How big can you be?
In my previous post, Procrastination – Is This an Alternative Solution?, I suggested that waiting till we feel like doing something before we do it, may very well be a convenient way to feed a procrastination habit.
What if we got rid of the “I must first feel like doing it ” barrier, allow ourselves to feel whatever we are feeling and just do it anyway? In other words, exercise our will.
The truth of the matter is that this works because we all do it sometimes, however we don’t apply this method consistently and there are two reasons why we don’t:
You don’t really want to do whatever it is you are resisting doing or you have given your power away.
Here’s how to deal with both of these:
Let go of that which is not yours -
You may think you want to do something but you could have this on your ‘to do’ list because someone else thinks it’s a great idea, not you.
If you don’t genuinely want to do something then there’s only one way to deal with this. Be honest! Get rid of it and you’ll stop causing yourself unnecessary self-suffering. Period.
And secondly,
Let your ‘inner giant’ shine -
Sometimes the task at hand feels too overwhelming, not because it is, but because you have allowed it to grow into a big scary mountain which seems insurmountable. When you reach this point you have given whatever activity you don’t want to do, power over you. It’s time to let your ‘inner giant’ stand up and be heard.
Try saying and ‘feeling’ this affirmation many times throughout your day. Make it a mantra.
“I am, I can and I will”
Simply by saying these words out loud often, you will FEEL more powerful and you will BE more powerful.
Secondly you must downsize the scary mountain. Instead of becoming overwhelmed by the big picture break it down into smaller pieces.
Depending on what it is you want to do, reduce the quantity or time or both.
Let’s look at an example in action:
If you have 2000 emails to sort through, don’t focus on the big number. The very thought of having to work through so many will stop you in your tracks. What if you decided to sort through 20, 50 or 100 a day until they were all done? Wouldn’t this be a lot less intimidating? By doing this you will have reduced the quantity.
You could also reduce the time. Thinking about how long it would take to work through 2000 emails might put you off ever starting, but if you set yourself a period every day of say 30 minutes to sort through as many emails as you can in that time, wouldn’t this be more acceptable as a plan of action?
By consciously “standing tall” and reducing the task so that it becomes more attractive to achieve, you will be bigger than it and you will conquer it eventually.
When have you had something on your ‘to do list’ that you needed to drop because it wasn’t what you really wanted to do? Do you have something now that needs to go?
What task have you resisted doing which when you broke it down into manageable pieces you got done? Do you have something now that you can reduce?
Be Happy!
Post Image: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/451846
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“I am, I can and I will” Is a words that comes from a confident person. If we are decided to reach a goal we should be focused and have faith to our self that we can do it.
Julie Hayes recently posted..kabbalah
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Marcus Baker Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 1:56 am
Hi Julie,
Welcome and thank you for leaving a comment.
Absolutely agree with you and when we say these words we feel confident because we are.
“I am” implies that I need nothing else. I am complete and because of this I can do anything and therefor I will do anything I want to do.
~Marcus
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Great article, adds a bit of inspiration to a post about procrastination for designers that I’m currently working on.
What works for me, and something I always share with my colleagues is, one piece at a time. No matter the problem, just like you mentioned when broken up can become a better experience to work through.
David Y recently posted..Never Give Up
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Marcus Baker Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 1:36 am
Hi David,
Welcome and thanks for leaving a comment.
“One piece at a time” reminds me of the answer to that silly but pertinent joke about “How do you eat an elephant?”
~Marcus
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Hi Marcus,
I enjoyed reading your post.
It’s true that a big task can look too scary or overwhelming in the beginning. Experience taught me that small steps and discipline in following them is a strong combination.
When I’m overwhelmed this affirmation works very well: I am because ” I am because I think I am, I can because I think I can”. The formula can be adjusted for every task or trait you want to have.
In the beginning it was difficult for me to write a blog post…Only the idea scared me. Yet, I decided to spend some time researching ideas, then looking for more information, create the main ideas for my post and finally to write content based on those ideas. Little by little it became easy and fun to write
Finally, I believe that small steps can make your work more attractive and productive
Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Peace and joy,
Radu
Radu recently posted..13 effective ways to promote your blog: Part 2
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 12:58 am
Hi Radu,
Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a great comment.
I love that affirmation you use too Radu!
What you say is so true. What seems daunting at first becomes easier and often a lot of fun with practice but this only happens wen we take action.
Blessings!
~Marcus
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Hi Marcus,
I used to be pretty good about doing things I didn’t want to do. I used to do these things first, like “Eat that Frog.” But as of late, I have become really bad…
And yes, there is something I have been supposed to start doing Monday and it’s Friday now. I haven’t started it because it’s something I’ve never done before and it seems to be a huge task. But then, if I would break it down in small pieces it shouldn’t be all that bad. So, I’ll get on it later this afternoon.
Thanks for the push!
Have a great weekend!
Ilka
Ilka Flood recently posted..Thanks, For Not Dying Mom! – Part 2
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Marcus Baker Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 12:51 am
Hi Ilka,
Great that you reminded me about “Eat That Frog” – I love that book!
I hope that you did get to that task Ilka and that you broke it down??
I am quite good at doing what I don’t want to do because I had lots of practice as a kid.
I would always eat what I didn’t want to eat on my dinner plate first (usually peas!) and then I could enjoy what I did most like without worrying about what I didn’t want to eat! LOL
~Marcus
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Yes! Thank you! Get rid of what is not yours. So many times we try to hold on to too many things that are just weighing us done and we just need to take responsibility for where were are directing our energy, and why waist it on things that are a dead end?
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Marcus Baker Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 12:46 am
Hi June,
Welcome and thank you for leaving a comment.
Funny how we often feel the need to hold on to what is not ours especially when it does not serve us. We are so immensely powerful when we exercise our free will.
~Marcus
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So inspirational!
“I am, I can and I will”
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Marcus Baker Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 12:44 am
Hi Sam,
I love saying those words. To be honest when I do I kw I can take on anything!
~Marcus
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Good one Marcus,
I’ve never been the person you would classify as a procrastinator. I’m the type of person that if you say you’re going to do it then do it. Stop with the I can’t because the truth is you just won’t. None of that flies with me I’m afraid.
Since I joined the online industry there have been a lot of things that are way out of my comfort zone that I’ve had to eventually do. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I procrastinated about them because I won’t say I’m going to do something if I’m not. I just won’t say it one way or the other.
But if we don’t just do it, we won’t grow. It’s like a little kid learning how to ride a bike. It’s scary, we are afraid we will fall but if we don’t just do it, we’ll never learn how.
That’s just a part of life!
Adrienne recently posted..Facebook Update #259
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 12:43 am
Hi Adrienne,
Exactly Adrienne which is why waiting till we feel like doing a lot of things till we do them is totally flawed.
If this was true I would never go to the dentist for instance as I never feel like going. The fact of the matter is we don’t have to feel like doing everything before we do it. All you have to do is accept what you have to do and then do it.
The problem arises when we don’t empower our will and instead wait for some magical feeling to descend first.
Thank you for sharing your personal perspective here.
~Marcus
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Loving this one! I may have been causing a lot of self-suffering and now I’ll follow you and be honest with myself!
Easther recently posted..10 of the Best Blog Performance Gameplan Of All Time
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Marcus Baker Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 12:30 am
Hi Esther,
Welcome an thanks for leaving a comment.
Sometimes we just don’t use the power we have to make our lives easier. When we know and believe that we are powerful beings then nothing can get in our way.
~Marcus
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Hi Marcus,
Simple and actionable tips here, especially the note about timing tasks.
I write 3 blog posts each day. I time tasks, setting aside a specific amount of time to write each post and promote across all channels. Thinking about writing and promoting 3 posts seemed daunting until I broke it down. Doing things step by step and setting aside small blocks of time to complete these tasks makes the tasks more easy to handle.
Thanks!
Ryan
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..4 Tips to Help Grow Your Home Based Opportunity While Travelling
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
September 25th, 2011 at 12:28 am
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for sharing your specific example with us. It does not matter how big a task is we can accomplish anything when we take control of our approach which is exactly what you are doing Ryan.
~Marcus
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Great topic Marcus. In regards to 2000 emails I could see how someone would be resistant to wanting to tackle that long project.
Tony Robbins talks about “chunking” things down into manageable pieces because this won’t overwhelm the brain/mind.
I have to agree about letting go of things that others want us to do. Without leverage and motivation it would be hard to accomplish something that is not our desire.
Justin recently posted..The Ego Mind And The Higher Mind
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Marcus Baker Reply:
September 24th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Hi Justin,
It’s common sense but sometimes we forget that we can make decisions that move us forward.
Appreciate your comment Justin.
~Marcus
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Hi Marcus, I just love this I am, I can and I Will.. This article gives me motivation to work and aim for the things I want.
ElizabethCrux recently posted..Buy Forex
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 5:01 am
Hi Elizabeth,
Welcome and thanks for for the feedback. It’s a great affirmation to use.
~Marcus
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Hi Marcus,
Nice article! One of my favorite ways to overcome procrastination is to focus the end results. This gives me the motivation to keep moving forward. I like what you have said her “I can and I will.” If we change our focus from negative to positive, then we are destined to win at whatever we want in life. Thanks for sharing
Dia recently posted..My life is so messed up
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 4:53 am
Hi Dia,
Focusing on the end goal is a great way to make sure we get to where we want to go. We have to learn to tell the story of where we are going rather than where we are and why are going.
Thanks for adding to the discussion Dia.
~Marcus
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Marcus, aloha. Removing “shoulds” either our own or what other people think we “should” do is huge. Oftentimes people don’t even realize they are carrying “shoulds” until they come across a post such as this that flips the switch so the light can go on.
Your e-mail me smile as I thought of a friend who had a staggering number to read. She was busy and said she would read them this summer when she had time. My suggestion was that she delete all of them or at least the months’ old ones and start anew.
She said “oh no, I should read them; there might be something important or something I should know.” My response was that since she was functioning fine without that knowledge she could continue to do so.
Also, I pointed out to her that if the system “dumped” them all, she would lose them & she would be starting over. She couldn’t do that either.
My final comment was on the amount of time she would be wasting going through them all because she opens them all before deleting rather than delete hundreds without opening. That too fell on deaf ears.
Marcus, when I feel that I have too much going on or that I am not spending my time where I most want to, I look at the tasks at hand. Then I ask myself would it matter a day from now, a week from now or a year from now if I didn’t do it. What I do is listen to how I feel in response and make my decisions accordingly.
To me, Marcus, chunking down any task makes sense. It’s the old “how do you eat an elephant?” “One bite at a time.”
Happily, Marcus, I can now delete things from my list with ease.
Enjoy a glorious week, my friend. Until later, aloha. Janet
Janet recently posted..12 Thought Provoking Quotes on Attitude
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
September 27th, 2011 at 8:39 am
Janet aloha. Loved reading your advice to your friend about reading emails. I have to say that I have in the past deleted large chunks of emails and it made no difference to my life at all. Sometimes it is indeed better to get the obstacle out of the path in any way possible.
It reminds me too about when people are surprised that I don’t watch or read news. They always ask but what if you miss something important? I delight in telling them if it’s so important someone will tell me and until then I release it all.
I so agree with you about listening to how you feel in response to internal inquiry Janet. This is the way I make decisions too.
Thank you for always adding value here Janet. Wishing you a wonderful remainder of the week.
~Marcus
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Powerful words indeed Marcus!
Words like these – especially because they’re so simple and concise – have a mighty resonance to them. I’m not usually one who can, but saying them evokes subtle feelings, and a quality of confidence and clarity.
‘The journey of a thousand miles begins one step at a time’ is another ‘old chestnut’ I’ll add to the elephant joke you mentioned further up in the comments… This timeless wisdom can be more imbibed and known when held together with the kind of intention that you’ve laid out here.
It’s inspiring stuff. Thanks as ever my friend
Jym recently posted..CommentLuv Premium Is Revolutionizing the Power of Blog Commenting. Here’s What You Need to Know
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
September 28th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Hi Jym,
It is amazing how affirming the words are Jym, I think mainly because they affirm our innate power.
Love that ‘old chestnut’ too!
Always great to read your comments Jym. Hope you’re having a fantastic week.
~Marcus
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“I am, I can, I will!” Woot! You said it Marcus!
We need to tell ourselves we can and feel confident that we can, before we CAN. We all have arms and legs, but if we keep telling ourselves that we can’t climb that mountain, then guess what, we will NEVER climb that mountain! By telling yourself you WILL, you begin the attempt. Will you make it the first time? Maybe, maybe not. The point is you started. You will get better. The next time you get further or even all the way up there! We must learn to encourage ourselves and make that step!
Great article Marcus!
Brock Blohm recently posted..My Epic Weekend In Phoenix
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Marcus Baker Reply:
September 28th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Hi Brock,
I knew you would like that mantra Brock because it’s one that defines how you approach what you do. While it’s good to use someone else to coach us I believe we need to become our own best success coach!
Thanks for adding more value here Brock.
~Marcus
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Hi Marcus,
awesome post, thanks for sharing your insights.
Your advice reminds me of the saying:”You can eat an elephant. One bite at a time.”
Especially when it comes to emails, the best way to deal with them is scanning through them and deleting 90 % of them.
I subscribed to a whole bunch of RSS feeds through Google reader. When I was a few days away, it’s impossible to read all of these posts and I don’t have to read them – it’s my choice. Here, the “Mark all as read”-button comes very handy.
What that means is, before we do something or even before we delegate something, we should ask ourselves if these tasks have to be done and what happened if we just eliminated them.
Love that mantra: “I am, I can and I Will.”
Be blessed
Oliver
Oliver Tausend recently posted..Can A Weekend Change Your Life ? About Faith…MLM Success With Think And Grow Rich And Oliver Tausend Pt. 18
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
September 28th, 2011 at 8:06 am
Hi Oliver,
Funny I did think of elephant eating analogy when I wrote this post and a few people have mentioned it comments too which just goes to show how effective analogies are.
I agree with you. I often just delete huge numbers if emails when I have been unable to read them and one does not miss a thing.
I like the idea of asking if we eliminate a task whether it will make a difference at all. I guess also asking whether if we don’t do certain things whether that will make a difference too.
Always appreciate your input Oliver. Thank you.
~ Marcus
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I love the points you’ve brought up in this article- especially asking myself if something is on my “to-do” list because I want to do it or because someone else thinks it’s a great idea.
I have found positive and healthy growth by following the suggestions of others, even if a new idea is uncomfortable to me at first. The key here is my motivation behind following someone else’s suggestion- I have to do it for the right reasons for me!
I also love your suggestion to break tasks down into smaller, more manageable tasks and I do this all the time!
When I don’t want to do something that needs to be done because it’s important and necessary, I often decide to spend 15 minutes on the task, and then take a break and do something else.
I love doing this because I feel a sense of accomplishment with every small bit of the task I complete, and I don’t wear myself out by taking on too much at once!
Thanks for the great article, Marcus!
Chrysta
Chrysta Bairre recently posted..How To Manage Change
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
September 30th, 2011 at 2:59 am
Hi Chrysta,
Great to read how you have put some of these principles to work with success Chrysta.
I agree with you that when one enjoys a small success it motivates one to push on and do it again .
One becomes “hooked” on the feeling of accomplishment rather than focusing on the actual task which one may still not particularly enjoy.
~Marcus
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Wow! This is truly inspiration.
“I am, I can and I Will”
I liked your 2000 email example. My blog is under a month old and reading this article made me feel better.
KC recently posted..Cool Math A Review
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
October 9th, 2011 at 8:07 am
Hi KC,
Thanks for the feedback. I am pleased you were inspired by those words. Remember them and say them often, every day if you must. It’s all about feeling good for as much of our time as we can. Then we let great things come into our lives.
~Marcus
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These words itself seem so encouraging filled with lots of positive energy. No one can beat a positive attitude person rather then himself by not following his own attitude…
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Marcus Baker Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 8:25 am
Hi Claire,
Thank you. There is something very special about saying these words as they affirm our very “beingness”.
~Marcus
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Yes , would say these are very inspirational words itself.. one can feel more energetic and lively.. The more you filled with energy the more work you can do… basically speaking these lines can be taken as positive attitude.. If you are positive about something you would surely do wonders..
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I love the suggestion of either reducing the task at hand to tiny chunks that are achievable or reducing the time you want to focus on getting the job done.
When things you want to achieve are broken down into tiny chunks then it is less tasking and becomes easier to go through. The key is to stay consistent. This is the whole idea of the concept of the slight edge. As you do these things consistently, momentum will kick in and you will be surprised to see that your task is done.
Thanks for sharing, Marcus. I’ve learned a lot from this post.
Etieno Etuk recently posted..4 Steps To Shifting & Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
[Reply]
Marcus Baker Reply:
November 16th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Hi Etieno,
Little by little as in The Slight Edge is what it’s all about. The fact is that when we do this we experience less resistance and self doubt so the momentum has no option but to carry us forward effortlessly.
I appreciate your comment Etieno.
~Marcus
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