Too often, family, friends and even clients phone me to say, “I thought I would talk to you because I have this thing that I need to do but I do not feel like working on it”. Say What?Initially, I started wondering…
I needed to dig deep to understand whether I should feel good or bad about this.
ContemplateReflecting on my conversations with everyone, I primarily thought that this was due to — what everyone tells me — my being a good listener. With a bit more pondering, it was clear that the urge to hustle comes from talking about their reasons for procrastinating — to me. I narrowed our motivational conversations and brainstorming chats to one question. I personally use the following method to move forward productively all the time. It became obvious that it works with others as well because the urgent requests to chat, when needing to beat dawdling, keep coming from friends, family members and clients. One Reflective QuestionHere is the one question you need to ask yourself to slay the dragon of procrastination:
When I use it, I focus on the task at hand. For example, when I am not eager to write my blog, I ask:
And finally, writing my blog is part of my mission to increase career literacy. This reflection process doesn’t take too long and soon I get the urge to set the timer for 30 minutes thinking that I will just write for 30 minutes and stop. Notice how I transitioned from procrastinating to working on the task? Here is another example. You need to start working on a project. You know that it needs a couple of hours at least but you find yourself delaying and finding excuses. “In a few minutes” quickly changes to “later” until a few hours go by and you still haven’t started. Depending on your situation, your reflective questions will have a few possibilities:
Why are YOU Doing THIS?Take a few minutes to answer the questions and see what happens. Your answer/s should motivate you to start working on the project.
I use a timer if the urge to start working is not that strong. 20 to 30 minutes are usually enough. You can use the timer on your phone like I do but there are many timer apps available that you could use such as, Promofocus Now it is YOUR turn. Fill in the blank Why am I…? Stay reflecting and keep moving forward productively! Need more ideas? Let me know.
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HodaI am Hoda Kilani, Career and Academic Coach. I work with students, parents, teachers and community partners using the latest strategies to nudge you to innovatively craft your career journey your way. ContactInvest 1 hour in your success. Book a free consultation to learn how Hoda helps you succeed.
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Dr. Hoda Kilani
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