Breaking the associations

Welcome to today's issue of The Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine. The e-zine of Motivateme: Breaking the Procrastination Habit. http://www.motivateme.info. Thank you for forwarding this issue onto family, friends and any other interested readers.  Please note all back issues of this newsletter are available from - http://www.motivateme.info/ezine-archive/

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As you are aware by now, Procrastination is a habit, and just like all those other "bad" habits we have, we must either accept that we have them and manage them as best we can, or we can begin to break them, and start the slow process of getting more out of every day.

But how do you begin to break the procrastination habit?

Whilst the Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine can offer you hints, tips and suggestions - it all comes down to you, and whether you want to get rid of the habit or not. Believe me when I say that some people revel in the fact that they delay starting things, they leave things to the last minute (they work better under pressure!!!!), they delay making the phone calls or having the conversations that are holding them back....sometimes in the mistaken belief that the "problem" will sort itself out and sometimes because they are afraid of the ramifications of having those calls and conversations.

Is that you? Are you afraid to take a cold, hard look at your life and get ready to discard those beliefs and behaviours that are holding you back from being all that you can be, seeing all that you can see, and doing all that you can do? Believe me when I say it is easy to pretend that everything is all right, and you'll get there eventually...when the universe smiles on you, or you win the lottery.

One of the best ways I have found to break the procrastination habit is to break the association with the habit that you have.

Today I want you to do yourself a big favour, and look at everything that you do as if you are having to explain your actions to an outside observer...imagine a child asking "Why" or a creature from outerspace...why are you doing that? what does that do for you?

Do you drive the same way into work every day? Do you pass a coffee shop and you pick up a cup of coffee to drink absentmindedly on the way into work? Do you really need the added caffeine and calories from the milk? Are you really thirsty? Is your morning coffee a habit you've gotten into? Try driving a different way into work so you don't have to pass the coffee shop. Break the association.

Do you struggle to pay some/all of your bills? Have you added up how much money you spend absentmindedly each day? Multiply that by a week, then a month and then the year - can you better spend that money elsewhere?

Have you ever tried to stop smoking? Do you do anything at the same time you have a cigarette? Do you have a glass of wine and some potato chips whilst smoking and talking about your "hard" day at work? Are you overweight as a result of your "bad" habit(s). Try going for a walk with your spouse instead to talk over your "bad" day.

As we have mentioned in previous editions of the Daily Dose, if you are procrastinating in one area, I can almost guarantee that you are procrastinating in others.We cannot stop one bad behaviour because it is associated with another. So in order to stop one, you need to determine whether or not you need to stop all of them. Or whether you need to stop kidding yourself and learn to manage the process.

Take a good look at what you do today, how many habits have you gotten yourself into that you didn't realise you had? You can only move on - if you know what is holding you back, and whether or not you are willing to let that happen.

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