the end result - the achievement of your goal - and ask what was the last step you took? If that is still too big a stretch, ask what was the step before that? Keep repeating this until you have identified a step that is still a stretch for you (but you are able to take) and do this.
3. Be clear about the 'why'. "Motivation requires motive" to quote Brian Tracy. When you are clear about the consequences continued procrastination will have on your ultimate success and you understand the positive impact of taking the action over which you are procrastinating, it is easier to take action. Once you truly understand the 'cost' of your inaction on your future success and happiness you will become more motivated to complete the task.
4. Tell yourself that you can do it. Having high self-esteem - liking and respecting yourself - is vital. Procrastination is often the product of self doubt. Constantly tell yourself that you "can do it" - because you can. If you don't think you are up to the task you will feel discouraged and not want to start. Build confidence in your ability to do the job well by learning all you can about the task. Identify the most important skill necessary to complete the task well and become excellent in that skill. Be constantly alert for opportunities to upgrade your skills. Repeatedly tell yourself "I can do it."
5. Develop a sense of urgency. In his book "Eat That Frog", Brian Tracy recommends developing a sense of urgency in everything you do. Take immediate action - it frees up energy that is otherwise used in avoiding taking action or in trying to remember to do it later. He suggests repeating the phrase "Do it now. Do it now. Do it now." In this way you will become an action oriented person, developing, what Brian Tracy calls the 'Momentum Principle of Success'. Put pressure on yourself by working as though you only had one day to complete all your most important tasks before going away for a month. In this way you can become a high-achieving, high-performance personality.
6. Develop self discipline. Develop the habit of successful people and complete tasks whether or not you enjoy them. It is really a matter of integrity. If a task needs to be done and you can't delegate it or pay someone else to do it for you, you just have to grit your teeth and get on with it. Simple as that. As Nike says - "Just do it".
7. Get organised. Procrastination can often be the result of not being clear about where to start the task or of having to keep breaking off to find things. Overcome paralysing procrastination and get more done by having everything you need to hand before you begin. Remember the 6 Ps - Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Be clear about what you want to achieve and what you have to do. Plan it out and gather all the materials, equipment and information you will require then do it one step at a time. Planning saves more time than it takes - so do it.
8. Chunk it down. You wouldn't attempt to eat a whole salami in one go, you would slice it up. In the same way, a big task can seem just as daunting unless you slice it into smaller, more manageable mini-tasks. Focus on a single action that you can take and do that. Then move onto the next one. Massive goals can be achieved by taking one step at a time.
9. Develop the habit of eating your biggest and ugliest frog first. If you make a habit of completing your biggest and most difficult task first, you will free up a lot of energy and enjoy the rest of your day much more. In his book "Eat That Frog", Brian Tracy advises prioritising all your tasks and clearing those that will have the biggest impact on your success (and you would be inclined to procrastinate on) first. It is a simple strategy that is difficult to do because it required determination and organisation. It does work, try it.
10. Procrastinate on the right stuff -choose wisely. Creative procrastination or "masterful inactivity" as I call it, can be an effective strategy to adopt. Know and accept that you can't do everything and learn what you can procrastinate on. Ensure that you complete the big tasks and procrastinate on the less important tasks. My daughter has the right idea - she is a full time teacher, wife and mother and so clearly isn't going to have time to do everything. She completes the tasks for work, makes sure she can do the shopping, meals and other essentials like having time for family and leaves the rest until the holiday, weekend, someone else does it or it no longer needs doing! The Pareto Principle states that 20% of your activities contributes to 80% of value and importance, the other 80% contribute only 20% - so identify the important 20% and procrastinate or delegate the other 80%. Remember that often one item on a list of actions can be worth more than the other nine together - so ensure that you find that one and do it. Basically, your role is to deliberately procrastinate on tasks that are of less importance in order to give yourself more time to work on those that will make a real difference in your life.
I promised you ten tips but, since I like to give value, here are two more.
11. Make your work area a joy to be in. Productive people ensure that completing tasks, working on actions or achieving goals is a pleasant experience by creating a work area that they enjoy spending time in and create a feeling of professionalism. What can you do to make the achievement of your goals or completion of tasks a more enjoyable experience?
12. Change the energy. Move - do anything that will shift the energy. Go for a walk, make a cup of tea, phone a friend for a chat go to another room. Even standing up if you are sitting, will alter how you feel. Eat well, drink plenty of water and get sufficient sleep for your needs.
Finally there are two questions you could ask yourself.
"How soon might be too late?" You can put off taking action until it is too late to be effective. The cemetery is full of people who put off achieving their dreams until it was too late - don't be one of them. Get into action now, to create the life you want.
The other question is
"What are you afraid of?" and only you can answer that one - if you dare!
Copyright © 2010. Sue Courtney - Success & Image Ltd. All rights reserved.
There is so much we can all learn from him.
Below I offer a few tips from an article I wrote some time ago but which I used as the basis for part of my Radio Solent interview on Goal Setting on Monday - motivation is so very vital for the achievement of goals.
Ten Top Tips for Overcoming Procrastination and Developing Motivation by Sue Courtney Procrastination and lack of motivation are the issues most frequently listed as problem areas for many of my coaching clients. Every one of us has found motivation hard to come by at one time or another and we are all guilty of procrastinating on some issues. The secret is to notice your pattern and then identify the reasons. This will enable you to take the most appropriate actions.
There are many types of procrastination and many solutions - can you identify yourself in one of these?
* You don't like the task so you put it off.
* You don't know how to do something - either the whole task or a part of it.
* You can't find the time.
* You don't really want to do what you said you would do.
* You have lost momentum and feel stuck.
* You need time to mull things over.
I offer my top ten tips for dealing with these issues.
1. Be sure it's your goal. Sometimes clients come to me saying that they have written goals and they know what they want to achieve, but they can't be bothered to do anything about it. This suggests that the goal may be wrong for them in some way. It may be that the goal is an 'inherited' goal - parents may have exerted pressure to follow a certain career path such as doctor or teacher, when my client may want to be an artist or writer. Sometimes goals fall into the 'should' category - I 'should' put in for a promotion at work (when you actually want to stay as you are, or leave).
2. Make it manageable. The goal may be the right one, but it is so huge that you may feel intimidated and not know where to start. The goal may actually be in your panic zone, not your stretch zone. In this case, the goal needs chunking down. There are several ways to do this. You could mind map each action you can identify and pick one to start on - maybe the one that seems easiest or most fun. You could mind map the necessary actions, put them in order and make a start on the first one. Alternatively, you could mentally take yourself to the end result - the achievement of your goal - and ask what was the last step you took? If that is still too big a stretch, ask what was the step before that? Keep repeating this until you have identified a step that is still a stretch for you (but you are able to take) and do this.
3. Be clear about the 'why'. "Motivation requires motive" to quote Brian Tracy. When you are clear about the consequences continued procrastination will have on your ultimate success and you understand the positive impact of taking the action over which you are procrastinating, it is easier to take action. Once you truly understand the 'cost' of your inaction on your future success and happiness you will become more motivated to complete the task.
4. Tell yourself that you can do it. Having high self-esteem - liking and respecting yourself - is vital. Procrastination is often the product of self doubt. Constantly tell yourself that you "can do it" - because you can. If you don't think you are up to the task you will feel discouraged and not want to start. Build confidence in your ability to do the job well by learning all you can about the task. Identify the most important skill necessary to complete the task well and become excellent in that skill. Be constantly alert for opportunities to upgrade your skills. Repeatedly tell yourself "I can do it."
5. Develop a sense of urgency. In his book "Eat That Frog", Brian Tracy recommends developing a sense of urgency in everything you do. Take immediate action - it frees up energy that is otherwise used in avoiding taking action or in trying to remember to do it later. He suggests repeating the phrase "Do it now. Do it now. Do it now." In this way you will become an action oriented person, developing, what Brian Tracy calls the 'Momentum Principle of Success'. Put pressure on yourself by working as though you only had one day to complete all your most important tasks before going away for a month. In this way you can become a high-achieving, high-performance personality.
6. Develop self discipline. Develop the habit of successful people and complete tasks whether or not you enjoy them. It is really a matter of integrity. If a task needs to be done and you can't delegate it or pay someone else to do it for you, you just have to grit your teeth and get on with it. Simple as that. As Nike says - "Just do it".
7. Get organised. Procrastination can often be the result of not being clear about where to start the task or of having to keep breaking off to find things. Overcome paralysing procrastination and get more done by having everything you need to hand before you begin. Remember the 6 Ps - Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Be clear about what you want to achieve and what you have to do. Plan it out and gather all the materials, equipment and information you will require then do it one step at a time. Planning saves more time than it takes - so do it.
8. Chunk it down. You wouldn't attempt to eat a whole salami in one go, you would slice it up. In the same way, a big task can seem just as daunting unless you slice it into smaller, more manageable mini-tasks. Focus on a single action that you can take and do that. Then move onto the next one. Massive goals can be achieved by taking one step at a time.
9. Develop the habit of eating your biggest and ugliest frog first. If you make a habit of completing your biggest and most difficult task first, you will free up a lot of energy and enjoy the rest of your day much more. In his book "Eat That Frog", Brian Tracy advises prioritising all your tasks and clearing those that will have the biggest impact on your success (and you would be inclined to procrastinate on) first. It is a simple strategy that is difficult to do because it required determination and organisation. It does work, try it.
10. Procrastinate on the right stuff -choose wisely. Creative procrastination or "masterful inactivity" as I call it, can be an effective strategy to adopt. Know and accept that you can't do everything and learn what you can procrastinate on. Ensure that you complete the big tasks and procrastinate on the less important tasks. My daughter has the right idea - she is a full time teacher, wife and mother and so clearly isn't going to have time to do everything. She completes the tasks for work, makes sure she can do the shopping, meals and other essentials like having time for family and leaves the rest until the holiday, weekend, someone else does it or it no longer needs doing! The Pareto Principle states that 20% of your activities contributes to 80% of value and importance, the other 80% contribute only 20% - so identify the important 20% and procrastinate or delegate the other 80%. Remember that often one item on a list of actions can be worth more than the other nine together - so ensure that you find that one and do it. Basically, your role is to deliberately procrastinate on tasks that are of less importance in order to give yourself more time to work on those that will make a real difference in your life.
I promised you ten tips but, since I like to give value, here are two more.
11. Make your work area a joy to be in. Productive people ensure that completing tasks, working on actions or achieving goals is a pleasant experience by creating a work area that they enjoy spending time in and create a feeling of professionalism. What can you do to make the achievement of your goals or completion of tasks a more enjoyable experience?
12. Change the energy. Move - do anything that will shift the energy. Go for a walk, make a cup of tea, phone a friend for a chat go to another room. Even standing up if you are sitting, will alter how you feel. Eat well, drink plenty of water and get sufficient sleep for your needs.
Finally there are two questions you could ask yourself.
"How soon might be too late?" You can put off taking action until it is too late to be effective. The cemetery is full of people who put off achieving their dreams until it was too late - don't be one of them. Get into action now, to create the life you want.
The other question is
"What are you afraid of?" and only you can answer that one - if you dare!
Copyright © 2010. Sue Courtney - Success & Image Ltd. All rights reserved.
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