Avoid the Avoiding Habit and Find More Time and Less Stress

Procrastination can creep in and easily become a habit. Once it does, it erodes your capacity to function effectively. But it can be a hard habit to break.  However, with some honest self-assessment and an organized and attainable plan of attack, it can be overcome successfully.
Be gentle with yourself when you decide to try and kick the procrastination habit.  It may be so ingrained that you don’t fully recognize all the ways you actually procrastinate. Start out by taking a large or complicated task and breaking it down into smaller parts that you can accomplish easier.  It’s important to bear in mind that the most difficult or complex tasks are simply just a series of smaller jobs.
Make a verbal commitment to someone else about improving your time management skills and your desire to avoid procrastinating. Allow others to become involved in your efforts by reviewing your progress, helping you set deadlines or evaluating your results can be very helpful.  This will most likely create a commitment on your part to fulfill the expectations they’ve set for you.
Sit down and map out a plan to manage your time more effectively.  When a deadline is looming, make sure you allot time each day to work on the project so it doesn’t sneak up on you in the final hours or days.  Learn to ask for help when you’re feeling overwhelmed or overworked.
Reward yourself for good behavior and accomplished goals. Don’t wait until you’ve accomplished the ultimate goal, but reward yourself for your successes along the way.  Make sure the reward is something you like to do.  Treat yourself to the newest book by your favorite author and take the time to read it.  Indulge in bubble baths or relaxing music.  If you’ve gotten into the habit of working late, make sure you develop a new habit of going home on time each night.
By making a commitment to avoid the avoiding habit, you’ll soon be well on your way to finding more time and find yourself more relaxed and productive and less stressed in the process.

Taking Time to Think & Plan Your Goals

With the New Year always comes a desire to make changes, to start fresh. Resolutions are often made and broken before a week or two into the New Year. How can you make and keep your resolutions? Make it a family project. Talk to each other about the changes you would each like to make, as individuals and as a family.

By making lists and talking about it, you will help keep each other on track and encourage one another. Prioritize the list to see which changes are most important and focus on those first. If you try to change too much at once, it will be overwhelming. Accountability can be a great tool in making life changes, however there is a thin line between encouraging each other and nagging. Be sure to always encourage each other in a positive way.

Once you have your list prioritized, it is time to convert the resolutions into goals. Set a date by which you want to accomplish each goal. We all have projects that have been put off for ages. Pick one to start and then pick a date to have it done by. Make a list of all the things you need to do to reach your goal. By making it visual, it is easier to stay on track. Hang a checklist or chart where it can be seen and updated daily.

When it comes to goals for the whole family, make sure everyone has agreed to the same thing. It is impossible to work together if you aren’t all working toward the same thing. If it’s something like simply spending more time together as a family, be sure to take everyone’s schedules into account. Things will come up along the way, so be flexible and work it out as a family.

Even if each person has their own goal to reach, make another goal to help each other keep each personal resolution. For example, if someone has decided to give up junk food, try not to eat it, or at least not in front of them. Of if someone wants to exercise more, even if it’s not your resolution, joining them in their workout sessions not only helps keep them motivated, but helps you get in better shape as well.

By setting up short-term and long-term goals you can monitor your progress toward keeping your New Year’s resolutions. The short-term goals are stepping-stones to the larger prize. Calendars, charts and checklists are all good tools for keeping track of the family’s progress. Compeition is also a good motivator. Have a contest to see who can reach their goal first. Make the prize something that the whole family would want, such as a week off from their chores, or their choice of a special dinner.

One Small Step at a Time: Break Your Goals Down Into Measurable Steps

As Neil Armstrong disembarked from the space shuttle, he uttered these words, “One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”  If you remember that historic first walk on the moon’s surface, you will understand why one small step at a time is the basic tenet needed to break your goals down into measurable steps.

Mr. Armstrong didn’t just utter one day, “Well, I think I’ll walk on the moon next week.”  It took years of education; practice; knowledge, commitment and focus before he was even able to board a spacecraft, let alone walk on the moon.  The point is everyone finds it difficult to stay focused on a goal.  The topsy-turvy world of self-motivation is evident everywhere.  Lose weight; gain weight. Even the smallest goal can carry the heaviest weight.

Realistic expectations and a positive attitude, combined with small action steps can make your goals more achievable.  How? You must first know and understand your goal. Begin with one specific goal, and write it down often. It doesn’t have to be anything major; start with something simple. Use construction paper and hang it up everywhere. This is your first step to focusing on your commitment.  Then, break it down into small steps. 

For example: Let’s say you want to begin a diet and exercise program. Your goal is to lose 50 pounds, and be able to run two miles a day.  It’s August; you indicate a target date of February. Write it down: 50 pounds; two miles a day; February.  Focus daily on these words.  Next, break it down into even smaller steps.  Follow a specific diet plan; and begin running 10 minutes a day.  If in the first week, you begin to see results – your confidence will build; and you will become even more motivated to continue. 

Keep a journal. In one half of the book record your diet progress; in the second half of the book record the amount of running time you’ve achieved. You may not believe it, but when you write about yourself, you tend not to lie about it.  Read your journal often. Use a red pen to write your diet and exercise achievements. Even if you consume something you shouldn’t, don’t worry about it. You’re not perfect; and you don’t need that kind of pressure. Just keep going. You’re allowed a mistake every once in a while.

Finally, never give up. You’ve come so far; your confidence is growing, and you are so close to your goal – stay focused. Reward yourself every now and then.  You deserve it! Don’t think about the end result, enjoy the journey.  If Neil Armstrong can walk on the moon; you can accomplish anything you set out to do.