Punch Procrastination In The Face!
5 FAIL PROOF Steps To Get SH T Done!
[0:00:00] In today’s video, gents, we’re talking
about how to get [bleeping sound] done, five tips to punch procrastination right in the
face.
[Music] Step number one to stop procrastinating, get
help.
Bring in somebody else, have somebody hold you accountable.
When we’re just accountable to ourselves, it is very easy to find justification of why
we put something off, of why we don’t do what we need to do.
But, when you bring somebody else in, you’ve got to explain to them.
And this could be something very simple just maybe announce it on Facebook, have someone
hold you accountable there.
You could actually give somebody a call.
You can actually work with somebody.
I like to run sprints and this is where I’ll be on Skype at the same time with somebody
else.
They’ll know what I need to get done and I know what they need to get done and we just
simply are working even though we’re on separate parts of the world holding each other
accountable.
Now, there are some apps and automated ways to do this.
I like the human element especially with somebody I don’t know really well.
When it comes to family, when it comes to close friends, when it comes to myself, I
find that I can find an excuse and they’re going to let me off the hook.
When it’s somebody I don’t know really well or a work colleague, they’re more likely
to hold me accountable.
Next up, eliminate the roadblocks before you get started.
Example, you want to go running early in the morning, but you wake up at 5:00 AM and it
is cold in your house.
You do not want to get out of bed.
Right there, you don’t get out of bed, you don’t get done what you want to get done.
Now, I have to admit, this is my roadblocks.
The way I get pass this, I have my gym clothing underneath the covers at the base of my bed.
So, I can reach down there I could grab – I don’t even have to get out from underneath
my covers, I stay warm I get dressed and I jump out of my bed already dressed ready to
go on that run.
Now, I know a lot of you guys are procrastinating when it comes to picking up skills.
You want to become better at business, you want to learn how to invest, you want to be
able to go out there and become better at design become a better photographer.
So, in the case of picking up a new skill, you want to get rid of all of the barriers
the information overload the bad teachers, you want to find a course that’s reputable
something that you can go right through that’s carefully curated.
And, guys, that’s why I recommend today’s sponsor Skillshare, over 27,000 courses.
If you want a course in design, illustration, business, technology, entrepreneurship, writing,
photo, and film, you want to go check out Skillshare.
Gents, what I love about Skillshare is you learn by doing, you learn by working with
others.
You can learn anywhere, you can learn any time no excuses, you get to master the skills
that are in demand now.
Some of my favorite courses check out Investing 101: Understanding the Stock Market by Jordan
Kouzmanoff or check out iPhone Photography: How to Take Pro Photos on your iPhone by Dale
McManus.
And, perhaps my favorite class over at Skillshare, The Productivity Master Class by my good friend,
Thomas Frank.
Over 16,000 students have gone through this, have learned how to put their lives in order
using his course.
And all of these courses taught by expert teachers who have gone through and carefully
curated the information.
Gents, no matter what you’re interested in learning, you’re going to find something
at Skillshare.
Guys, I’m linking to Skillshare down in the description of today’s video.
Use that link, the first five hundred of you to use it get two months free.
Skillshare, a great company.
Proud to support them.
Go check them out.
Pick up the skills to pay the bills.
The next step to stop procrastinating is to raise the stakes.
You want skin in the game.
Have you ever noticed in big sporting events, everybody’s gambling on these things; March
Madness, Super Bowl.
Why?
Because normal people who don’t follow this, they want to actually they want to feel like
they’re involved more, so when they got money on the line, they’re more likely to
pay attention to actually get involved in this.
For you, how can you apply this to your life?
I’m not saying on betting on, you know, sporting events, but I am saying maybe bet
on yourself.
If you’re going to go to a gym, why not hire a trainer.
Put some money on the line, so that you actually show up.
If you want to improve certain skills, yes, you can find free videos, but maybe you should
actually pay for a course so that you’re more likely to take action.
When I have skin in the game, I’m more likely to execute and do what needs to get done.
Now, the next tip to crushing procrastination is to keep score.
Very similar to our last point about having skin in the game, but this one is about measuring
progress and also introducing maybe a bit of competition.
Now, this works really well if you’ve got multiple people working on a similar project
to kind of have this completion going on.
And keeping score works even if it’s just you because when you see the progress when
you see the consistency when you see the streak, you don’t want to break it.
I went to the gym and work out exercise every single day in December, so when January comes
along guess what?
I do not want to break the streak.
You want to use this keeping score to your advantage so that you take action and you
punch procrastination right in the face.
So, have you ever noticed the amount of time that you allot for project is equal to the
amount of time it actually takes to complete it?
This is known as Parkinson’s Law.
And the idea here is the amount of time that you give for a project to be completed is
the amount of time that you’re going to spend on it.
So, you want to use this to your advantage by setting up artificial time limits.
When you have a timer over your head, you’re more likely to stay focused, get things done,
and stay right on task.
[0:05:06] I like using the simple kitchen timer, I can
hear the ticking, it’s separate from my phone, there’s no distraction on it, but
you can use your phone timer.
The point is leverage that twenty five, forty five minutes of focused time to get things
done.
Now, let’s talk about staying focus.
I alluded to this, but, guys, if you want to get something done in a short amount of
time, you need to focus in on one thing.
Multitasking, it’s a lie.
Gentlemen, if you hear anyone telling you they can multitask, they are liar.
Human beings can’t multitask.
Computers can’t really multitask.
They go from switching from one project to another.
And believe me, there is a switching cost.
So, when you take your focus off of one thing and you go to another one, you never really
have a chance to get into the zone to zero in and focused like a laser, and that’s
what you want.
In the same way that a laser will cut through steel, but regular sunlight is just going
to warm it up.
Gents, you want to be that laser, you want to be that concentrated beam of light that
cuts through steel.
Now, in the Marines we had a saying that we got more done before 8:00 AM than most people
got done all day.
My point, if you want to stop procrastinating, start early.
Start your day at 5:00 AM because guess what?
Those early morning hours you’re not getting crazy emails people telling you to do things,
most of the world is asleep so you can stay focused in on what you really want to get
done.
So, how do you actually wake up early?
How do you wake up at 5:00 AM if you’ve got four kids, if you’re a busy business
owner?
I know that’s me.
Guys, check out this video right here.
I talk about how to actually make it happen, the systems you need to put in place so that
you start to wake up early.
[0:06:36] End of Audio