Four exercises to beat procrastination, get you motivated and back on track
Posted on July 18, 2022 by Ioni Papadakis, One of Thousands of Entrepreneurship Coaches on Noomii.
Time to get back on track!
High overachiever does the following sound familiar?
You make these incredible plans to work on different things to achieve the business and life of your dreams. Then life happens and what ends up happening is, first you miss a few hours, then you play catch up or spend time getting back on track, leading to eventually getting discouraged or worst completely defeated and give up on your plans all together.
It might hurt hearing this but here goes:
YOU DON’T LACK MOTIVATION, YOU LACK DIRECTION.
Yes, read that again.
“What?”
When you catch yourself feeling completely overwhelmed or lost, procrastinating, seeking for distractions or making excuses (deep down you know cleaning up your inbox is not an emergency!) then it’s the perfect time you reassess where you are going (or aren’t going to be more accurate!)
The great news is that you can reassess your direction every single day!
No it’s not silly or a waste of time. No one is born inspired!
But… “How do I do stay motivated, inspired and on track?”, you ask.
Well, here are some practice I use with my clients to fight procrastination or demotivation, regain clarity and help teach themselves to stay on track. I invite and encourage you to pick one and try it for the next 7 days, even if you find it simple or “silly”.
Ready? Alright here goes:
1) Before you start your day, designate a quite place where for the next 4 weeks you will write down 3 longterm or short term goals (eg. a daily, weekly, monthly or 12-month goal) every single day. This exercise will help you start your day by centering your mind on the dreams and goals you are working towards (even when you don’t feel like doing the work that day) will keep you focused and intentional throughout the day.
2) Pick the best time at the end of your day to review 3 areas in your business or life where things went well or could have gone better. You can use a journal or a voice recording application. The trick is to use the same method every time and keep it short and detached (similar to how you would offer feedback or compliment a friend). This exercise will help keep your eyes on the prize and ensure you are intentional with your time and efforts the next day. Most people go through their day by going after fires, but this exercise forces you look at your day as an observer and course correct faster.
3) Set a weekly goal-review day. For example, every Sunday evening before going to bed or every Monday morning while having your coffee or team, plan 1 to 3 of your absolutely non-negotiable tasks for the day. The key is to keep your non-negotiable tasks to no more than 3 items. If you catch yourself being unable to complete all items on the list that’s your sign to decide if a task is a true non-negotiable priority or a nice to have and if you are being overly ambitious with how much time you have in a day. Similarly to the first exercise, this practice will get you in the daily habit of being intentional with your time and will shed light on your personal areas of improvement. Sometimes what you may judge as procrastination is simply lack of time management or prioritization skills!
4) Commit to a monthly goal review date with yourself. Grab a notebook, pick your favorite comfy spot around the house or treat yourself to a solo date at the coffee shop or your local park. Dedicate this time to a no-distraction zone where you won’t allow any phone calls, friends, social media, internet surfing or any other distractions. During this time ensure you review a) Are the initial goals you picked for this week, month, year still a goal? b) What is the status/progress of each goal? c) Are there any blindspots or any opportunities to hit each goal faster?
And there you have it, four techniques to get you unstuck right away today. If you have big dreams for your business and life, and you’re yearning to confidently create the life of your dreams, it’s time you make goal reviews or goal planning part of your routine. You don’t have time? Well you are in luck! Neither of these exercises requires more than 10-15 minutes. You don’t need to spend hours, all you need is repetition until you hit your desired results.
Don’t wait until you’ve spent 3 days binge-watching Netflix to pick yourself up.
Start small and you’re half way there!
You got this.
Coach Ioni
