[WanderingSoul]

Hey all,

So for far too long I have had zero motivation to get my new business off the ground. I've always been a procrastinator, but now I am much worse. I need to get off my ass and get working on my business, but I can't seem to stay focused for more than 30 minutes a day. My money is running out, and if I don't get moving soon, it means back to a day job....which would be fucking miserable.

My question is, do you know of any articles/books/techniques that deal with this issue?

A good, swift kick in the ass is one, but are there blogs/books that deal specifically with this issue of breaking this mental block/pattern that I am in? Techniques to build motivation/working habits?

Basically, I need to build the habit of waking up in the morning, NOT fucking around on the internet, and just working for 2-4 hours. Where can I find some good mental exercises/whatever to help me build this habit?

Or, does someone want to fly to BKK and just kick my ass for me?

[RawGod]

Fly me to Bangkok and I'll kick your ass!
Seriously, I need some help with motivation too. But I suggest you hook up with some people who are doing stuff in their lives and let the attitude rub off.

[pitt]

I am in the same position, i have got tons of work to do and i keep on procrastinating it, i usually blame it on my online hustle but im sure i have lots of time to do other projects, im just being a lazy motherfucker.

[soup]

Just do it.

Procrastination is for betas.

You really have to fight against the procrastination voice.
When you feel "I can't do this" shit test, that's when you know that it's time to put the pedal to the medal it and do the opposite. Most of the time, your feelings don't matter. You have to be a man and just do it. Don't spend another second thinking about it.

Life is short. If you want to make something of it, get off your ass and move!

[Rah]

Leo Babauta is kind of a huge vagina but he does have some decent methods for starting positive habits and focusing:

http://zenhabits.net/3-day-monk/

http://zenhabits.net/focused/

http://zenhabits.net/pause/

http://zenhabits.net/tada/

I sit alone in a room by myself all day, every day with nothing but the internet to distract me so I wrestle with this too. One thing that helped me a lot is short timed work bursts -- specifically the "pomodoro" method. Basically, you set a timer for 25 minutes and work like crazy until the timer goes off, then you take a break. You treat those 25 minutes like its the most important thing you've ever done in your life. Then do as many of those as you can in one day. I keep track of how many I do and try to break my weekly record every week. I've also started doing this for stuff like exercise and starting new habits or hobbies and add those to my weekly point total.

Egg timers are recommended, but I use this website: http://e.ggtimer.com/pomodoro

There's also all manner of apps, etc.

Some days I just suck and I only get like 2-4 pomodoros done. But I track how many I do on the wall so I feel like shit on those days and at least know full well I wasted a day, which helps with not fucking around the next day.

[Aliblahba]

If you don't get off your lazy ass rionomad you'll get bummed out, which will cause you to get shit-faced one night, and end up the next morning next to a ladyboy with a bigger dick than you.....and a rubber hanging outta your balloon knot.

There's your motivator. Now get to work.

[ElJefe]

You're not the only one.

You're probably also a visionary type, and not much good at execution. The key is to develop some habits and to have an almost neurotic relationship to them.

Here are some useful principles I try to apply:

1. Never write to-do lists in the morning. Write to-do lists for the following the day the night before - BEFORE you go to bed (incl before fucking, make the girl wait). It serves a double purpose of clearing your mind of clutter and a form of meditation as you reflect daily over your direction.

2. Prioritize tasks clearly, numbering them in the order youd like to complete them.

3. When writing the list, make realistic estimates of how long each task will take, including how long it takes to move between tasks. If a task takes more than 30 minutes to do (adjust this time depending on your attention span), break it up into milestones, and take breaks after each milestone is reached.

4. Once a week, sit down and think of the week to come in terms of what you want to accomplish long-term. Stop the presses, and reflect on the week passed - listen to your mind and heart to gauge where you are and how you're doing and what you want for the week to come. Plan accordingly.

5. Quit multi-tasking and clear your desk. If you try to jump between tasks, you'll get frustrated, minimize efficiency and stress yourself out. Do the following:

• What task do you want to deal with first? Define cleary.
• Give yourself a short deadline in which to complete this task, whether it's 10, 15 or 60 minutes and set a stop-watch accordingly.
• Clear your desk of everything that does not have anything to with the task at hand. This will remove distractions.
• Collect everything you need to complete task first. Once you begin, you are to remain seated until you have completed the task (within the deadline). You do not want to have to get up to go get something from the attic. This will put you off course.
• Turn off your phone and close your email entirely - these are tasks in and of themselves and should be treated as such. Having them on will distract you. Do not re-open or check phone until task is completed or deadline reached. Must not be allowed to steal your attention.
• Commence. Work with concentration on this one task and stay at it until the clock rings.
• When the clock rings, whether you're done or not take a break and give yourself a minor reward, like reading the paper for 5-10 minutes, taking a cigarette, however you like to relax.
  

6. Minimize procrastination. Procrastination is when you're running away from what you promised yourself you would do. Procrastination is not a break. Procrastination is when you're running away, a break is when you're recharging. There are two ways. First the thorough: find out what is the real reason you procrastinate. Figure out what you typically try to avoid, what excuses do you have (for instance "I work best under pressure"), or because you have a low professional self-esteem. You don't have confidence in your own abilities, or you're missing some competencies and you need to take a course of some sort. Discover these reasons by taking time to mull them over. On the other hand, once you deal with this, you'll really get a step closer to curing the problem. Here's a quick-fix technique: the pomodoro technique. Often enough, the problem is also just a matter of getting started, so just jump into it for 20 minutes, see how far you get.

7. Tame your inbox. For each mail, do the following: Delete, save for later, act on immediately. Set up to folders: one archive, one for action, itself split into two parts for urgent and one for not-urgent. A good principle is if you can reply to mail in under two minutes, then do so. The point is that your inbox itself should be emptied daily.

[The Fantasist]

“There are no such thing as lazy people; they're just people with impotent goals" Tony Robbins

[bface]

Reading about how to increase productivity is as much procrastination as anything else. It's just another trap.

What you have to do is build good habits. Replace your procrastination habit with something productive. For example, whenever you feel that "durrr" coming on and you instinctively open up a random website, check your todo list instead.

Replacing habits is easier than build them from scratch. It's not science, just start doing it and it will get better over time.

(Back to work for me, just catched myself procrastinating...)

[Johnny Football]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=CA&hl=en...RVNQonYdNU

Rio, check this video out. It really inspired me to stop being lazy with school and business stuff too. It's like an One hour+ long but it's worth a watch. If that link doesn't work youtube search: RSD Free Tour truth about success 2

[Ubietza]

Do make sure to read 'Awaken the Giant Within' by Anthony Robbins. Even though you're only concerned about changing a few facets of your life, reading the book and actually applying the concepts will revolutionize your life. Also, if you're more of an auditory learner, check the 'Personal Power II' program by him: easy to locate on the web.

[FilMor]

Why are you in Bangkok Rio? If is to train and focus on what you need to do then get the hell out of there and go somewhere else, I went through the same thing and it wasn't until it was too late that I actually got it together.

Get down to Lamai Beach and go train with Jun and make sure you stay on the side of the hills around the camp you can get a lil nice spot for 5,000 baht a month or a whole house for 10,000 with internet, stay in tranquility and focus.

Or go up to Pai and train with Kru Bee, once you clear your mind everything else will come together.

[Swagger]

I listen to the audio book of the "50th Law" by Robert Green and 50 Cents on my way to work everyday. It talks about 50's rise to stardom, his entrepreneurial spirit. Learning about his hardships make mine looks like nothing. It really gets me inspired to get off my ass and do something.

[Scott]

If you are having issues with the Internet distracting you, get something like https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detai...delahlfoji which times your time spent on your favourite websites (that you highlight) and then blocks you from going on them if you spend too much time on them. I have RVF, Facebook and another site on the blocked sites list, giving myself 20 minutes each day to indulge in them. I have found myself to be more productive since installing the plug-in around a week ago.

Give it a try.

[IpsaScientiaPotestasEst]

(06-08-2012 07:42 AM)Swagger Wrote:  

I listen to the audio book of the "50th Law" by Robert Green and 50 Cents on my way to work everyday. It talks about 50's rise to stardom, his entrepreneurial spirit. Learning about his hardships make mine looks like nothing. It really gets me inspired to get off my ass and do something.

RioLeo...I definitely understand where you are coming from. Im ADD, which definitely aids you in some aspects (being impulsive mostly, etc.) but also bad in others (like you....procrastination). I dont think I need to tell you the stigmas about this (I get from family or friends, etc.) , but they are not things I can completely control/help and are definite symtpoms of ADD. Im a very smart, cultured, adept guy- doesnt mean Im dumb...I just have problems at following through with things 100 percent of the time. I've recently learned and read up on ADD stuff (say its fake or made up to prescribe more pharmaceutical drugs all you want anybody, it is a REAL thing for some people) and mostly learned that- if I have to do something -internal/instrinsic rewards/punishments do NOT work. I need some IMMEDIATE outside stimulus to remind me about doing it or not-when people with ADD are conditioned like this or condition themselves with something like this-it works MUCH better. By this, I recommend you try to set a schedule or certain time at every week day (dont know what your schedule is) and put it into your calendar/google calendar/cell phone alarm-WHATEVER-to remind you to go to work on the task at certain times everyday. This is how you create habits, which everyone on here is harping about. This is the most important thing. You need to force yourself into better, CONSTANT habits. (You have to think of building this business as the path, the yellow brick road you want. If you dont set up barriers to stop you're mind from wondering on this path, you will ALWAYS veer off of it and never reach OZ....metaphorically speaking haha) Its easy to let things go (and yes I do the EXACT same thing) and then just come to this forum or whatever other site to read up on things...and before you know, its hours later and you're telling yourself you should have done things already. Then time passes more and you're like, 'Da**....I only got such a certain amount of time left today...I should get to work on this...but dang I only have so much time left.' Then you focus on something else maybe slightly and say 'You'll get on it shortly' and wait....Then time passes and the day is over. You MUST create better habits. I know all about where you're coming from and am trying to do the same things myself. It also might REALLY help if you have someone to hold you accountable as well, like maybe someone else on this board whos gonna hold you to the things you wanna do/accomplish. (feel free to PM if you want, no homo. haha)

http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Habit-Wh...126&sr=8-1
Heres a book I've been wanting to read, don't know if anyone else has read it and can recommend it or not-but its definitely something I would look into.

Good luck, good hunting, and godspeed boys

[the_conductor]

I have the same problem too mate. Actually, I find that "resources" don't help me that much, a partner with the same goals works much better, or when I've procrastinated for so long the gravity of the situation actually hits me full force and there's no escape. With that said, here are some links:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Now-Habit-Over...278&sr=8-1
Great book, if you don't procrastinate following it's instructions

http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/ove...nation.htm
Short reading to get you started

http://www.successconsciousness.com/book...pline.html
Book with exercises to increase your willpower. The exercises start off easy but progressively get more annoying and some make you want to tear your hair out, but that's the point right? Note that I didn't finish the program.

If you want to try applying any of the above resources, I think the success rate will be much higher if you find a buddy who's as committed or more committed than you are to do them with, cause in the end we procrastinators can't really trust ourselves not to procrastinate overcoming procrastination.

[freshcream]

http://www.bakadesuyo.com/5-tricks-for-b...astination

easy, and research based.

[WanderingSoul]

Thanks all. I actually got a fair bit of work done today AFTER posting this thread.

For me, once I get going on a project I usually do fairly well. I just seem to be way less driven to get started now than usual. I have a friend here in BKK with the same goal I have so I think maybe I'll talk to him about being my accountabilibuddy. http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/15...es-at-camp

Gonna check out some of the resources above for sure.

[Hades]

Find a room in your house, clear all the shit out of it except for a desk.

Go to bed at 8:30 PM, wake up at 3:30AM, and start writing a business plan. Tell no one what you are doing, the best way to motivate is be in conspiracy with yourself.
Put in a regular 8-10 hours a day for a week or two until your shit is in order.

[WanderingSoul]

Here's a bit of motivation for me. The numbers below are income I earned from my second website after I first started it. I'm listing it on Flippa so I had to add up all of my affiliate income from it for each month. I forgot how quickly I was able to make some decent cash with it. Worked about an hour a day on it. Had I not been so lazy I SHOULD have had 2-3 others just like it running. Looking at those numbers has made me realize I can do it again, but much better this time. Just gotta get off my ass and do it!


Nov 2010 - 46.30
Dec 2010 - 705.91
Jan 2011 - 1452.38
Feb 2011 - 609.42
Mar 2011 - 1030.13
Apr 2011 - 713.69
May 2011 - 359.15
Jun 2011 - 998.29

[Saladin]

(06-08-2012 09:39 AM)Scott Wrote:  

If you are having issues with the Internet distracting you, get something like https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detai...delahlfoji which times your time spent on your favourite websites (that you highlight) and then blocks you from going on them if you spend too much time on them. I have RVF, Facebook and another site on the blocked sites list, giving myself 20 minutes each day to indulge in them. I have found myself to be more productive since installing the plug-in around a week ago.

Give it a try.

Dude thats perfect. Thanks a lot man.

[babelfish669]

Your motivational issues are related to your feedback loop. Think of it as some guy who has never gotten laid trying to go pick up chicks. Until his first success, all his motivation is completely internal and fake. Once he gets laid, his brain relates that to a positive outcome and a feedback loop is established. If he then keeps trying hard for another year, doesn't get laid, that feedback loop becomes a negative feedback loop, and he's going to have to return to that earlier state effectively "running on fumes."

Throw the fucking books, tools, audio books, all that crap out the window. This shit is the same as jerking off to porn to pick up chicks.

The most important thing you can do is establish a positive feedback loop. You do that by making your first sale, or whatever it is to bring money in to your business.

[Hades]

(06-08-2012 01:51 PM)babelfish669 Wrote:  

Your motivational issues are related to your feedback loop. Think of it as some guy who has never gotten laid trying to go pick up chicks. Until his first success, all his motivation is completely internal and fake. Once he gets laid, his brain relates that to a positive outcome and a feedback loop is established. If he then keeps trying hard for another year, doesn't get laid, that feedback loop becomes a negative feedback loop, and he's going to have to return to that earlier state effectively "running on fumes."

Throw the fucking books, tools, audio books, all that crap out the window. This shit is the same as jerking off to porn to pick up chicks.

The most important thing you can do is establish a positive feedback loop. You do that by making your first sale, or whatever it is to bring money in to your business.

Shit dude, did you read that somewhere? Where?

[Kitsune]

(06-08-2012 01:51 PM)babelfish669 Wrote:  

Your motivational issues are related to your feedback loop. Think of it as some guy who has never gotten laid trying to go pick up chicks. Until his first success, all his motivation is completely internal and fake. Once he gets laid, his brain relates that to a positive outcome and a feedback loop is established. If he then keeps trying hard for another year, doesn't get laid, that feedback loop becomes a negative feedback loop, and he's going to have to return to that earlier state effectively "running on fumes."

Throw the fucking books, tools, audio books, all that crap out the window. This shit is the same as jerking off to porn to pick up chicks.

The most important thing you can do is establish a positive feedback loop. You do that by making your first sale, or whatever it is to bring money in to your business.

Came in to say everyone should stop giving a procrastinator more stuff to 'read' and 'look into.'

babelfish, you've got it nailed down, and I say this from personal experience.

Want to wake up in the morning at 8.00am: Set your alarm right now for six, and make sure you get up at that time tomorrow morning. It'll be 5 minutes of hell, but then it'll be easier next time.

Tomorrow, you could have gotten up, eaten, showered and clothed by 7am instead of 9. Those extra two hours a day are an extra month of the year.

If you had an extra month for every year where you could do whatever the hell you wanted, what would you do?

Everything adds up.

If you work an extra hour for $10 and you do one more of those a day, thats nearly $4k.

It is only difficult for the first few days, after that you'll wonder how you were ever as inefficient as you are now.

[Big Nilla]

Rio, have a doable (measurable) goal that you can accomplish in a week. Tell someone if you don't accomplish it, you have to give him $100 or whatever. Make him hold you accountable to paying him. Works for me usually. Making a ton of money doesn't motivate me much, but losing $100-200 sure does.

I also get a lot done by staying up all night and working. I usually do this when I want to close out a project. I'm too undisciplined during the day. Too many distractions.