5 Secrets That Will Break Your Procrastination Habit

Several weeks ago, I spoke to an organization in my local area. At the end of my presentation, I offered the audience members a one time only special -- if they e-mailed me that day, I would send them a free copy of my ebook on procrastination prevention, One Moment in Time. I emphasized the fact that they had to e-mail me that day for the offer to be valid. 

Several people sent e-mails immediately. One lady approached me afterwards and said: “Eric, I have a serious problem with procrastination, so I will e-mail you sometime tomorrow to get your ebook!” 

This encounter inspired me to share with you my five secrets to overcoming procrastination. They are listed under the following acronym: “G.R.E.A.T” I chose this acronym because you will feel GREAT after implementing these techniques. 

1. (G) Gratitude -- Dedicate the first thirty minutes of your day to making a thank youlist and reflecting on everything in your life for which you are grateful. I have discovered that doing this makes you feel better. When you feel better, you tend to be more proactive and less likely to procrastinate.


2. (R) Recognize – By recognize I mean recognize your power times. We each have a genetic clock that allows our energy to peak at certain times of the day. For example, I am a morning person because early in the morning is the time of day when I have the most energy. 
   
   The key to success is to schedule your highest priority activities during the times of day that you have the most energy. If you attempt to complete a high priority task when you have low energy levels, you will be more likely to procrastinate.


3. (E) Exercise -- According to the National Institute of Health Statistics, the higher a person’s income, the more likely they are to have a regular exercise routine. Habitual exercise produces endorphins in the body that give you the feeling of a “natural high”. As previously stated, the better you feel, the more proactive you will be.


4. (A) Automation – This is the mentality of always looking for ways to free yourself from activities that take time away from your priorities. If you delegate those tasks that are necessary but of low priority, you have an automation mindset. Utilizing a virtual assistant to handle administrative tasks is a great example of this mind set.


5. (T) Task Lists – Get in the habit of making a list at the end of the day of your priorities for the following day. I have found that this helps me to sleep better at night because once I put the tasks on paper, my mind is clear. You will wake up with a game plan, instead of hitting the snooze button.

So there you have it. If you implement the five tips just mentioned, you will maximize your time, minimize your stress, and break the habit of procrastination. Have a G.R.E.A.T day! 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. If you found this to be helpful, feel free to share it using the social share buttons at the bottom of the page. 

What Drives You?

I thought that I had the right focus, but I was wrong. After graduating from college, my ultimate goal was to make as much money as possible. Seven years after graduation, I had achieved my objective. 

I was a 29 year old Silver BMW driving executive of a national automotive service chain, with 500 employees that reported to me. We had just won an award for having the most profitable District in the entire organization. I had made it to the top of the corporate ladder. 

One morning while driving my BMW, I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the rear view mirror. The person that I saw looking back at me was someone that dreaded the idea of going into the office! 

How could this be? I was making more money at age 29 than my father ever made, and I had the car to prove it. Suddenly, I remembered the following quote from the Author Michael Josephson: “It’s not what you drive, it’s what drives you!” 

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you dread the idea of going to your job or business each morning? Unfortunately, many people that I know are simply “going through the motions”. This lack of passion is a root cause of procrastination. The following test can help you determine if you are procrastinating because of a lack of passion for what you are doing:

Snooze Button Test
In the morning, if you find yourself hitting the SNOOZE button on your alarm clock at least two times before waking, you are not positioned in your passion. Hitting snooze, is your way of procrastinating because you are not looking forward to starting the day. 

Think about it, if you knew that you were about to do something that you were born to do, you would not delay getting started. This snooze button test can help you to determine if you are in the right business or line of work. 

The question becomes, how do you determine what drives you so that you are not failing the snooze button test? Keep reading and you learn the three questions that will help you clarify your passions: 

The Three Questions

1. What are you passionate about?

2. What does success mean to you?

3. If you could make a difference for anyone or any cause, what would that difference be? 

Answering these questions made me realize that I felt the most passion when I was helping business executives and delivering speeches. Since I have come to his realization, doors have opened for me to do what I love. Today, I never have a morning where I dread the idea of doing what I do.

So there you have it. Whether you drive a Hummer or a “Hooptie”, asking yourself the three questions will help you to pass the snooze button test and drive you away from procrastination! 

What drives you? 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. If you found today’s blog post helpful, please share it using the share buttons at the bottom.

Get in the Fast Lane to Achieve Your Goals in Life

“If you can see it, you can be it. If you can view it, you can do it. Vision is the first step to victory”

The ultimate goal of every college basketball team is to win the NCAA championship. When a team accomplishes its goal, players celebrate by cutting down the basketball nets. This is a tradition that has become symbolic of success. In 1983, Coach Jim Valvano of North Carolina State put a different twist on this trend. 

At the beginning of his tenure, NC State was a struggling program that had never won the big prize. There was no reason for the players to believe that they could do it. During his very first practice, Valvano told his team that they would win the championship that year. This idea seemed so ridiculous that several of the players laughed to themselves. 

After practice was over, Valvano did something that seemed to take ridiculous to a new level. He had his players cut down the nets in there own gym, so that they could see and feel what it was like to celebrate a championship victory. They continued this habit throughout the ‘83 season, which ended with NC State shocking the world by winning the NCAA championship! 

During the post game interviews, the players admitted that the exercise of practicing their victory celebration made them believe that they could do it. In their minds, they saw themselves succeeding, so when it happened it was like deja vu! Now, what does this have to do with you? 

Is Your Glass Half Full?
Like the 83’ team, your present condition is a direct result of your past thoughts.  Studies show that with all things being equal, and optimist will out perform a pessimist in a job or business situation by as much as 50%. The reason for this is the fact that the thoughts that you dwell on become your reality. 

In other words, having habitual thoughts of fear and doubt is the equivalent of praying for what you don’t want! The question becomes, how can you use the power of visualization to put you in the fast lane to achieving your goals in life? 

Write Out Your Perfect Day
Writing out your perfect day in detail will help to create a strong visual picture in your mind. The following outline will assist you in putting your perfect day on paper:

1. Who is present?
2. What specific goal do you accomplish?
3. How Do You Feel?
4. What do you do to celebrate the accomplishment of this goal?

The goal should be achievable, but at the same time, cause you to stretch beyond your current grasp. If you commit to this exercise, you will wake up in your prefect day and put yourself in the fast lane to the achievement of your goals. I congratulate you in advance as you cut down the nets! 

Sincerely,
Eric M Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. For additional information on how to achieve you goals in life, download my ebook, One Moment in Time. 

How to Move From Long Shot to Legend

“I thought that I was waiting on the right opportunity, but really the right opportunity was waiting on me.”

When I was growing up, I wanted to play in the NBA like Michael Jordan. One day, a “friend” of mine told me that there are 17,500 Division 1 college basketball players. He then told me that out of that number, only 48 actually get drafted to the NBA. That is a staggering statistic. 

Not believing that I had a chance, I practiced procrastination instead of basketball. I thought of myself as a long shot. The basketball world would not be what it is today if Jordan had procrastinated the way I did. Young players from around the world would have to find another source of inspiration. 

Have you ever had a lofty goal, but let someone talk you out of it because of the long odds? Is the fact that 90% of small businesses fail keeping you from pursuing your dream of entrepreneurship? Only a small percentage of books become best sellers. Is this keeping you from becoming an author? Like Mike, you were born with a greatness to contribute. The question becomes, why should you pursue a goal even though the numbers are not on your side? 

Purpose
To answer this question I will share a personal experience. One morning, I arrived at the airport with the goal of catching an early flight. When I got to the security terminal, I discovered that the line was wrapped around the corner with other people that had the same goal. I would surely miss my flight. Then I saw my friend Paul near the front of the line. He motioned for me to come up where he was. We embraced and he let me in front of him. 

Your purpose is like my friend Paul - when you know and embrace it, you can move to the front of the line ahead of others that have the same goal! It would be a tragic shame to let someone talk you out of what you were born to do. Being clear on your purpose and moving forward with passion will allow you to become a legend instead of a long shot. 

Sincerely, 
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. The key to achieving your big dream is accomplishing small daily goals. For additional information on the goal-setting process, download my ebook One Moment in Time. 

The Timesaving “Key” To Your Success

“What got you here won’t get you there.”

- Marshall Goldsmith

I have a habit that drives my wife crazy. When traveling, I accidentally keep the room keys to the hotels. Being the creature of habit that I am, I tend to stay at the Hampton Inn whenever possible. On a recent trip I decided to conduct an experiment. 

I attempted to use the Hampton Inn key from my previous stay in the door of my current hotel. I slid the key and was disappointed that it did not work. The problem was that I was trying to go through a new door with an old key! If you have ever tried to get to the next level by doing what got you to where you are, you can relate to this experience. What then is the key to your success that will save time? 

Who, Why, What
Whenever I get to a new level, I ask myself three questions:

1. Who is currently on that level that has the results that I want?
2. Why are they successful?
3. What do they do that I can duplicate to get the same results?

For example, early in my career I received a promotion to District Manager of a national automotive chain with responsibility over 16 stores. The district assigned had a history of poor customer satisfaction and always ranked at the bottom of the organization in this category. 

Initially, I attempted to solve the problem by doing what made me successful as single unit manager. This resulted in several weeks of frustration and embarrassment as our customer service scores ranked last in the company! I was so frustrated that I scheduled a meeting with my boss to ask him what he thought I could do to improve. 

Instead of answering my questions, my boss asked me the following: “Who has the best customer service results in the company? Why is he successful? What does he do that you could duplicate in your District?" 

After this conversation, I contacted the top performing district manager and discovered that we were doing many of the same things to improve customer service. However, there was one method of communication that he was using with his team that I had been neglecting. Although it seemed minor, I decided to give it a try. Once I implemented his strategy, my district went from dead last, to well above the national average in customer service results within three weeks! 

Asking the Who-Why-What questions were the keys that took me to the next level. Remember, what got you here won’t get you there! If you know of someone that needs the “key”, please forward this post using the share buttons at the bottom of this post. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. For more information that will help you to save time, download my ebook.