A Bit At A Time

This site is a compilation of my personal notes of seminars, lectures or workshops I've attended, books or articles I've read or audio books I've listened to. It also stores my reflections of my journeys, on roads less travelled and otherwise. This site is for busy people who don't have time but want to change themselves for the better. How? By progressing a bit at a time.

'Where do I begin?' you may ask. You can start by looking through the categories on the right and see which area you feel would benefit you most first.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Stop Procrastinating I

Why Procrastinate?

  • Fear of Failure - Rejection
  • Fear of Success - New commitments?
  • Childhood experiences
  • Inertia - taking the first step
  • Task is too BIG

Overcoming Resistance - Some Techniques

  • Visualisation - poking finger thru tissue paper barrier - visualise and START!
  • Words - Apply the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair - Think of the words and START!
  • There is NO difficult tasks.. only Challenging ones!
  • Make a half-baked start - if you wonder where to start, just start anywhere, as long as you START!

Stop Kidding Yourself

  • Denial of Reality
  • Rationalization
  • Living in the 'Land of Tomorrows'
  • Blaming External Factors
  • Displacement of 'Aggression' - channeling of aggression from source to scapegoats
  • Reaction Formation - Wishes something in unconscious level, then converts into opposite at conscious level
  • Narcissism
  • ~ Excessive preoccupation with self
  • ~ Slow poke
  • ~ Still combing Hair
  • ~ Change clothes for the 3rd time
  • ~ Hasn't left house yet
  • Identifying with the wrong person
  • ~ ok if person has positive traits
  • ~ NOT OK if person has negative traits.. especially PROCRASTINATION

Subduing an inferiority complex (that might lead to procrastination due to lack of self-confidence)

  • Get rid of invisible audience or critics - just do it!
  • Don't minimise your good points
  • Don't maximise your shortcomings
  • Your negative personal constructs are not in reality, they're just in your head
  • Don't be afraid to change, step out of the comfort zone!
  • Give yourself a pep talk. Stay Focused! write on a mirror to yourself
  • Don't be afraid to make mistakes, don't be overcome by perfectionism

Breaking out of Procrastination

  • Make a habit analysis on how you tend to procrastinate on what kind of tasks
  • Tackle the procrastinated tasks that are easiest first
  • Brainstorm solutions on each type of procrastinated task
  • Reward yourself by doing a task you least likely would procrastinate(watch TV) for having done a task you would most likely procrastinate (study, do assignment)
  • Specify a responsible behaviour in terms of well-defined task, not in terms of time (e.g. to study 1 chapter of maths, NOT to study maths for 1 hour - this will take forever)
  • Define task clearly in both limited and concrete way (e.g. to study 4 pages in chapter 5 of Physics, NOT to study more)
  • Make a behavioural contract in writing between adult self and child self (adult: If I study 4 pages of Physics, child: I can watch TV later without guilt)
  • Reward yourself after that
  • Alternate between High-Probability behaviour and Low-Probability behaviour - Premack's Principle
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