The major reason why we put aside some work for later when we can really do it right away is the tendency of the human brain to value immediate rewards more highly than future rewards.
Rather than letting life take it’s course then end up wasting a lot of time, the good news is that, there are few simple actions that we can deliberately implement to help overcome this. Here are some practical actions you can start applying today that will definitely yield positive results.
1. Create Commitment devices
A commitment device is a step that one takes in the present which restricts ones set of choices in future as a means of controlling future impulsive behavior thus limiting choices that impact negatively on long term goals .
To develop a saving culture, you can start by setting up an automatic transfer from your main account to your savings account. You can reduce the amount of time spent on your phone by deleting some of the apps that consume most of your time such as social media apps or games.
The above are just examples and you can apply a similar strategy to your kind of situation. This will help you become the architect of your future actions and not a victim of them.
2. Start Working
The pain and the guilt of procrastination is actually more frustrating than doing the work itself. Once you begin, you will notice it is a lot easier. Establishing the habit of getting started will help you get a lot done without much friction.
On a moment-to-moment basis, being in the middle of doing the work is usually less painful than being in the middle of Procrastinating, Eliezer Yudkowsky.
3. Create an Implementation Intention
Create a deliberate intention to work on a particular task at a particular place and a particular time.
There are days when you just zone out. On such days you are less likely to be productive. If you are not careful time will slip away without you doing anything worthwhile.
In order to take charge of such days, creating a deliberate working plan by allocating a specific time and place can save you. Say for example you can say you will work out at 1600hrs for one hour. Your aim is to make sure you get to the gym by 1600hrs and put yourself to work.
It is one thing to create a schedule and a different thing to implement the schedule. Your intension to implement the schedule makes a huge difference.
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