Structured Procrastination 4 Lean Strategies You Can Use To Innovate Your Life Wouldn’t it be great if we could extract the strategies that go into developing the world’s greatest technological advances and use them for our own personal development? The most common methodology used today to bring about these advances is the lean innovation strategy. When Eric Ries released his book The Lean Startup in 2011 his approach to product development created a global movement. Here are four tips for innovating your life by going lean: 1. When Apple first thought of the iPod, Steve Jobs didn’t specifically set out saying he wanted a device with a stainless steel back, a navigating scroll wheel, and storage for your entire music library. As humans, we often disregard our long-term goals because we want immediate benefits for our actions. Like Apple, your vision is the most critical part of achieving what you want in life and enjoying it along the way. 2. One thing is certain about innovation; the final product is always much different than the original idea. So why do we? 3.
Seven Steps to Developing a New Habit How long does it take to develop a new habit? The time period can be any length from a single second to several years. The speed of new habit pattern development is largely determined by the intensity of the emotion that accompanies the decision to begin acting in a particular way.Many people think, talk about and resolve to lose weight and become physically fit. Receive my FREE report: Discovering Your Talents Suddenly, the thought of dying can be so intense or frightening that the individual immediately changes his diet, begins exercising, stops smoking and becomes a healthy and fit person. For example, putting your hand on a hot stove or touching a live electrical wire will give you an intense and immediate pain or shock. According to the experts, it takes about 21 days to form a habit pattern of medium complexity. How do you develop a new habit? Seven Steps to Developing a New Habit Second, never allow an exception to your new habit pattern during the formative stages.
Procrastination Killer How to Avoid Procrastination: Think Concrete New study finds procrastination is warded off by considering tasks in concrete terms. Although procrastination is usually thought of as something to be avoided, this hasn’t always been the case. Surveying the history of procrastination Dr Piers Steel finds that before the industrial revolution procrastination might have been seen in neutral terms (Steel, 2007; PDF). Nowadays, though, for those living in technically advanced societies, procrastination has become a ‘modern malady': everything must be done now or, even better, three weeks ago. For good or evil there are now endless to-do lists to work through, appointments that must be kept and commitments that have to be fulfilled. Whatever the cause many people certainly view their procrastination as a problem. It’s all in the construal In a new study published recently in Psychological Science McCrea, Liberman, Trope & Sherman (2008) examined one possible technique for decreasing procrastination. Abstract construal.
Is This a Morning Task? Scheduling Important Activities for the Right Time of Day When are you at your most energetic? © iStockphoto/LP7 Like many of us, Alys's job has a mix of regular, routine duties that are usually urgent – as well as longer-term, more important tasks that are usually less urgent. She spends her mornings on the urgent tasks that she must get done. The problem is that she's a morning person. In this article, we'll examine how to find your best time of day (or week), and how to schedule tasks around that. Note: OK, some things do have to be done right away. Step 1: Find Your Peak Times Each one of us has a different "peak time" or highest-energy time during the day. Most people know instinctively when their "up" times are and when their "down" times are. If you're not sure when your peak times are... ... for the complete article: Mind Tools Club members, click here. Join the Mind Tools Club to finish this article AND get 1,000 more resources Join now for just $1, first month
How to Say ‘No’ and Make it Stick “‘No’ may be the most powerful word in the language, but it’s also potentially the most destructive, which is why it’s hard to say,” says William Ury, director of the Global Negotiations Project at Harvard University, and author of”The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes. Ury believes that saying no is so difficult because it surfaces the “tension between exercising your power and tending to your relationship.” In other words, you want to put your foot down and be true to your convictions. My neighbor often asks me to go on errands with her. That’s why many people choose avoidance (like pulling down the blinds and telling the kids not to answer the door when the neighbor comes calling). A winning solution, says this negotiation specialist, is to sandwich your “no” between two “yeses.” Take my wimpy approach to my neighbor dilemma. “Your friendship is valuable to me. That’s pretty much Commons Sense 101, but I can surely benefit from a refresher.
Beat Procrastination and Get Motivated with The Procrastination Equation Very Clever. The science that I have discovered works well for turning procrastination into the jet fuel for success is determining what the stumbling block/fear is and discovering what information that feeling has to tell as to what to do next. Using the science of emotions, clients are able to know what is needed in the moment to move forward. What we resist – fight – persists. It is not about the forcing and managing procrastination and using behavior modification strategies to out wit procrastination but rather about aligning with your feelings and acting on the information they have to offer. Going from the inside out vs outside in, you have a reliable system that works every time.
Procrastination and the Long Queue I taught my first class last week at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts in Waltham. I’ll write up my thoughts on the experience some other time, but what’s on my mind right now is how the pressure of producing something everyday created a different working mentality. This week, as I start catching up on a half-dozen projects with looming deadlines, I’m again struck by the difference between last week and this week. Last week, I only had time to focus on what was going to happen either right now (in the classroom) or the next immediate day. The combination of external constraints (the regular daily schedule + long commute) and immediate feedback (seeing if the curriculum materials I prepared worked out) created a very productive system. I didn’t have much time to reflect before the task; I just had to get it done. This week, faced with a list of dozens of things to get out of the way, each with a somewhat flexible deadline, I am back to my old ways, figuring out: Ready are you?
How To Set Goals For The Life You Actually Want It’s a commonly accepted sentiment that setting goals will lead you to success. Many of us believe life will be better by reaching those goals, so we make our plans, put our nose to the grindstone, and work our butts off until we’re there. Many high achievers I’ve worked with over the years reach their goals, but they end up missing their lives in the process--and not in a trivial “I’m-working-too-hard-to-have-friends” kind of way. No, they reach their goals and discover they were the wrong goals and the wrong path to get there. No one taught them how to set goals that would give them the life and the career they wanted. Here’s how to set the right goals for the life you actually want: 1. The first step to setting goals that will bring you an awesome life is to stop setting goals that will bring you a sucky life. Most goals are about a destination. 2. Instead of setting life goals, think about setting a life direction. Ask yourself: How do I want to spend my time? Now set your goal. 3.
Visualization Exercises & How to Do It Why do visualization exercises produce results? Have you ever found yourself crying while watching a sad movie, you know it is not real, but the impression your brain is receiving is real and it produces tears. WHY? Fact: Research has shown that the same neuro-pathways in the brain are activated when you vividly imagine experiencing something as when you actually do it. Using your mind to create an image of what you want creates a strong impression on the brain and helps improve performance and get results. A waitress who says “How about a slice of our famous hot apple pie with scoop of our homemade vanilla ice cream and topped with fresh delicious whipped cream?” In the first example the waitress is painting a vivid picture in the customer’s mind. Athletes apply this principle when imagining having won a competition prior to the actual event. Remember: Visualization is not about seeing yourself trying to succeed at some point in the future. Everyone visualizes differently.
The Science Behind Procrastination & How To Manage It Procrastinating is such an annoying habit, even to the people who are doing it. I read an article a while back (I wish I could remember where) that said creative people are typically procrastinators. This happens for two reasons. First, because creative individuals need to feel inspired in order to work on something, and if they aren’t inspired, they’ll procrastinate the task until later. Creative people also often procrastinate because they are perfectionists when it comes to their craft, and if they don’t feel like they have enough time to complete the project to their rigid standards, they’ll procrastinate it until later. According to this video, there is a human tendency to over or underestimate a reward based on its temporal proximity. In other words, the science behind procrastination all comes down to how human beings relate to time (which from a physics standpoint I think is a bit skewed anyway – but I’ll save that for another article). The Science Behind Procrastination
How to Be a Productive Procrastinator