Written by 
You’ve heard the old procrastinator’s turn of phrase, “Don’t do today what you can put off until tomorrow.” But you can seize the future you want by seizing the present you have. Get started now – not tomorrow, next week or when you get around to it. “Around to it” never seems to get here.
We like Ellen’s spin on procrastination. Watch it here…
In our book, 107 Ways to Stick to It, we describe the Adherence Equation. It is based on research and real-life experiences of the absolute highest-achieving people and teams.
Below is a sampling of tips from 107 Ways to Stick to It to help you achieve the success you deserve.
Focus
- Worry wrecks your focus. We all worry… the trick is to minimize the time between your first worried thought and your first action to attack it. Remember, much of our worry is based on concerns in our minds, not reality. Mark Twain once said, “I’ve suffered a great many catastrophes in my life. Most of them never happened.”
- Tame your technology… or it will become your master. In today’s highly connected world, you have to define boundaries around your time. Just because your cell phone notifies you of a new message doesn’t mean you have to shift your focus to attend to it. Constant accessibility can blur your focus. Block out time to respond to text, voice and e-mail messages.
Competence
- Create it once, use it many times. If you know you will perform a task more than once, create a checklist, form or template to save time and improve your consistency over the long haul. No need to reinvent the wheel every time you conduct or coordinate an off-site meeting, prepare a proposal, send out a mailing, plan a new project timeline, etc.
- Ask the right questions. The fastest way to change the answers you receive – from yourself and others – is to change the questions you ask. Asking the right questions will get you better answers whether you are asking it of yourself or of others. The questions you ask will either limit or expand the possible responses.
Passion
- Listen to Yoda. In the immortal words of the Star Wars Jedi Master, “Do or do not. There is no ‘try.’” If you are nervous that your plan won’t work, you might find yourself saying, “Okay, I’ll try to do it.” You are laying the foundation for being unsuccessful from the beginning, giving yourself a way out. Yoda’s adage is a passionate reminder that life rewards those who let their actions rise above their excuses.
- We get what we expect. Expect the very best of yourself and of others. Great success is always rooted in great expectations.
Check out 107 Ways to Stick to It for more tips.
Procrastinate tomorrow. Stick to it today!
