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101 TIPS FOR
AVOIDING
PROCRASTINATION!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I
...
3
II
...
5
III
...
14
IV PROCRASTINATION IN SCHOOL
...
PROCRASTINATION AT THE WORK PLACE
...
PROCRASTINATION AND HUMAN
RELATIONSHIPS
...
SELF IMPROVEMENT – A GENERAL SENSE OF
WELL BEING
...
BONUS TIPS
...
CONCLUSION
...


Introduction

On the back of the jacket of Jack Canfield’s book, The Success
Principles, this quotation caught our attention: “The principles always
work if you work the principles”
...
To us, this means doing instead of just thinking
...

The human brain knows no limits when it comes to thinking out ways
and strategies in dealing with all kinds of problems, but if these
strategies and plans are NOT acted upon, they really hold no meaning
– they’re like empty blueprints camouflaged in sparkling rhetoric
...

We’ve made up our minds to be less ambitious about this work, and
called the 101 recommendations and suggestions contained in this
book as simply TIPS
...

Procrastination pervades every aspect of our lives
...


3

We delayed falling asleep because our mothers wouldn’t cradle us in
her arms
...

We shudder to think what the final tally of lost hours will be because
we procrastinated habitually
...
Others will come in handy not necessarily today, but at a
later stage of our lives
...
We discovered that one of the
ways that will not make us procrastinate is to figure out the dollar
amount of something that was not done because of procrastination
...
This
alone can serve as a strong motivator not to procrastinate again
...

We’d be lying if we told you that if you followed our 101 tips on how
not to procrastinate, you can have anything you want
...

These tips are ideas that have come from our heads and from other
people’s heads
...
Avoiding procrastination is more effective when we

4

start with little steps
...

But as one writer said, not procrastinating will make us appreciate the
life we have now
...

In deciding not to procrastinate, you may want to accompany this
determination with clear cut and well defined goals
...

For example, saying “I will lose weight” is NOT as powerful as “I will
lose 35 pounds in 1-1/2 years
...
“I will lose weight” sounds noble enough, but let’s count the
ways, shall we?

II
...
“It’s his fault”, “My mother was
like that too”, “I was forced to do something I didn’t want to do”
...
But the truth
is, you are equally at fault
...
The sooner you accept that, the better you’ll
be able to overcome procrastination
...
Your desire not
to procrastinate anymore should be sincere
...

Tip # 3

Mea Culpa-Take Responsibility

You’ve accepted the fact that (a) you’re a procrastinator, and (b) you
have a sincere desire to change
...
Mea culpa
...
Note,
however, that there is a huge difference between admitting guilt and
being too hard on yourself
...
Being too hard on yourself is unjustified self-blame
...

Tip # 4

Ask: In what ways do I procrastinate?

Ask yourself, “In what ways do I procrastinate?” Sit down with pen
and paper
...
Here are some ways where people procrastinate:
•

paying bills

6

•

not discussing the complaints you’ve received about a member
of your team for fear of hurting his/her feelings

•

repeatedly postponing a dental appointment because you’ve got
better things to do

•

not returning the call of your son’s teacher because you know
what the problem is and you’re fed up

•

not discussing your resentment about your husband spending
too much time at work or with his buddies

•

not getting that hair cut, that dress dry-cleaned, that donation
mailed

•

not visiting a sick relative in the hospital

•

not telling your significant other you no longer love her/him

•

not calling your doctor about that persistent numbness in your
right arm or not fixing a colonoscopy exam date

•

not having the car’s squeaking brakes checked

•

not going to confession because you never know what the
priest’s schedule is

•

not sending that overdue thank you note or making that overdue
call to your mother-in-law

Tip # 5

Goals not met because of procrastination

After listing the ways in which you procrastinate, make a second list of
goals that you failed to achieve because you procrastinated
...
On the day the article was
due, the editor calls you
...

Result? You took one step farther away from your goal of becoming a
professional writer, and two steps farther away from developing a
good relationship with an editor who picked you from the 25 writers
who applied for the assignment
...

Second example: you delayed lobbying for your colleague’s promotion
even if he was the best man for the job
...

When you measure the consequences of a missed opportunity because
you procrastinated, ask if the consequence was worth the delay
...
Expressions such as “time is of the essence,” “time means
money,” “you missed the train”, “you missed a window of opportunity”
reinforce the value of time
...


8

So, install a permanent calculator in your brain and calculate how
much that missed deal meant in terms of dollar value
...
00
...

If we make it a practice to tag a dollar sign for each of our
procrastinations, we’d probably resolve to procrastinate less
...
We spend an equally big chunk
of time looking for phone numbers and names
...
Putting them on your outlook means you have to reboot your computer
...

Kitchen sheet: jot down the following telephone numbers:
•

supermarket

•

butcher’s

•

pastry shop

•

utensil stores

•

take out pizza and other delivery shops

•

drug store

•

Oriental grocery

9

Bedroom sheet:
•

dry cleaner’s

•

doctors and dentists

•

walk-in clinic

•

shoe repair shop

•

alteration shop

•

department store

•

Catalog order stores, etc
...

Tip # 8

Filtering the essential from the petty

Procrastination is the opposite of action
...
So decide
– once and for all – which should be assigned top priority, and then
act
...

Putting down things in black and white is even better than
brainstorming with another person
...

You focus on this task from the implementation to completion
...
There’s that sense of
accomplishment, no matter how small the accomplishment is
...

Brainstorming with a friend, on the other hand, can be viewed as a
positive, but can be a form of procrastination
...

Thinking about your tasks yourself and then doing them – without
anyone’s feedback – is much more productive
...
Even if we know that a certain activity is no
longer cost effective, we continue doing it anyway
...
It’s a lot easier to use the
same, familiar road to work, but if there’s a quicker, or more relaxing
route you can take, find out what that other route is
...
Traffic snarls occur in
times when you’re in a hurry
...
You’re a human
being with limitations, or else life, without warning, takes a detour,
and we get derailed
...

Here’s one you can recite in the morning as you wake up: “I will not
procrastinate today
...
I have tasks to do, and I will
write them down so I can decide which of them need to be done by 12
noon
...


12

Tip # 12

Have a second mantra for after the job gets done

Have a second mantra that you can recite after you complete a task
...
This translates to about $150
...
”
It may sound vulgar to attach a monetary value to every task
accomplished
...
And when
you make a final tally, you’d be surprised at what you end up with
...
It’s all up to
you
...
After all, a mantra is something
you keep to yourself!
Tip # 13

If you fall back a few steps, climb the stairs again

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you will experience problems staying
on course for the first few weeks
...
You’re all gung-ho for the first 3 days and then you stop
...
So you missed doing the three tasks yesterday,
big deal
...
Don’t dwell too long on what you failed to do
...

Aim for completing four tasks today - three from yesterday and one for
today
...
Procrastination at Home
Tip # 14

Keep it simple

This is a common advice
...
Get rid of grit and gunk from your house
...
And
we all know what happens when there is too much distraction
...

Go around your house and make a list of everything you don’t really
need
...
You either dispose of it or have
it fixed
...
Your
husband can do the garage and the basement
...
Stipulate that you need their lists in three days, no
later
...

If you explain your intentions clearly, they will understand and would
be more willing to cooperate
...


14

Tip # 16

Encourage them not to replace old junk with new
junk

It can be a vicious cycle
...
Explain to your family that
there was a specific reason for clearing junk
...
Encourage them to think twice before
acquiring additional material possessions
...
He spends his weekly allowance on
them
...
Ask him which ones he hasn’t used for 6 months
and ask him to throw them away
...
Which of them have you not
worn for six months? Call the Salvation Army or the
recycling center
...

They know something is wrong with the budget; bills pile up and

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remain unpaid for weeks, and the only time you jolt out of your
complacency is when the utility company calls to advise you that
power will be cut off in a week if you don’t settle your bill
...
Nurse it back to health
...
If it’s easy for governments to get into a deficit,
it’s even easier for individuals to fall in the same trap
...
Here’s a handful:
miscommunication
misplaced objects and personal effects
documents and papers not filed
too many magazines and CDs strewn about
mistakes
indecision
inefficient use of family vehicles
too much TV viewing
different meal times
non-adherence to curfew rules
friends who hang around indefinitely

16

Tip # 19

Divide and delegate house chores

Obviously you can’t do it all
...
Cook them a special dish or
two and whip up a dessert that everyone will adore
...
Say that you’ve been procrastinating in doing some
important chores around the house because you lack their support
...
Your concrete, well laid-out plan will get
you the results you want
...

If you committed to re-organize the cupboards and clean out the
fridge once a week, do it
...

Set up a chart in the kitchen or in the TV room where everyone can
cross out the task once it’s completed
...
If some members
have been delinquent, ask them why
...
This chart is an effective way for you to identify who the
biggest procrastinators are, and you may need to supervise them
more closely
...
You may consider dividing up the chore in small parts
...
If your
husband works the usual 8 hours a day, don’t expect him to paint the
whole garage on one weekend
...
If you have a closed,
double-car garage, divide the job by walls, or by a quarter of a wall at
a time
...

Tip # 22

Procrastinating can lead to major house repair bills

There are certain appliances we take for granted
...

Here’s an example: the water heater was working fine until one cold
winter morning, everyone started shouting “There’s no hot water!”
Experts say that water heaters need to be checked once every two
years
...
Why wait
for it to break down, necessitating costly repair or replacement bills?
Prepare a check list of appliances that need to be inspected and ensure
that your maintenance records are in order
...
We can prove this easily
...

You vow that from now on, your family will eat only healthy meals
...
The weekend’s
here and nothing was bought, because you kept putting it off
...
But spring arrives and no one dares to stay in
the garden because it’s unkempt
...
Remember to share the work: let someone take the lawn,
someone else take the flower beds, another member the fence, and so
on
...


19

IV

Procrastination in School

Tip # 25

Take your cue from the professor’s lesson plans

On the first day of school, professors customarily hand out lesson
plans for the semester or the quarter, depending on what school
system you’re in
...
Treat this lesson plan as your guide for avoiding
procrastination
...
They schedule out assignments
appropriately so they too are not overburdened with term papers and
exam booklets
...

So professors mean business when they write “to be handed in by…
...
Take an hour or
two and spend the time in the library reviewing all your lesson plans
for the semester
...
If certain projects require extensive research, tackle those
first
...
”
Tip # 27

School’s a fun place to hang out, but…

Teens are at that time of their lives where socializing is their # 1
priority
...

And spending time with their friends is an excellent excuse for
postponing school work
...

To avoid the school principal calling your parents, be reasonable about
academic work
...

To illustrate: if you’ve got a paper due in two days where you need to
research on the social instincts of Neanderthals and their need for
company, tell your friends politely that no, you can’t join them at the
mall after school
...
Pore over the Neanderthal
books and write a smashing essay
...

Faced with academic difficulties, students tend to procrastinate in
asking for help because they’re either too shy or too lazy to ask for
help
...

Tip # 29

“My boyfriend’s in the same class and…”

If your boyfriend is in the same class, that’s fine, but don’t let that
distract you so that the relationship encroaches on academic work
...
But
when you’re spending too much time in each other’s company and it’s
beginning to make you procrastinate in doing what your teachers and
team leaders expect of you, arrange dates with your boyfriend ahead
of time wherein you absolutely CANNOT get together
...
Succeeding in human relationships is just as
hard as succeeding in school work
...
Being
a willing listener is one thing, but when you do this too often, it will
make you procrastinate
...
Do you listen to their problems so you can avoid
school work or your own problems? Don’t use friendship or the Good
Samaritan philosophy to procrastinate
...

He’s a member of the basketball team, the president of the science
club, the chief debater on campus, the volunteer who offers his
services twice a week to accompany seniors to their doctors’
appointments
...

Little do you know how much pressure he has fulfilling all these roles
...
How does he keep a healthy
balance? He can’t
...
It’s called

23

STRETCHING YOURSELF TOO THIN
...

Sports and humanitarian work come in second
...
Don’t fall
behind your school work because you’re being pulled in all directions
...
No one is going to earn your diploma for you
...
School officials who have
programs or personal agendas will form committees and request
student volunteers to steer these committees
...

As a student, you have to decide which committee will serve your
goals best
...

Don’t let your committee commitments lead you to the path of
procrastination
...


24

Tip # 33

Break that huge term paper into small parts

Students dread term papers
...
You’re not alone
...

If you tend to put doing term papers, one way of avoiding
procrastination is to divide the project into small parts
...
You can leave the easy parts for later
...

Tip # 34

Turn that cell phone off

Your parents bought you a cell phone so you can call if you find
yourself in a bind or need a lift or simply need to let them know if
you’ll be late for dinner
...
But don’t
use it to keep you from doing what you’re supposed to do
...
Allocate 30 minutes during the day to stay in touch
with friends, but try not to go beyond that time
...
You need muscles and brawn to
keep you in tip top shape for jogging from one classroom to another
...
Nothing wrong with toning those muscles, but have you
procrastinated enough doing something for your brain as well?
The brain also needs to be stretched and maximized to earn that ticket
to an Ivy League university later
...


V
...
It’s tailored fit to your skills and
experience
...
Assess what the priorities might look like, and what
the most difficult tasks will be, based on your past experience
...
Imagine different situations that might occur,
and the relationships you need to cultivate and nurture that will help
you accomplish your objectives
...
Remember:
companies measure your performance using certain parameters
...
Don’t give them the satisfaction of labeling you a
procrastinator
...
Try to
distinguish the good colleagues from the back stabbers
...
If hostile feelings are preventing
you from doing an effective job, don’t procrastinate because you
dislike confrontation
...
Nip it in the bud, as they say
...
Help them not to
procrastinate so that you don’t procrastinate
...
This could lead to tunnel vision
...

As Jane Smith said, “there is always more than one way to get to
where you want to be
...
” (Successful Work Habits in a
Week, Hodder & Stoughton, 2002)
...
Learn to say no, no matter how much you like or
admire a colleague
...
Stick to
your agenda and do the work
...
If a colleague is in trouble and you’ve helped her
in the past, let her deal with it herself this time
...

Tip # 40

“We’re a great team!”

You have a great team? Good for you
...
If
your team members are performing to your satisfaction, you have
more confidence in delegating tasks to them, freeing up considerable
time for you to attend to your important duties
...
Delegate tasks based on each team member’s
strength and limitations; it’s one of the more effective ways to obtain
results
...
This situation can be salvaged, but it’s
up to you to do damage control
...
It will take time to teach them leadership skills
...

It takes an exceptional leader to get everyone to cooperate and share
the same vision
...

An unhealthy team mired in hostility and aggression is the # 1 barrier
to productivity
...

Lacking support is the sure way to procrastination, and procrastination
equals non-productivity
...

Tip # 42

“Urgent” is the flavor of the day

Unless you’re in the business of saving lives, then be wary of
managers who say “it’s urgent
...

Workers are pushed to produce busloads of reports
...


29

Take one example
...
And as the years pass, the inventory spreadsheets on
inventory get larger and longer
...
Who said a company will fold up because managers
don’t devour the 101 reports a day?
Get to the bottom line
...
Identify those tasks that are truly urgent
...
Companies must
comply with regulations and must ensure the physical well-being of
employees
...
g
...
Don’t wait for an accident to happen
...
Use your detective skills so that you submit

30

a full report giving all the facts and circumstances of the incident
...

Tip # 45

Ah, those back-to-back meetings

There must be something about board rooms and conference rooms
that make people gravitate towards them
...

Not that they’re useless, but there are far too many meetings being
held
...

Compare that figure to the company’s annual generated revenues
...

Don’t doubt it - meetings are a great time to daydream and give in to
our distractions
...


31

Tip # 46

“You’ve got 28 voice mails” and “you have 55
unread messages”

How much time would it take to go through all those messages? Voice
mails and e-mails take you away from your main functions
...
And do file them away in a subfolder so they don’t take up visual space on your screen
...
For non-urgent
matters, devote 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm (when things begin to wind
down) for answering non-urgent messages
...
The same applies to the office
...

Leave the less essential ones for another time
...


32

Tip # 48

Do what you hate most first

There are certain aspects of our job we don’t like
...
If you make it a daily habit to
tackle them first, they become easier for you to do and won’t be as
unpleasant
...

Tip # 49

Arrgh, here comes the collection bag again

Do you know how much time is wasted when people go around
collecting money for things like birthdays and retirements? The actual
celebration takes just as long
...
Birthdays are meant to be intimate
celebrations, not a means to procrastinate
...
A sincere compliment for a job
well done is a strong motivator for employees to do even better next
time
...
Promote an employee if he
or she deserves it
...

Tip # 51

And Cy Charney says…

Cy Charney wrote “The Instant manager” (American Management
Association – AMACON, 2004) and his thesis was on how to become an

33

effective manager
...

Mr
...
Don’t continuously interrupt them
unless absolutely necessary
...
”
Tip # 52

If you’re stuck, ask

Instead of wasting time wracking your brain, be humble and approach
a colleague even if she’s a subordinate
...

Maybe you see something in it that I don’t?”
Procrastinating in asking for help won’t solve anything, but swallowing
our pride can yield tremendous benefits
...

Tip # 53

Hurry, put the punch clock right by the water
fountain!

If water fountains could record conversations between office workers,
the tape and timer would probably run out
...

If you were to “clock” workers who spend too much time by the water
fountain, it becomes apparent who the true procrastinators are
...

Tip # 54

Office cafeteria: Saturday Night Live!

There are days it doesn’t look like an office cafeteria anymore; it has
the air of a cruising bar – and not just on Fridays! Meeting who’s who
at the cafeteria is a daily sacred ritual so woe to the person who
stands in the way of the socialization process
...

Okay, folks
...
It’s only the president talking about freezing salaries and
downsizing the work force
...
At least you got to agree to
this one
...
Do you know how many hours it takes
to plan the company Christmas party?

If you pay close attention, some companies actually form committees
for purposes of planning the annual Christmas employee party
...


35

And God forbid, let’s not forget the gift exchange
...
And obviously an excellent
reason to escape the drudgery of memos and customer calls and filling
out return merchandise account forms
...
In a large company of 5,000
employees, for instance, if you were to tally the number of lovers’
quarrels, miscarriages, divorces, children on drugs, children who
dropped out of school, cosmetic procedures done, who’s wearing the
latest hi-tech heart pacer and who got terminated, you’d probably
come up with an astonishing number
...
The rumor mill has
never been riper and…juicier
...
Basking in the misery of
others is counter productive to professional achievement
...
Its positive effects must never be underestimated
...

But anything carried out to excess has a negative effect
...
Just don’t
do it excessively, or else someone above you will begin to think,
“Those who can’t, teach
...

Tip # 58

Watch out, if you’re networking to the hilt, this could
just be your way of dodging your responsibilities!

Your secretary looks up, surprised, as you bolt out the door
...

“But that’s where you were all afternoon yesterday!” she persists
...
It’s called diversifying your
contacts, my dear
...
”
Go ahead and network, if you must
...
They’re not
buying any of that excess inventory
...
If you and upper

37

management no longer see eye-to-eye on your role in the whole
scheme of things, then cut your losses (emotional losses included) and
hand in your resignation
...
Don’t let a
regular paycheck or stock options or sheer convenience feed your
procrastinating habits
...
”

People like to mill in and out of private offices just to make small talk
...
If they enter your office
uninvited and appear to be engaging you in idle chatter, here is Jane
Smith’s tip (Successful Work Habits, Hodder & Stoughton, 2002):
stand up and remain standing
...
Invest
the time in upgrading your skills and expanding your knowledge base
...

Don’t procrastinate, because you’ll never know when your company
will create a position requiring a foreign language
...
Schedule your departure
intelligently
...

Help her succeed by not procrastinating
...

This way, when the actual transitioning takes place, you don’t waste
time addressing routine questions, leaving you more time to show her
the key aspects of your functions
...


Procrastination and Human Relationships

Tip # 63

Okay, so you’re not impulsive but…

“I want to think things more
...
” How many
times have we heard that before? Men and women say they don’t
want to do anything – especially end a relationship – impulsively
...
Admit it
...
You’ve craved for freedom
frequently, but you still can’t get to tell your mate that love’s gone out
the window
...
No matter how
you analyze it, it all boils down to the same thing: time to move on
...


Just muster up the courage and say it
...

Tip # 64

It’s not what you say, it’s HOW you say it

No one says ending a relationship is easy
...
They fall into a depression, and a few are
unable to come out of it whole and able to trust again
...
Talk to your mate
when you have full rein of your emotions
...
Choose your words, and dwell on
the positive
...
Offer to remain friends so the transition is not
emotionally devastating
...

Striking a balance between work and play is still considered the ideal,
no matter how sacred you think the work ethic is: “By now if you are
unattached, it’s probably overwhelmingly apparent that your lifestyle is
not conducive to finding or forming a solid relationship
...

Is procrastination barring you from a meaningful relationship?
Tip # 66

Father / mother issues?

One of the worst kinds of procrastination is when you carry
resentment from childhood into adolescence and into adulthood
...
All these years you’ve allowed it to grow into a cancer
because you won’t deal with it
...
If you’re angry
about something, speak up
...
You can’t continue blaming
your parents for your misfortunes
...
Instead of putting off a project in which
your older sister asked you for help, why not just tell her in a
straightforward manner that you don’t have time to spare because of
your school work and other commitments
...

That way you avoid any friction
...
They think the world of us and would
give us anything in the world to make us happy – including their used
make-up kits, clothes and handbags
...

Don’t postpone telling your aunt Mable that you don’t want her fire
engine red lipstick, her roaring 20’s dinner gown and her leopard skin
handbag
...
And remember what we said earlier about clutter
...

Tip #69

“Come with me shopping…”

Or “let’s go see a movie
...
” “Can you go with
me to this concert?” “Join me for dinner at my step mother’s
...
”
Do you have friends who seem to want to include you in all – and we
mean all – of their activities? Is it their constant need for company, or
simply a case of not having a backbone? If you’re not capable of a
firm but polite no, you’ll receive a lot more invitations you can handle
...
Shed off your
procrastination habits and tell your friend politely you can’t go out with
her anymore
...
Or she can find someone else to drag
along
...

This woman endured her mother-in-law’s unwelcome visits – not to
mention her acerbic words - for six months, but feels she’s come to
the end of her rope
...
One day, I
had worked so hard on this trifle, and she said, oh dear, I don’t think
he’s too fond of British dessert; he has a weakness though for French
pastries
...
”
If the woman is as smart in the human relationships department as
she is in the kitchen, she’ll know how to deal with her mother-in-law
...
We’re talking
about a real Will – as in Last Will and Testament
...

You also know that he is going to leave a larger part of his estate to
your older brother being the eldest child
...

You know that your older brother has been arrested a few times for
gambling debts and credit card fraud
...
For the last five years, you’ve been
arguing with your brothers and sisters to tell your father about your
brother’s predicament, but they did not want him to worry
unnecessarily
...
Worse, your brother’s situations will deteriorate
further
...

Have you been to one of these places lately? Old sick people can’t
move around anymore and are confined to their wheelchairs all day
long
...
Sons and daughters with families of their own and who
lead hectic lives come less often, a few have stopped coming
...

Tip # 73

Health is wealth and many more

Health conditions need immediate attention
...


45

VII
...
Your parents are tired
of listening to you, and so are your friends
...

You’re only 23 but you’re overweight by twice that number
...
See which of these statements apply to you
...
I’d be happier about my physical
appearance
...
I’d be more positive about life, and I’d slowly build
up my self-confidence
...


•

I’d be more comfortable in my relationships with the opposite
sex
...
I want them to think of me as attractive,
and pleasant to be with
...
My blood pressure, my
cholesterol, and my blood sugar levels would be lower, and with
some effort, I’d probably regain that old energy I had in my
teens
...

46

The benefits are immeasurable
...

Tip # 75

The gym can be a scary place

If you go to the gym frequently enough, you get used to seeing certain
types: the fanatics, the confident and the driven
...
They look miserable,
move awkwardly, and are terrified of the machines
...
Don’t delay about giving them encouragement
...
Don’t give advice; don’t
offer to show them how a particular machine can be adjusted
...
It works all the time!
Tip # 76

You’ve reached a plateau – at the gym

Even your fitness program needs re-hashing
...


47

Get a fitness trainer to help you
...
You can’t be doing the same exercises indefinitely without
varying your routine
...

Don’t let a trainer intimidate you
...
If you
procrastinate, you may not learn the secrets to turning your biceps
into the watermelons you want them to be
...

Tip # 77

Cosmetic surgery: not a sin these days

Why should it be? People have a right to change their appearance if it
gives them more self-confidence, and less of an inferiority complex
...
And even if half of them won’t admit, they’re suddenly
looking wonderful
...
Don’t
procrastinate
...
Get a
new nose, be nose-happy and nurse that bruised ego back to health
...
You
walk along the office corridor and you notice people turn away
...
Okay, you’ve never been vain about your
appearance, but we’re not sure that’s exactly a good thing nowadays,
especially if there’s so much press coverage about the oft-repeated
concept of “dressing for success
...
Your brains and
experience got you this far
...
Image consultants would give
anything to turn a project into a success
...
We have cosmetic surgeons,
image consultants, and we also have…psychologists
...


49

Your ideas are imitated by management, your flawless complexion is
making everyone curious about the night cream brand you use, and
none of your muscles is out of place
...

BUT –
That turbulence inside you is slowly becoming a full blown unstoppable
thunderstorm
...
We all agree
...

You need an expert who’ll come to the rescue
...
Staring at it won’t cure you
...
Ask to see a psychologist
...
Psychiatrists have been also
known to cure old, festering wounds
...
To stop procrastinating does not mean radically
changing your life, or suddenly switching from one profession to
another
...
If

50

you are like people, you don’t want a different life; you just want to be
able to manage the one you have
...
The more you delay, the more dissatisfied
you will be with your life
...
They walk away from 20-year marriages, break
a childhood friendship and disengage from lifelong commitments
...

Give this simplistic equation a thought or two: stress
more stress
Tip # 82

procrastination

inaction

triple stress

indecision
illness!!

If you decide to manage your stress…

You’ve heard the expression, “something’s got to give
...

But make a decision now about what you can give up, so that you’ll
have some energy remaining for other challenges that come your way
...

Your daughter who was being physically abused by her husband finally
had the courage to pack her bags and leave him
...
Charity
begins at home
...
Decide
which is more important and take action
...
And it can be
criminal, if you drink and drive and hit someone
...
Don’t delay
...
Or go on the Net and begin your research into recovery
...
”

Drugs are bad news
...
Drug rehabilitation clinics have mushroomed all
over the country
...

Stop procrastinating and see a drug counselor in school, or ask for
your doctor’s advice about where you can go
...
Don’t procrastinate in withdrawing –
and this isn’t a contradiction of terms
...
You’ll suffer from withdrawal
symptoms at first, but they’re only temporary
...
This option, that option
...
Even dabbled in medieval art, of all
things
...
Your life is one shattered
mess and you’re feeding on the splinters
...

There’s one person in your entourage that you’ve forgotten: your
parish priest
...

Your problems may be your wake up call to the fact that you’re
spiritually devoid and empty
...
Don’t wait
until you plunge into complete darkness
...
Grab it and find your way out of the dark hole
...
Bonus tips
This section contains your bonus tips
...
There’s no logical order to these tips, but at least
this is a bonus that is tax free!
Your morning paper is divided into sections, and each section caters to
the needs and expectations of specific family members
...

Let’s use these sections to serve as the springboards for your bonus
tips: headlines, business, health, fashion, cuisine, environment,
real estate, and readers’ turn to write
...
Refer
back to them from time to time, when you feel your life is spiraling
down into madness and chaos
...
Urge him not to sign any legislation that hints at the
country taking up arms
...
This way, you’ve
done your civic duty, and you’re not procrastinating about potentially
saving a beautiful country
...
If the changes
in your country’s health care act will affect you adversely, don’t wait
for others to take up arms
...
If
thousands – or millions – do the same thing and it’s an election year –
these letters might just change your leaders’ stance
...
You know what happened to the small investor – he
thought the stock, being a blue chip, might pick up momentum again
...
There were millions of procrastinators
waiting around for the stock market to do a 360 degree turn
...
It’ll be awhile before we see another
spectacular performance like the one we jubilated over on the eve of
the millennium
...
A lot of
them are now in debt
...
If you’ve fared poorly with
finances, or want to have a better grasp of money matters, a financial
planner could be a life saver
...

Tip # 90

Health – overbooked agenda making you
procrastinate again?

Keep it simple
...
It’s much, much harder to shed
those pounds when you get to 30 pounds overweight
...

Tip # 91

Health – that newly-opened Pilates center might be
worth a visit
...
” We detect a hint of procrastination in this statement
...
Hop into the car and check
it out
...
You

56

may not know it, but Pilates is producing stronger backs and more
solid core muscles, and turning people into happy, pain-free
individuals
...
“If you’ve got pieces of jewelry
you want to sell, we’d be happy to take a look
...
Once upon a time you were proud of them but were too
shy to show them to friends and family
...

Don’t hesitate! Those tiny beads and miniature semi-precious stones
could be your ticket to a bigger, dazzling world of fashion and
entrepreneurship
...
And the
range of hair products these days is incredible
...
Give your hair
the care it deserves
...
”

57

Tip # 94

Cuisine: win his heart back

You might be taking a risk with new, sexy underwear
...

Even your friends say they won’t eat what you cook
...
A new hobby is food for the soul, a drug-free
stimulant for the mind
...

Tip # 95

Cuisine: show off the gourmet cook in you

Your local paper has been publishing requests for recipes
...

Some women have “accidentally” started food and catering businesses
because they weren’t shy about sharing an ingredient or two
...
Ask them to publish
recommendations on the art of composting and how to filter
through household waste
...
Recycle
whenever possible
...
Communities organize spring clean-ups
annually
...


Don’t procrastinate
...
Help your children
breathe cleaner, healthier air
...
Don’t delay
writing to your local officials about a factory or plant that is violating
environmental regulations
...

Tip # 98

Real estate: property values – way, way up!

An individual was overheard saying in the café the other day that he’d
never forgive himself for stalling in his decision to buy a piece of
property that had everything – location, great low maintenance
condition, reasonable price, recent renovations, etc
...
00
...
The
property is now appraised at $450,000
...
00 from four
years ago
...


Tip # 99

Real estate: clean up before the doorbell rings

Your real estate agent already warned you once before: don’t wait
until the last minute to clean up the yard and tidy up the house
...
You’ve put it off until
the day before, and the cleaning up is taking longer than you thought
...
The closets are unrecognizable
...
The flowers are wilting
...


60

Tip # 100 It’s your turn…
Calling all writers! National newspapers usually allot a section to
readers who want to try their hand at writing about a personal
experience or about a how-to project that they can share with readers
...
”
Actually, accomplished writers all echo the same thing: don’t wait for
a flash of lightning to shake you out of the doldrums, or that writer’s
block will go away and you’ll be churning out pages in no time
...
They don’t have to be eloquent at first, just
type whatever comes to mind
...
If you want
to be a writer, you should take this very seriously
...
9% of
the time
...
Pretend you’re the one
writing it
...
You don’t realize it but you’ve
already started to write by putting your own words
...
There are thousands in North America,
more across the Pacific, and a whole lot more in Europe and Asia
...

If you don’t know what writing contests to enter, just type “writing
contests” on any search engine and you’ll get all the information you
need: type of writing (mystery, non-fiction, poetry, novellas, flash
fiction, etc), prize money, entry fee (if any), deadline and format
required
...
Don’t let the fear of rejection make you
procrastinate
...
No rejection is fatal
until the writer walks away from the battle leaving the written work
behind, undefended and unwanted
...


Conclusion

We could come up with a second batch of 101 tips to get you out of
your inertia, but if you don’t at least try five out of the 101 tips we’ve
just shared with you, you’ll never be in control of your own time
...
That would be
an impossible mission, too tall an order, and downright an unrealistic
goal
...
Bittel in his book, “Right on Time” (McGrawHill, 1991) calls
procrastination an insidious temptation that plagues all of us
...

Procrastination means losing precious time, wasting valuable
resources and missing life’s golden opportunities
...
But they’re not miracle cures, nor are
they instant therapies
...

You can surround yourself with experts who excel at multi-tasking,
time management and all these nice-sounding principles emanating
from the Harvard School of Management, but if you don’t act on their
advice, procrastination will not disappear – ever
...
That sounds almost biblical,
but it rings true when we’re talking about Bittel’s “insidious
temptation
...
If you just keep thinking things
out without doing, then you’re only cheating yourself
...
For it is in the doing that you produce results you
want
...

It is in the doing that you gain momentum
...
And the more you do, the quicker
you become
...
Let him
play his tricks in someone else’s workshop
...

“If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally
astound ourselves

---