With November being almost halfway over, (I know it’s so hard to believe!), it seems as though one can taste the Holiday season. We’re a few months past the end of Summer and only 8 weeks from the end of the year. Many times, we can start feeling stuck and unmotivated as a result of the holiday season and the odd feeling of relaxation that comes with it. This is not to say that the Holiday season doesn’t bring extreme amounts of stress that comes along with planning, buying gifts, and seeing family. However, we all seem to yearn for the holiday season so we can finally get a chance to breathe.

What comes along with a desire for a break and relaxation can be procrastination. We are in so much anticipation for time off, that we allow it to affect our motivation and effort leading up, and that in turn affects the quality of our work which creates negative consequences.

There are a lot of different ways to overcome your procrastination tendencies, and that’s because everyone may need something different. Below I included an overview of R.L. Adam’s 6 successful ways of overcoming procrastination methods from his article “6 Surefire Methods for Overcoming Procrastination.”

#1 – Set Written Goals: When they’re written, they become more real and concrete. Goals should be specific and measurable – you have to know precisely what you’re trying to achieve, and ensure that it’s quantifiable.

#2 – Write Out a Plan: We’re less likely to get distracted when we’ve detailed out the steps needed to take to achieve our dreams. Create a long-term plan along with daily goals including what you can do today(right now) to help you reach your goals (Most Important Tasks – MITs).

#3 – 15-Minute Rule: 15 minutes allows us to build momentum. But, it’s also an impossible-to-fail timeframe for doing anything. We can all do something for just 15 minutes. But, what you’ll come to find is that after the 15 minutes are up, you’ll keep going.

#4 – Effectively Manage Your Time: Divide up your day into four categories of activities based on a scale of urgency versus importance. See  by Stephen R. Covey below

 

 

Quadrant 1: Import & Urgent – Short-term crises and problems
Quadrant 2: Import but Not Urgent – Long-term strategic goals
Quadrant 3: Not Import but Urgent – Distractions and interruptions
Quadrant 4: Not Import & Not Urgent – Time-wasting activities
*The goal?* Spend as much time in quadrant 2, the long-term goal-related quadrant, as you possibly can.

 

 

 

#5 – Change Your Environment: By displacing us into another environment, most of the same habit cues that we run at home, don’t exist. Find a place nearby you can go and focus, you’ll be far more able to concentrate without all the everyday distractions surrounding you.

#6 – Join Forces with a Friend: Locate a friend who can act as your accomplice. Join forces with them. Rely on each other to push and motivate your way through an otherwise difficult task or goal

To read the full article, visit http://buff.ly/1Omca1m.

For help increasing your motivation, and managing and reducing procrastinating behaviors, give us a call at Life Skills Resource Group Orlando at 407-355-7378 to set up a free phone consultation.  Our Orlando counselors are excited to work with you in Orlando individual counseling to help reducing feelings of being stuck and focus on persevering through November and the end of 2015.