The Daily Mind
Daily Steps To Mindful Living
It’s very easy to convince yourself to put difficult jobs to one side, and much more difficult to actually get started on them. This might seem like a good short term solution, but in the long run, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. So here are some tips to help you get started on those jobs you always put off:
[Read more…] about Tips for Starting That Job You’ve Been Putting OffOriginally posted on April 17, 2019 @ 10:00 am
You may be on a path to self-sabotage without knowing it. Dictionaries define sabotage as willful acts of destroying something or someone so that it does not work or succeed.
If your destructive actions are directed towards yourself, that’s self-sabotage. People resort to these types of behavior as coping mechanisms to deal with pressures or external demands, or to maintain their comfort zones because of feelings of unworthiness.
[bctt tweet=”People resort to self-destructive behavior as coping mechanisms to deal with pressures or external demands, or to maintain their comfort zones because of feelings of unworthiness. ” username=”thedailyminder”]
[Read more…] about Are You Sabotaging Your Own Life?
Originally posted on June 18, 2018 @ 11:00 am
If you’re wondering why your life seems so stressful and are trying to figure out why, you might want to take a moment to look at yourself because YOU might actually be the major reason behind all the stress you’re having to deal with on a daily basis.
Life will always find a way to throw curve balls at you, inevitably making you feel stressed from time to time, but if you don’t watch the way you think and act your habits will amplify the stress and make it harder to cope with daily stressors. Here’s a list of 7 habits commonly exhibited by people who claim to be perpetually stressed. If you’re the sort of person who often feels drained at the end of the day, no matter how uneventful the day might have been, you’ll probably find yourself checking one item after another on the list below.
Photo Credit: CileSuns
7 Common Habits of the Perpetually Stressed
1. Negative thinking – If you don’t think much about what you think and how you think, chances are that you also fall prey to negative thinking. Think about it. What comes to mind first when something doesn’t go your way? How do you talk to yourself when you make a mistake? If your thoughts automatically turn to the negative, then you can be sure that this is adds to your daily stress levels in a major way. You need to re-train yourself to be a positive thinker and change this bad habit starting NOW. Yes, you’ve got to start now and stop thinking that it’s too hard and start by telling yourself that you can do it. Remember, positive affirmations to yourself goes a long way!
[Read more…] about 7 Common Habits of the Perpetually Stressed
Originally posted on September 16, 2013 @ 1:09 pm
Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. – William James
It’s midyear exam time for students around the world. I thought I’d do a post on procrastinating to hopefully help some of them out. If you know someone studying at the moment why not email them this article as a friendly reminder to work harder!
Procrastination is the art of putting things off until later. Many people are notorious procrastinators; their entire life is wasted putting off projects until a later time. The thing about procrastination is that is causes stress and anxiety. When we don’t get things done right away we think about it over and over again. In this post I am going to talk about how to beat procrastination and get things done now.
Before you can solve any problem you need to know the cause of the problem. It is like treating a disease. If you do not know what causes the disease there is no way to find a cure. Procrastination is the same. We need to know what causes people to behave like this. Once we know that we can attack the cause instead of running around trying to deal with every symptom that procrastination causes.
Many psychologists belive that people procrastinate as a way to cope with the stress that is associated with beginning a new task. This makes good sense. If you have a major thesis due it is much easier to find excuses as to why not to start writing than it is to make a plan, do research, write a draft, etc.
I have noticed that I do this many times during a day. For example, if I have just had a half an hour off work to have lunch I will put off going back to work for as long as I can. If I really think about this behavior it is probably because I am avoiding the stress of starting work again.
Psychologists cite a whole host of others reason as to why we procrastinate. Some say it is a fear of big tasks while other say it is about not wanting to interrupt the natural flow of life with “less meaningful” tasks. Others say it is a form of laziness. Still others say it is about impulsiveness meaning that the person gives in to every little impulse thus never getting around to starting those big important ones.
However, I believe there is one bigger cause. [Read more…] about How to Stop Procrastinating and Get Things Done Now
Originally posted on July 1, 2008 @ 1:12 am
As I say this, I must admit that I’m guilty of it. I have this bad habit of postponing action on tasks that needed to be done yesterday, or a week or month ago. That’s why quotes about procrastination are very useful. I read them to motivate me into writing that article, making that important phone call, or doing personal and social tasks that have been beckoning to me for action.
If you’re anything like me, you probably make all kinds of excuses to delay pursuing your plans. But what good are plans if they stay on the blueprint indefinitely? That said, here are procrastination quotes to help you overcome your penchant for putting things off until later. Some of them resonate with me so much that I make them my mantra for when I’m meditating.
So, in no particular order, these are favorite quotes about procrastination that I turn to when I need that extra push.
” The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit. We don’t just put off our lives today; we put them off till our deathbed.
– Steven Pressfield, American author
Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness heavy.
Wayne Gretzsy, NHL Hall of Famer
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
Abraham Lincoln
Persistence is very important. You should not give up until you are forced to give up.
Elon Musk
The only difference between success and failure is the ability to take action.
Alexander Graham Bell
You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started.
David Allen, productivity consultant
If you have goals and procrastination, you have nothing. If you have goals and you take action, you will have anything you wnat.
Thomas J. Vilord, financial adviser
Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.
William James, 19th century philosopher
When you’re inundated with an endless list of tasks all clamouring for your attention and action, it can get overwhelming. You don’t know which one to do first or where to start, and procrastination becomes the order of the day. To overcome this state, make a list of what you have to do and rank them according to priority. Then focus on the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
You’ll find that when you’ve completed a project, it gives you a feeling of accomplishment and inspires you to go on to the next task.
Purposes give you an incentive to act instead of procrastinating on a project or task. What do you get out of completing a project? Keep your purpose in mind. If you’re a freelancer, a task done as scheduled means more time for other projects and that equates to more money earned to pay the bills and pursue your interests. For regular workers, it’s points for good performance and a probable step up the corporate ladder.
Review your daily/weekly/monthly to-do list and take note of the activities you didn’t do as scheduled. They belong on your “didn’t do” list. Highlight the repeaters, those tasks that always appear because they remain undone, and prioritize them, then plan to accomplish one every week until you have crossed out everything in the list.
I know…this is contrary to what management trainers and life coaches advise. But, as with detail-thinking, looking at the big picture can lead to procrastination when you are engulfed by anxiety and fear of not being able to achieve the end goal.
If you’re tasked to come up with a powerful strategic plan within a certain time frame, don’t think of the project in its entirety. Instead, break down the plan in chunks and accomplish them in sequential order. Set milestones to motivate you and give you a sense of achievement.
Quotes become such because they strike a chord deep within us. They put into words what we think and feel. Quotes on procrastination push and motivate us into action because they inspire us and open our minds to the consequences of putting off tasks and projects for another day.
Keep a list of the procrastination quotes most meaningful to you. It could be in your notes on your phone or on pen and paper. Read them when you feel like you’re not getting anywhere with what you’re doing.
