You’re not a bad person if you procrastinate. Psychologists say procrastinators think ‘global’ instead of ‘local’. They think so big that they neglect small important details and since the big is too huge to tackle, they end up…yes…deferring everything!

Some smart steps:

Start.

Don’t think about the size of the project and about completing it; instead commit yourself wholly and only to starting it. Poof! Pressure dissolves like mist in sunshine. Just starting is no big deal, yes?

Commit to continuing for only five minutes.

Go on for another five. That’s 10. You could touch 20 to 25 minutes this way.

Get into the magic.

As you get into the flow, you’ll become more involved. This is where a magical force called momentum takes over. You keep going on its smooth flow and the work seems do-able.

Hold on to this key word ‘do-able’.

When you feel the reluctance stir, lase your attention on the do-able and start immediately. As you employ this strategy daily, you’ll chip away at the procrastinating attitude. Starting does that, it breaks the inertia and fills you with instant energy.

Form the habit of doing everything now.

Make now your second key word for any task that pops into your mind. This is far superior to adding it to your to-do list which only piles pressure as the not-done tasks pile up.

Reward yourself after completing a task that you’d have postponed earlier.

A reward is a welcome mat for the new will-do attitude.

Rev up your body by doing 10 windmills vigorously front-to-back, then back-to-front. They charge you up and you’re ready to go.

This kind of mental conditioning will stand you in good stead all your life. Instead of being plagued by frustration, guilt, and stress, you’ll be on top of the situation. And that, my friend, is hugely empowering.

At the end of the day, it’s not how much you do that matters, it’s the strength you find inside yourself.

(The writer is the co-author of the book Fitness for Life and teacher of the Fitness for Life programme.)

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