How To Conquer Procrastination

Last year I was pointed to a new book that talks about procrastination and getting things done.

It was interesting because it gave insights into how I can hack my procrastination habits and turn them into more intentional practices.

Here is what I came across:

Interestingly, 40% of our behaviour is repeated behaviour and runs in our reptilian brain.

Most of your daily routines (40% of habits) just run on autopilot. 

When you wake up with the alarm, making your bed (or not), eating, driving to the office. They are all set routines ingrained in your behaviour. 

This also includes procrastinating behaviour. Putting off the gym workout or eating more healthy foods. 

Now to change bad behaviour, you got to make the new (good) action that you want to adopt, a routine.

That means that the new behaviour has to become an easy to follow (and fail-proof) system.

This means make it so foolproof that you don't need to think/ overanalyse and it becomes an easy to follow process.

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In business, cold calling? Make it a routine; 

Planning? A routine; Emails, networking, etc., make it a routine.

If you can hack it into a routine, then you cut out the analysis of it and move forward on what you should be doing without overcomplicating it and talking yourself out of it. 

Here is how I apply that knowledge to people I work with:

Most of us (the smart ones anyway) go into analysis paralysis when we need to perform a new habit outside our usual behaviour, which means that we overthink the next steps so much that the new action never kicks in. 

You can see it when you need to interview customers but delay contacting them. 

When you need to call new leads for your business but make excuses not to or when you're supposed to respond to that email to lock in a sales meeting. 

My recommendation, don't overthink about how you will perform the task and focus on what needs doing, then execute. Form a new habit.

Don't get me wrong, thinking has its place but to combat procrastination, you need to find a way to "just do it".

So, in summary, avoid justifying the new behaviour in your head. Because if you do, all your energy will go into figuring out whether you should be doing it rather than implementing and speeding up your success.

Steps on helping you create new habits:

• Make a list

• Start small

• Set routine (helps to put yourself into autopilot)

• Track triggers (what makes you procrastinate)

• Stick with it (every day)

• Motivate yourself (action comes before motivation)

• Simplify the options (Keep it easy, hack the process)

Source: Daniel Kahneman — Thinking fast and slow

Conquer Your Procrastination, 

Flavio Hangarter

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