Pony Of Prey Blog

Procrastination is a very common problem in society today. The
definition of procrastination means to literally avoid doing a
task that needs to be completed. We are all guilty of it at one
time or another in our lives.

As a matter of fact, one recent study conducted at Harvard
University had alarming results. The study concluded that 90% of
the college students that were surveyed did procrastinate and of
those, 25% of them ended up dropping out of college all together.

Overcoming procrastination is not an easy thing to do. Here are
six guidelines to follow that can help a person in overcoming
procrastination.

1. Time Management

Learning to manage your time is one big step to overcoming
procrastination. Writing out a list of the first and most
important items to be completed, down to the least important
items can be helpful.

Finishing the task that really needs to be done first, and then
working your way down the list will help a person organize their
priorities.

2. Goal setting

If a person doesn’t have a goal to meet, success in overcoming
procrastination is unlikely. There has to be an outcome from
completing the task. For instance, if a college student has a
goal to get B’s in all of their classes, then they know that
they have to study.

Also, setting realistic goals is very important. If this same
college student sets goals that are too high, then they are
setting themselves up for failure. Failure will in turn lead
back around to procrastination.

3. Rewards

Reward yourself if you complete a task. This will make it easier
to complete the next task. Also, do not dwell on any failures;
instead, pat yourself on the back for your success.

4. Atmosphere

A person’s environment has allot to do with overcoming
procrastination. For example, if a person is writing, they may
need quiet space. Other factors are, comfortable temperatures,
lighting, music, and having the necessary equipment available to
you.

5. Organization-Before you sit down and try to complete this
task, make sure you are organized with the tools you need.

6. Discipline

A person can set all the goals they want, but the next step in
this process is to have self discipline. If a person decides
that they want to lose 30 pounds and they set that as their
goal, they need to figure out what it is going to take to reach
that goal.

Whatever it takes, whether it means a mile walk everyday or
watching their caloric intake, they need to push themselves
toward that goal.

Overcoming procrastination can be done if these simple steps are
done.

One thing to consider is that procrastination is NOT laziness.
Our society tends to blame laziness on procrastination. In most
cases, laziness is not the problem.

Five factors that may cause procrastination are as follows:

1. Lack of interest in a certain task. If a person dislikes
painting, they are allot more likely to put it off than if they
enjoyed painting.

2. Perfectionism-Some people have a fear of failing. This tends
to make people not want to attempt a task that they are not
familiar with.

3. Personal problems-If a person is consumed with personal
problems in their life, they tend to put tasks on the back
burner while they focus on their problems.

4. Lack of concentration-If a person can’t get focused on the
task at hand, it will be difficult to complete.

5. Low self esteem-The majority of procrastinators are people
with low self-esteem. They have negative beliefs that they
cannot finish a certain task.

These are just a few of the most common causes of
procrastination. Again, overcoming procrastination is not an
easy thing to do, but with the right tools and mind set, it can
be done.

I’ll be the first to say that the gas shortage is taking the fun out of my favorite hobby, which is: driving around by myself. Have you ever tried it? Yes, driving with no destination in mind is quite a fun and liberating pastime. Next time you’re sitting there watching Stupid TV, not doing whatever it was that you said you were going to do, how about hitting the road for some clarity? You don’t have to go far, just a few miles down some winding country roads, or maybe a quick spin on the highway if there’s one close to your house.

Here are some Fun Factors to Driving Around By Yourself.

1. You control the speed.

Do 80 mph in the fast lane or putt along in the turning lane… when you’re the only one in the car, you can drive however you want.

2. No more bad drivers.

Sick of driving with folks who speed up behind cars that are braking? Take a deep breath and put the pedal to the metal. This is your time to drive.

3. You have your choice of radio selections.

Crank up some Led Zeppelin, pop in one of your Books on Tape, be a mad channel switcher…and don’t worry about pleasing the passenger with your choice, because there is no passenger. So get crazy!

4. You can stop or not stop at any time.

Did you pass by the Target and suddenly feel the pull? Or do you have absolutely no interest in shopping OR stopping? This is your ride, Paul Revere, so do whatever you like.

5. Uninterrupted thought flow.

Really, when was the last time you were alone with your thoughts? Between the computer, the cell phone, the husband or wife and the TV, it can get rather noisy in one’s head. Alone in the car, you can outline your biz plans, formulate the grocery shopping list, ponder the latest national issues… or heck, you can even switch to Old College Boyfriend Fantasy Mode.

If you have the opportunity to head out onto the Highways of America, you should take it. Who knows if tomorrow could mean a family van full of kids, work car pool full of annoying people, or God forbid the bus. Grab your keys… and if someone asks you where you’re going, just say, “I have no idea.”

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Dina Giolitto is a copywriting consultant and ghostwriter with 10 years of experience writing corporate print materials and web content. Trust her with your next e-book, article series or web project, and make a lasting impression on your audience of information-hungry prospects. Visit http://www.wordfeeder.com for more details.

Reaching Out With The Spirit

By

Dr. Gary S. Goodman 2005

President, Customersatisfaction.com

At first, I thought he was just cold. The casino’s air
conditioning was pumped up, and it did feel a bit brisk.

But then, he turned to the side, and instead of seeing the
outline of crossed arms beneath his tee shirt, I saw a flat
silhouette. Instinctively, I turned away.

I didn’t want to acknowledge that the gentleman standing in
front of me in the buffet line, the chap who seemed so
nonchalant, easygoing, and totally comfortable surrounded by
three family members, had no arms.

An odd mix of emotions suddenly coursed through me, making me
woozy.

I wondered how he managed everything. My two days of carefree
card playing, dancing, roller coaster and log rides, embracing
my loved one, swimming, climbing to the top of the water slide,
all of these things, things I could do flashed before me. Most
of my pleasures had involved grasping, gripping, touching,
feeling, balancing, gesturing, and thousands of effortless
manipulations, of which this gentleman was nearly incapable.

How would it feel to be him, to be in that body? I wondered.

Instantly, I was flooded with self-pity, hopelessness, and
despair. I wouldn’t want to live, I thought.

It was then that I realized what a coward I must be, compared to
this guy. He seemed the least self-conscious person standing in
line. I felt grotesque, as I considered how I shrink from
challenges, large and small.

Like a kid, I tell myself I don’t want to do this or that, and
so I don’t. If he could only have a day indulging the
opportunities I turn down, it would be nothing less than heaven.

Traffic was light, heading back to LA. I easily made it to my
Black Belt class. The Sensei had us hitting bags. His
instruction was simple: Outdo anything you’ve ever done before.

I held nothing back, as the image of that fellow glowed in my
mind.

Over and again, with renewed spirit, I struck the bag for both
of us.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a popular keynote speaker, consultant,
and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books. He
is the author of the Nightingale-Conant audio program, The Law
Of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable. Gary teaches
Entrepreneurship and Consulting at UCLA Extension, and he is
President of Customersatisfaction.com and The Goodman
Organization, in Glendale, CA. He can be reached at
gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Ask yourself if you have anything to worry about right now? Are you anxious at this moment? Not tomorrow, not an hour ago, now. No, I didn’t think you were. You have just had a taste of being present. If you want to learn how to eliminate stress from your life, to have better relationships with others and most of all, a greater connectedness with yourself…learning to focus on the present is a powerful technique to do so. When I first heard the expression being present, I didn’t know what it meant? But I have discovered since then, that it is one of most powerful destressors you can ever use. It simply means that you give your full attention to the situation or person in front of you right now.

If you ever slow down and check your thought processes you will notice that you probably spend vast amounts of time brooding on the past and maybe even more speculating about the future. This all means that you are not paying attention to the very task or person in front of you that needs to be attended to. If you are obsessed with the past or wondering about the future it is very easy to miss the opportunity, the delight and joy that is right in front of you. Speculation can cause great mental suffering. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, I’ve been through some terrible things in my life….some of which actually happened.

In fact, if you watch your own thought processes, it’s interesting to observe how we can rapidly concoct a whole saga from random incidents. Next time you try on a garment in a shop and it doesn’t fit, watch how your thought processes can rapidly move from “it doesn’t fit” to “I’m fat and ugly” to “No one will ever love me” in the space of milliseconds and the suffering that causes you.

Being present doesn’t mean that you stop wanting to achieve and be ambitious. But it does mean that you enjoy the journey as much as the destination and because you are giving high quality, focussed attention to the tasks and people around you moment by moment it means that your path will be a smoother one. Begin by paying attention to small everyday tasks; washing your hands, driving. Slowly you will find that this habit of paying attention will take root in other areas of your life and will be a powerful change agent.

Five ways to be present

1 Pay attention to what your five senses are telling you now…what do you hear, smell?

2 Ask yourself…what is the one thing I have to do now?

3 Check in with yourself. What am I feeling right now?

4 Ask yourself, what would I do if this moment was exactly what I needed?

5 What am I thinking right now…simply observing what you are thinking can be an eye-opener!

Benefits of being present

1 Seeing the world and the people around you with fresh unbiased eyes.

2 Increased quality of work as you focus exclusively on the task in front of you.

3 Improved relationships with the people around you. Few things are more attractive than a person who is truly present.

4 Elimination of the “when x happens, then I’ll be happy ” mindset. Greater enjoyment and gratitude for what you currently have.

5 Greater awareness of current opportunities.

Anne Walsh is a life coach based in Co. Galway Ireland. You get a free personal development e-course (Personal Freedom) when you sign up for her monthly ezine Bring your best self to light at http://www.annewalshcoach.com It’s full of tips and hints on how you can be your best.

In my life, sleep is the number one way that I can either enhance my self-care and nourish myself or defeat my self-care and deplete my energy, peace of mind & productivity all in one shot.

When I’m rested I’m more resilient to stress. My body is more flexible and willing to work, my head is more clear and focused, I feel happier and more at peace and I’m nicer to myself AND to everyone else.

When I’m overtired, on the other hand - my body and my emotions feel more brittle. Unexpected turns can send me into a hurricane of a tizzy, my mind is foggy and I’m much less likely to be kind to you OR me.

I know this. I’ve known this for some time now. So, you’d think I consistently get enough sleep to make sure that first scenario happens all the time, right? After all, I AM the “Self-Care Coach”, my self-care must be perfect, right?

Well…….not so much.

As well as writing about sleep, I must mention another self-care concept here - in order to explain why I’m a bit bleary-eyed today. The concept is SELF-SABOTAGE.

The dictionary definition of sabotage is “an act or process tending to hamper or hurt” or “deliberate subversion”. Why on earth would we sabotage ourselves? That’s a complicated answer. And a simple one. We choose to.

Sometimes it’s so frightening to imagine changing, growing or making conscious choices that we deliberately hamper our own efforts. We make choices every minute of every day. Our life is up to us. These are intimidating thoughts. And doing things the way we’ve always done them feels safe and comforting.

I know I’ll feel so much better if I get a good night’s sleep. And sometimes, for whatever reasons, I don’t choose to “feel good”.

And when self-love and common sense win out and I AM able to do what I need to do in order to get a good night’s sleep, I am rewarded.

Aside from benefits I’ve already mentioned, a good night’s sleep can also have specific rewards for us creatively. A few months ago I came across an article titled “Does a good sleep make you smarter?” (www.msnbc.com, in the “Health” section). The article described a research project going on at the University of Luebeck in Germany, which has determined that a good sleep not only makes us smarter and better at problem-solving, but more creative as well!

The article points out that “history is dotted with incidents where artists and scientists have awakened to make their most notable contributions after long periods of frustration.”

In other words, when we’re struggling with a problem in the hours before sleep, our brains actually keep working on the problem while we’re sleeping, and the answer might just “pop out” in the morning!

So, the longer and more restful sleep that we have, the more time there is for our “sleeping brain” to work on the problem that our “awake brain” has been struggling with.

This relates to the common spiritual practice of praying, before bed, for the solution to a problem, or to the self-help practice of writing a question on a piece of paper and slipping that under your pillow before bed.

So what stops you from getting a good night’s sleep? How do you sabotage your efforts? Over-work? Television? Internet surfing or gaming? Food, drink or other substances that make it difficult to sleep? Irregular sleep habits?

Here are the five things that work best for ME for getting a good night’s sleep.

1. Turning off the computer and television one hour before I’d like to be asleep. This gives me time to wind down, quiet my thoughts and prepare myself for sleep.

2. Getting out of bed early on the weekends. This means I don’t stay up too late or sleep in too long on the weekends. I try and keep my bedtime and wake-up times within about an hour of what I do during the week. Otherwise I spend half the week getting re-adjusted and life’s too short!!

3. Giving up caffeine. Even before I gave it up completely, I really had to limit my caffeine and “just say no” anytime after about 5:00 p.m. or else the caffeine affected my sleep that night.

4. Breathing techniques and other relaxation exercises. Just a few minutes of deep breathing can calm me and send me right off to sleep.

The simplest tips are to focus on breathing from the belly (diaphragmatic breathing) and to focus on long exhalations (exhalation is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for relaxation).

5. Setting the scene with music. I use music both as I’m winding down and getting ready for bed, and as I’m going to sleep. I’ve experimented to find the music that best does the job for me; this is obviously a very individual choice.

I recommend either instrumental music or vocal music that is either without words or sung in a language you don’t understand (so you’re not mentally caught up in the words as you’re trying to fall asleep). Wind instruments (I like the shakuhachi flute) are nice since the natural breaths and pauses that the musician takes can mirror your own deep, slow breathing.

Have you ever woken up in the morning (or in the middle of the night!) with the solution to a problem, a new idea for a song, or another creative spark? That sounds like the work of a good night’s sleep!

This article was originally published on the Muses Muse Songwriter’s Resource website (January 2005) http://www.musesmuse.com.

(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. To receive her free monthly newsletter, “Everyday Artist”, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/artist-newsletter.html

Do you realise that if you’re green you’re growing and if you’re ripe you’re rotten? So says Winston Marsh, Business Marketing Guru in his recent newsletter.

Here’s an excerpt from it …

“Over the last week or so I have been presenting a series of seminars for MYOB throughout New Zealand and I have made an amazing discovery.

Most people would rather service their car than service their brain!

Now what do I mean by this? Well, quite simply, nobody gives a second thought to putting their car in for service or to get it fixed. They might moan and groan about the cost but they’ll still do it.

Why?

Because they need their car to get around! They rely on it and have become dependent on it. So, no matter what the cost, they get the car serviced or fixed or whatever. They might have to beg, borrow or steal to pay for it but they front up with the money and get it done.

But, it’s a whole different scene and set of feelings when it comes to an investment in the most important piece of machinery— that money making, good time creating piece of machinery called themselves.

So many people have truckloads of reasons and excuses as to why they can’t spend some time or money to get better at what they do… and some of the reasons are pathetic.”That’s the night that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is on” or “I’m too tired after work” or “I went to something like that once and I didn’t like it” or “I can’t afford it” or whatever are the reasons that they don’t invest in their brain.

Yet there’s only thing that will determine your income and level of success and that’s your brain … what you feed it on and how you use it determines your results. Look after it and fill it with new ideas and information and it will richly reward you. Neglect it and it will fade and fail.”

www.bgrowth.com.au

The Final Word

I’ve found that those people who do not invest time and money in themselves and rely on their employer to pay for their development, dance to someone else’s tune. They leave their future in someone else’s hands.

In fact most people drift along in life taking whatever is dished out to them.

They cannot ‘be bothered’ investing any extra time, money or energy in themselves. It’s much easier to float with the crowd.

I also notice that many of the clients I have who invest their own money into their coaching program are extremely committed to making changes into their lives. They move ahead in leaps and bounds compared to clients who have had their program funded by their company.

When you pay for something yourself, you are more likely to value it.

If you really want to move ahead in your life, isn’t it time that you started to invest in yourself?

About The Author

Lorraine specialises in working with businesspeople showing them how to dramatically boost their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess in their lives and have more time for enjoying their life. www.office-organiser.com.au, lorraine@office-organiser.com.au