“Don’t procrastinate. Putting off an unpleasant task until tomorrow simply gives you more time for your imagination to make a mountain out a possible molehill. More time for anxiety to sap your self-confidence. Do it now, brother, do it now.” – Author Unknown
Have you ever committed to doing something and instantly heard your negative self-talk?
Have you agreed to a project and then found yourself surfing the internet, doing laundry or stuck with a sudden compulsion to clean your house?
I get it!
Consider that your habit of procrastination is slowly eroding your confidence. Every time you do not follow through, you strengthen the habit of procrastination. You also feed feelings of doubt, fear and uncertainty. Unfortunately, this vicious cycle has kept some of the most gifted and skilled people from achieving success.
This week I sat down with Social Media Strategist Turiya Hodge. Learn how Turiya uses the Mindset Mastery Principle Rituals and Routines to build her confidence and avoid procrastination.
What Is Procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of avoiding something through delay or postponement. Consider all those times you waited till the last minute to finish an assignment, or you had a sudden urge to do the dishes and clean the house. Possibly you found yourself surfing the internet or simply putting things off. You were likely procrastinating. We all procrastinate on occasion; however, the critical point to understand is when this behavior becomes your go-to, it will erode your self-confidence. Why? Procrastination leaves an emotional toll. Feelings of shame, guilt or anger will often accompany procrastination. These feelings fuel our inner critic, and the negative self-talk leaves us feeling inadequate and ultimately damages our relationship with ourselves. The truth is, we are all creatures of habit. However, the practice of procrastination is a vicious, destructive cycle that eats away at our confidence and self-esteem.
Rituals And Routines
Successful people begin with a clear vision, write their goals and develop detailed action plans. When you create daily rituals and routines, you are more likely to focus and take action. Your behavior becomes automatic, leaving less room for thoughts and emotions to derail you. Steven Covey says that failure to adhere to the plan or goals you set for yourself degrades your trust in yourself, threatening your integrity. He states that every time a person fails to meet a deadline or goal they’ve set for themselves, their faith in themselves erodes. While a plan is essential, it is critical to establish deadlines and timelines. Scheduling your daily rituals and routines ensures your goals remain a priority, and fulfilling your goals becomes a matter of pride and character. By making your commitments your focus, you set yourself up to win, improving outcomes and ultimately keeping you on track. In the interview, Turiya called this the Integrity Check-in. Stuart Wide says it’s important to establish your word as a law unto yourself and others because that in itself becomes an affirmation of your ever-developing authority over ego.
Establishing daily rituals and routines becomes your pathway to success. Divide the actions into small increments, then celebrate and be grateful for all the victories and failures on the journey. When we experience success or gain knowledge, we begin to feel more competent, which makes us feel more confident. You can overcome the tendency to put off until tomorrow what you can complete today by simply honoring your word to yourself. It is a matter of personal integrity.
And in the famous words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Take the Mindset Mastery Mini-Course to evaluate your habits.