Procrastination is a terrible curse that saps your energy, lowers your self-esteem, robs you of productivity, steals your sales and promotions, lessens your income and ruins your reputation. Well, if it’s so darn bad, why do you do it? Even worse, why will you do it again!! That’s the bad news.
There is good news, actually GREAT news. FinerMinds is excited to bring you the world expert on busting procrastination, RAYMOND AARON so that it won’t ever hurt you again. And, the way to destroy procrastination is presented in this brief video below.
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And the timing of this note is perfect...
Wow! This guy is really good to listen to.
This video was definitely inspiring. I can relate to your explanation on why I procrastinate. Thank you!! Now I don’t feel so bad after all
Thanks yet again, Raymond!
It’s true, what Raymond is saying. Not only do we not do what we love, but we are so out of touch with oursleves that we don’t know what we love. Fortunately, the body gives us signs and we need to pay heed to them.
Thank you!
Oh thats a good way not to do what I don’t feel like doing!!
wow, that’s a very good advice! Thanks a lot!
Interesting idea — procrastination being a signal and not a problem in itself.
wow, really awesome stuff. can’t wait to see the next video
This seems like useful information for some people, but it lacks any value to my particular situation. I am a student, and am forced to do several things I dont love ; essays etc. How on earth would moving away from the things i dont love help me in my life. It would do the opposite. The reality remains, that there are things that are not particularly lovable, which we must do.
this is entirely too simplistic. It neglects addressing the things like exercise and homework, etc … Much of what we avoid are activities that we do not love, but when we have completed the task, we feel very good. The difficulty is with our avoidance of the hard work, which in the short run we hate but in the long run we love. I don’t think this video talks about that at all.
Great common sense information that I did not take into consideration. I intend to implement this and I know it will be life changing.
Thanks a million!!
I think that is an interesting concept to use to identify what you don’t love , but I am sure that Mr Aaron also has the next step wich will probably be…
How much of what you think you don’t like you just might end up liking it .
I can’t wait to learn about it .
Funny thing is by me doing this I am stopping what I was doing which I need to do and don’t like. Ha
I procrastinate cleaning but I actually enjoy it, once I get around it.
Can’t agree with you here, man.
If there is a psychic immune system, might I postulate that you would need to have some psychic capacity to comprehend what it is trying to tell you. Maybe read some Aleister Crowley and Eliphas Levi, followed by The Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Emerald Tablet of Thoth and perform some ritual work, then maybe you’ll have some real sensitivity. What’s in the psychic realm manifests on the physical but not always in ways we would imagine.
Procrastination is a result of wanting to do other things /more/ than that specific thing. It is not the result of /not wanting/ to do that thing.
Its so simple but so positive at the same time .
thanks!!
This video is too simplistic! Yeah, sure. We avoid things we hate to do and so we procrastinate. But we can also procrastinate on things we love as well. Someone might love the piano and classical music but despite that love, they might procrastinate practicing the piano anyway. And this video says nothing about the fact that you may hate doing something and procrastinate on doing it but you still have to do it. I hate cooking but I still have to cook every night because I need to eat and no one else will do it for me because I live alone. If I buy take out, it’ll eat my budget away. I often procrastinate on getting dinner started because I hate cooking so much. Despite that, I still have to do it. Nothing is said about these types of situations. This video is just way too simplistic!
Hi Jennifer
I have an idea which works for me. i get very tired and often don’t have the energy to cook. When I was single I would cook up a big pot of soemthing, enough for 4 or 5 meals, eat one and freeze the rest into portion bags. Now I am married with a disabled husband, a full-time job, a step-son, a home to run and also recovering from cancer. I get so tired but I have translated my singles practice and I make a big pot of food which if enough for tonight’s dinner and then freezer the rest for another night. I hope this might help you cut down the amout of time you spend cooking. I am trying to work out the principle especially when it comes to paperwork which is my nemisis. I cured the ironing problem many years ago — I pay someone else to do it as a treat to myself but only in times when we have the money to pay for it.
We used to psych ourselves up for a subject we didn’t like, that is saying we liked it, thinking of things we liked about it, dropping negative words for either positive words or accurate descriptive neutral ones, as words can control thoughts pretty well when thought wont.
That’s hard to do when we are negative or fearful. But behind every emotion there is a thought. If we fix the thought we fix the emotion. Sometimes, though, the thought is fear of the unknown. In that case, I would imagine we have to get more information. I know that most colleges have a section where they teach you how to study for free. They teach speed reading, essay writing, good study habits and I don’t know all what. They also have college preparation schools. That may be a lot of work, but if you convince yourself those are skills you will need in life anyway, you can make study enjoyable. A mentor or tutor seem to be a big secret in life also. Too, some schools are easier than others. But if we take on too much we have to cut back or go another way. Information seems so important.
Say, if that’s not enough, the subconscious is a million times more powerful than the conscious mind. We can ask our intuition and it tells you. Intuition is so important that Einstein said, “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” The subconscious just, at the surface, is our programing, but if we ask it a few questions and get deeper in it is called intuition and whole brain thinking.
Science is calling the conscious mind a monkey on the back of a tiger. The tiger is the subconscious, of course. Developing intuition is, therefore, very important. Perhaps the main reason we miss things, though, is because they don’t make any sense to us at first. Einstein noted that also. He said that if an ideas seems right at first, there is no hope for it. The opposite of what we think is all too often the right answer. Ha. I’ve gotten to the point of thinking that life is half apparent contradictions, but not real ones. If we look a few levels in we get at the truth.
Anyway, you have given me a tool I was missing. I guess I wasn’t too clear on it, but you made it very clear. A great skill, I must say. Your positive attitude cut through a lot of negativity blocking me.
Good advice, but there are some things in in life that we don,t like doing that we have to do. We would be running away from our responsibilities if we only did the things that we liked doing. We have to bury our family. We have to pay our taxes. We have to work [sometimes in a job with hours that we don,t like] if we want enough money to live in reasonable comfort. We have to obey the law of the land [whether we agree with some laws or not] and finally we have to die [that one is guaranteed].The secret is to do the things you love doing [like your favourite hobbbies] in your spare time. As I am not financially a wealthy person [I have to work for a living on an average weekly pay]I cannot have all the good things in life that a millionaire can have, but I am contented and happy with my lot, and that [to me] is worth more than all the money in the bank.
thats 9 minutes i wont get back…
okay, so I live alone and when you do what you love and not what you dont love (cleaning) the house gets pretty dirty!!!!
Really interesting video, well presented and informative.
many thanks, Aly
I’ll listen to it later,
HELLO ,
I AM DEAF . I CANT HEAR WHAT U SAID . CAN U PUT TELECAPTIONS ON EVERY VIDEOS FOR DEAF PEOPLES PLS ?
THANKS
ELIZABETH
Dear Zena …
You observed, quite correctly, that my video on procrastination has no relevance to your situation as a student. Finer Minds allowed me a certain number of minutes to present an introduction to my ideas on procrastination, and I filled it will my best ideas. One of the ideas that I did not get to present was the exceptions; and the biggest exception is school.
When you are a student, you are not asked what you love. You select your topic and then you are told what to do. The teacher decides; you take orders. School is an unevolved institution based on the woefully outdated needs of the Industrial Revolution of 1850. The hierarchical structure has the administration and teachers on the top and the students on the bottom, with little say or control. So, simply grin and bear it.
Use the school time to notice what you love and what you do not love so that when you graduate you can promptly begin constructing your life doing as much as possible what you love and as little as possible what you do not love.
Dear Jane Brown …
You make a very valid point, though you make your point quite harshly. I make an introductory video to present some basic ideas about procrastination. You have asked me to discuss two specific applications: exercise and school.
I have already addressed schooling in my reply to Zean and you and right that school is an exception because you are told what to do and you have to do what you are told. Or else.
For exercise, you make the point that you dislike starting the exercise (because you speak of avoidance) and possibly you also dislike the exercising itself, but then you like the results afterwards. Well, my thesis on procrastination applies perfectly. It would be far wise for you to find an exercise program you love or a sport that is exciting to you, or possibly find a partner that makes exercising enjoyable rather than pushing yourself to do the current exercise program you have. Why? Because your psychic immune system is telling you that you do not love it and it will always therefore be a struggle for you. I do not recommend you have any struggles in your life. Do the exercising that is fun, with partners that are fun, at a time that is fun — and in this way not only will you have the benefits afterwards, but you will also enjoy the experience during the exercise.
Dear Jennifer Rodriguez:
Wow, I can read the upset in your voice. I wonder why my brief introductory video caused such a reaction in you? Let me make the bold guess that you have an inkling that there is a better way to run your life and you are upset at yourself that you have not found it. Or else, possibly you are upset that you have the life you are living and don’t like it.
Let me help you.
You first find fault with my video by hypothecating that there may be someone who loves the piano but does not get around to playing it. Maybe there is such a person, but I would rather look at real people, like myself and yourself. In my life, I love certain activities and I never procrastinate doing them. I love playing with my kids, giving speeches, designing educational material, stroking my pussycat, and lots more. I never look at my cat and wish that I would pet her. I invite you to look into your own actual life and identify any activities which you really love but you don’t get around to doing. The list may be really short.
Secondly, you quite harshly condemn me for the case where you hate doing something but you still have to do it. Actually, there are no such cases — eventually. When you are creative enough, you can easily devise lots of ways to delegate or joint venture your way into doing more of what you do love and less of what you do not love. You give the example of hating to cook, but imagine that you still must. One possible alternative is ordering in every night but you quite correctly noticed that that option will soon drain your budget. So, let’s not stop at that one option. Thomas Edison experimented with 10,000 different elements until the light bulb went on the first time. So far, you have successfully eliminated one option — ordering in. There are many more options, some of which will work. Here is an example — maybe there is a neighbor who enjoys cooking and cooks anyway for her family and dislikes doing something that you could easily and enjoyable do for her. You simply make an agreement with her that she cooks for you and you reciprocate by doing something for her. That is an idea. And, there are many more. Be creative. The solutions are many.
You must, though, be both creative and patient. You must be creative to devise non-ordinary solutions and you must be patient to work through all the areas of your life that are not working well so that you can, step by step, clean them up.
Dear Harold …
I must confess that I did not fully understand all your comments, but I did appreciate your conclusion that my video helped you a lot and cleared up things for you. Thank you.
Dear John …
I totally loved reading your comment. You forced me to really think deeply as I have never heard of the objections you have raised. Here are my replies to your comments.
You say you hate to bury family members who have died. This really perplexed me till I realized that you actually don’t bury your family members; the entire job is already delegated to those duly licensed. You actually don’t do anything at all except attend the funeral and you actually can elect to not attend if you wish. If attending the funeral would cause you more pain than the negative reactions of your other family members, then you don’t even have to attend the burials, never mind actually doing any of the burying at all.
You say you do not want to pay taxes. Perfect. If you are truly serious, there are jurisdictions on this planet where there are no income taxes at all. The Caribbean island of Turks & Caicos is one example.
You comment that you must work at a job you dislike or at least at a job with tasks some of which you dislike. That is not accurate. Each month you can take a step towards doing more of what you do like and less of what you do not like. You can swap tasks with fellow employees. You can ask for re-assignment of duties. You can take courses to allow yourself to move into other areas you like more. There are lots of options which become visible when you begin looking with a creative and open eye.
If you do not like the laws of this land, then find a land that has laws you like. There are almost 200 countries on this planet. Start searching.
You conclude that you should enjoy hobbies in your spare time — but that is a partial solution. It works part of the time. I want your whole life to be the solution; and it is possible. Thousands of my clients around the world are enjoying that exact solution, full time not just spare time.
You conclude by saying that you are content. But, the conclusion flies in the face of your entire entry filled with lots of things you do not like. Your life seems to be filled with discontentment but then you conclude you are content. I am guessing that you mean that you have accepted your lot in life and I suggest to you that you startle yourself into wakefulness so that you can fix some of the issues that bother you in your life and have a far better life. It is possible. I suggest you go for it.
Thank you Raymond!
That was a great speach and you hit the nail on the head all
the time!
I’m ‚like the lady Elisabeth, I’m not deaf but this is an, (IDEA), why not try to put the speech on the video, on to paper or a document ? do you have or does she, have a program on the computer, that can translate for her ‚the spoken word to writing???? that might also
be a (money) maker?
Robert Watkins.…
Dear Lori …
You wrote a very interesting comment:
“okay, so I live alone and when you do what you love and not what you don’t love (cleaning) the house gets pretty dirty!!!!”
There is a subtle distinction that I would like to now mention. Just because YOU do not do it does not mean that it does not get done. That is the key. US President Ronald Regan once said: “You can achieve anything you wish as long as you don’t care who gets the credit.”
How do we apply that wisdom?
Be creative in thinking of ways that others could do what you do not like — cleaning — in exchange for something that you could do or give to them. One obvious item you could give them is cash and this option is called “cleaning lady”. If you cannot afford this option, then there are MANY options that cost you nothing whatsoever.
One example might be that a neighbor or friend does the cleaning for you and in reciprocation you do some chore or task for that friend that that friend dislikes doing but which you actually enjoy.
Another example is to change you living situation so that you live with another person. That person does the cleaning and you do a chore that you love.
There are many solutions.
Dear Elizabeth …
I am sorry to learn that you are deaf and that therefore videos do not work well for you. You requested ‘telecaptions’. I am simply the guest expert; I am not the owner of this wonderful Finer Minds blog. The owner moderates the comments and has therefore read your comment. I know the owner personally and I know him to be a compassionate and caring soul. I do not know what action he will take or what solution he will devise, but I do know that your very legitimate request has been heard. Thank you.
Dear Robert Watkins …
I am deeply moved that you cared enough about Elizabeth’s deafness and therefore her inability to enjoy my video that you took the time to write your interesting comment. Thank you for caring that those who wish to learn from this wonderful Finer Minds blog ALL have the opportunity to learn.
Yes, that is definately 9 minutes I won’t get back. And I mostly disagree. When I say mostly, I mean that I agree it is important to do things that you love. But doing the things that you don’t love is simply a matter of self-control. A person with good self-control finds that they “hate” doing certain tasks (cleaning, laundry, homework) less and less because those hated tasks lose their power everytime you “bask” in the energy in accomplishing a dreaded task. That, in turn, creates more power to excercise self-control over things you don’t like and things that intimidate you. One day soon, not much intimidates you and resistance to the “hated” (or disliked but necessary) things in lkife melts away.
What about those of us who procrastinate because of fear. Fear of not being able to do something we like well enough (thus proving to yourself you don’t have the ability to do it if you try). If you don’t try you can keep deluding yourself thinking you might be really good at .….. Basically, fear of failure.
Fear of others opinions.
Fear of injury.
Fear of success and overwhelm.
Fear of unknown (as someone mentioned).
And also what about procrastination due to fear and stress induced fatigue and lack of mental clarity.
Help
WOW! Thank you for your video. I have been enlightened as to why I DO procrastinate and can do something about it now. I also found it very interesting to read some of the comments and thought that the commentees had answered their own questions!! You replies were brilliant and (without sounding my own trumpet too) were exactly in tune with what I was thinking as I was reading! They just need to open their minds and think creatively as there is always a million answers to ANY ‘problem’ in this life. Thank you once again and I look forward to more tasty morsals from you to help me unravel my life and make it even more enjoyable than it is now.
The bottom line is that you don’t have to do anything in life that you don’t like,But you do have to die.That is compulsory.
I went to a Time Management seminar not so long ago and among some of the tips was ‘Delegate’ but he acknowledged that it was a luxury that we don’t all have.
Perhaps they should include ‘If you can’t delegate, reciprocate’
I think I will pass this on
Very enlightening to know that procrastination is only a symptom that shows I don’t really like doing what I need to do. It’s liberating. And chunking it down into bits is a great idea, it doesn’t seem so ominous, does it?!
I wish I could find what I love, then my life wouldn’t be so crappy
We ALL have choices AND when we limit our own choices by saying and thinking I Can’t, then YOU won’t. the idea is to let go of the things that do not serve you, do not make you FEEL good. You can find someone to do the things that you don’t want to do, my case is my partner hiring someone to clean our house, I pushed against the idea, stating it will cost money, I don’t want someone in my stuf etc. Now I can not imagine NOT having someone to clean my house and I am working on bigger better dreams and goals, ones that I WILL enjoy! I gained SOOOO much by letting go… TRUST the process, follow your BLISS!!
I was an art student long ago in the late 70’s. Those days didn’t have the money to buy canvases and oil colors, and girls in my community depended on their family to support them at college, and didn’t work to pay their way. My dad was not doing well at his business. My final year results ended in total failure which had disastrous consequences in my life, for which I am still paying.
I became an art teacher but didn’t have the confidence to work and show my work to gallery owners, like other art students.
I began to draw on the backs of artists’ invitation cards and even got them framed. Even then I did not buy the canvases, I realize I would need a steady stock, and the prices had also gone up. As and when I went to art shops, I would buy colors, sheets of paper, but never the best materials that attracted me.
As the years passed, I seemed to have amassed a lot of art material, but I never do any painting. Life has taken me away from that environment which was dynamic and full of art.
I also feel more and more the burden my father had to carry.
Raymond helped Julia
and Julia helped Raymond
so there are more “likes” than “dislikes” per total group.
Alone I am a simpleton.
Together we can help each other.
Cris
You can not receive with a closed fist.
Three little magical words to overcome procrastination , believe you me they work every time ! The three little words are : DO IT NOW
Just remember these three magical words.. They will help you much more than anything in overcoming procrastination…
I can beat your 3 words, Johnny. How about TWO words? Sometimes it really IS this simple *lol*
-> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYLMTvxOaeE
I realized something about procrastination: Chances are, it’s because you’re overthinking what it is you have to do. Your mind gets lost on all the little details, your mind starts fast forwarding to all the things that can go wrong, or you’re thinking of what drudgery it is…All this on your mind and you haven’t even got your butt off the sofa!!! You psych yourself out before you even start! I hate stupid people…not because it’s a handicap or something they were born with,it’s a CHOSEN way of thinking.People choose not to think because it’s easier.This is why I quit retail AND customer service.But I learned there are some occasions in life where it’s ok not to think. Just get up and take that jump, turn your mental dialogue OFF & before you know it, you’ve got too much momentum to go back to the sofa.