Basketball intrigues me … especially when the player shoots free throws.  Have you ever seen this craziness?  People waving signs, pictures, big heads … just in an attempt to distract the player.  Yet the great players seem to enter a new dimension … a flow state … and not even see the distractions.

Flow State

Have your ever lost yourself in your work, so much so that you lost track of time? Being consumed by a task like that, while it can be rare for most people, is a state of being called flow state.

In my experience, it’s one of the keys to happiness at work, and a nice side benefit is that it not only reduces stress but increases your productivity.

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We’ve talked about guilt-free play to overcome procrastination.  We’ve talked about a “reverse calendar” to overcome procrastination.  How do we merge these two ideas together for an overall strategy to deal with procrastination?

The Unschedule

The answer provided in the Now Habit is to use the “Unschedule.”  This is an innovative use of calendar planning that provides the essential tools for preventing procrastination. If you are familiar with the Pomodoro technique, you will find a lot of similarities with the Unschedule.

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Many of us face roadblocks.  How do we overcome blocks to action?  How can we get unstuck when we feel overwhelmed with a task and procrastination is a natural response to the stress?

Overcoming Blocks to Action

In this episode, we look at various roadblocks that tempt us toward procrastination, as well as tools to help in overcoming blocks.  Some of us feel overwhelmed by a project or task.  Others fear failure or deal with perfectionism.  What can we do to help us in overcoming blocks such as these?

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Do you have guilt-free play? Or do you see your life more as if it is “on hold” until you accomplish something?

guilt-free play

In this episode, we look at what I consider one of the most exciting topics that Neil Fiore covers in The Now Habit.  That is, some of us think we are so busy we can’t afford to have recreation and leisure. However, the exact opposite is true.  We are only as productive as we play.

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We continue our discussion on procrastination by discussing the issue of how to talk to yourself. Want to know what a person really believes and feels? Listen to what they talk about. Our speech reveals our deepest beliefs. Can we use this to our advantage to overcome procrastination?

How to Talk to Yourself

In short … YES.  But, it isn’t an easy path or journey. It requires careful analysis of what we actually are telling ourselves, and diligence to replace those thoughts with ones that push us toward our potential. In this episode, we dig deep into overcoming a victim mentality and establishing a producer-mentality in our lives.

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