Have you ever thought about why we procrastinate? What is behind this? What is the motivation? Is it just a matter about us being lazy … or is there something more than that happening?

Many of us use our performance as “mirrors”.  Instead of them being an expression of who we are … an expression of our creativity … they become something we use to measure our worth. This is the fuel for procrastination. In this episode, we talk about the various reasons why we procrastinate.

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Defining procrastination properly is a vital step to overcome it.  Procrastination is a habit you develop to cope with anxiety about starting or completing a task. … tasks that are boring or overwhelming.

defining procrastination

We begin a multi-week study on procrastination, inspired by The Now Habit by Neil Fiore.  Your first step toward breaking the procrastination habit and becoming a producer involves redefining procrastination and coming to a new understanding of how and why we use it. Procrastination is not the cause of our problems with accomplishing tasks; it is an attempt to resolve a variety of underlying issues, including low self-esteem, perfectionism, fear of failure and of success, indecisiveness, an imbalance between work and play, ineffective goal-setting, and negative concepts about work and yourself.

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I challenge you … “double dog dare you” as we say in the good old Southern USA … to take one day this week and make a break from your technology. Will you accept my challenge?

unplugging from technology

We’re all addicted to tech. After long work days with eyes glued to glowing computer screens, dazed workers across the country depart office buildings with smart phones or iPods in hand. They return home and trade in one device for another, turning on the TV and Xbox 360, booting up a computer, or switching on their iPads. According to a survey of more than 1,200 American adults, over thirty percent of us spend more than seven hours a day on electronic screens.

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We normally look at life as a series of crises.  But to see your life as a journey could be a catalyst for breakthrough productivity.  Your NOW moment is the ARENA to know your potential and happiness.

In all the roads of your life, in all the pathways you find yourself walking on … not crises, journeys.  And when I saw that, it was the most liberating experience, to be able to revamp my understanding of life.  It’s not a series of crises.  It’s not a series of interruptions.  It’s journeys.  And if I can understand my journeys, and what is going on, and why I’m on the journey, then I can enter into a peace and flow in life that I say, again, is liberating.

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At its most basic level, mentoring helps because it guarantees a person that there is someone who cares about them … that they aren’t alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges.

Mentor wanted

The 2013 study “The Role of Risk: Mentoring Experiences and Outcomes for Youth with Varying Risk Profiles,” examined mentoring program relationships, experiences and benefits for higher-risk youth, and among the findings determined:

• The strongest program benefit, and most consistent across risk groups, was a reduction in depressive symptoms — a particularly noteworthy finding given that almost one in four youth reported worrisome levels of these symptoms at baseline.
• Findings also suggested gains in social acceptance, academic attitudes and grades.
• In addition to benefits in specific domains, mentored youth also experienced gains in a greater number of outcomes than youth in the comparison group.

The only problem for me … I never had a mentor …

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Statistical studies have derailed more people’s productivity than anything else I know. I am a statistician. So, I say this statement very carefully.

how to lie with statistics

How do we properly process statistical studies?  How can we ensure that we don’t make one of the biggest mistakes made with statistical studies … assuming that correlation proves causality?

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Perfectionism is a particular expression of the fear of failure.  By setting up unrealistic expectations, people can set themselves up for great stress in their lives.

Perfectionism

It isn’t necessarily bad  to have high standards. Having goals helps you achieve things in life. BUT when these goals are either unachievable or only achievable at great cost, it makes it very difficult to feel good about yourself. This is when perfectionism can be problematic.

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In this episode, I want to thank all my listeners by covering some feedback I’ve gotten over the last few weeks.

Listener Feedback

In particular, I want to cover some of the tools I use that help me, some things about corn (it will make more sense once you listen!), and my thoughts on ADHD.

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What do the following people have in common?  Abraham Lincoln, Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, Napoleon Hill, Tony Robbins, and J.K. Rowling.  If you say, “famous people” … well, that is only partially right.  These are also people who have experienced some of the greatest failures in life.

Do you struggle with the fear of failure?  Or feel like you are in a performance trap?  Does a failure send you into a spiral of despair?  Do you find it difficult to be creative for fear that you will fail in your attempt?

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