Conquering Avoidance-Based Procrastination

Kevin Shirley, Associate Broker (DC), GRI, e-PRO, ASP

Do you ever just keep putting off a task, even when you know it’s something you absolutely must do? If so, chances are you’re experiencing avoidance-based procrastination.

Avoidance behaviors can be defined as the things that we keep on doing to distract our mind from the task or activity associated with some unpleasant emotion. In most cases, this emotion is fear and may include a few other psychological variables such as panic, anxiety, and worry. By working on something else instead of the actual project that you are expected to handle, avoidance-based procrastination allows people to escape the uncomfortable, well, at least temporarily. Left unchecked, this tendency will lead to an overload of deadlines, mismanaged work routines, and loads of stress.

Here are a few tips and techniques to help you conquer avoidance-based procrastination so that you can start to lead a happier, healthier, well-organized lifestyle:

Create a to-do list. When you have multiple things to handle in a day, it is common to miss some crucial tasks in between. Productivity experts advise preparing a to-do list to organize your routines and ensure that all your tasks are completed. It is not just about the daily to-do list; instead, you should also prepare a list of actions for each specific project in hand. This strategy will save much of your time, and you will be able to get things done seamlessly.
Set priorities for daily activities. You may have so many short-term and long-term goals to accomplish, and it requires continuous efforts to achieve them. As a result, you may have to execute some repetitive tasks every day; but if you don’t know your priorities, you may end up wasting lots of time with low-priority “busy work.” It is better to carry out a priority-based analysis of all things you have to do and identify which tasks need to be accomplished and in what order.
Find your motivation. Putting some tasks off may help you avoid unfavorable feelings temporarily, but this strategy can’t give you pleasure in the long run. So, instead of working on this short-term relief, try to find your motivation to get things done on time. Consider setting up a rewards system for completing unpleasant tasks. It could be as simple as “I’ll have a cup off when I finish this report.” Once you discover ways to give yourself some inspiration to do things on time, this system may help you to stay organized in day-to-day life.

Bottom line

These simple steps may help you to overcome avoidance behaviors while dealing with the habit of procrastination. Whether it is about your business-related tasks, the new project assigned by your manager, the household chores or responsibilities associated with your health and wellness, following an appropriate strategy for conquering avoidance-based procrastination may help you stay organized. It is the best way to eliminate the anxiety and stress associated with overloaded deadlines and piles of pending tasks.

Lazy Productivity: Get More Done by Doing Less

Kevin Shirley, Associate Broker (DC), GRI, e-PRO, ASP

Everyone’s looking for a healthy, happy, and productive lifestyle. Whether you are a new or seasoned entrepreneur, building a business is unquestionably an arduous task. There are millions of things that you need to handle every day. You have to become a deft master of constant prioritization and reprioritization. The unceasing workload may sometimes drive you crazy. While you’re putting one task to bed, ten others may pop up — some with urgent deadlines.

We all have 24 hours a day, but truly successful people know how to make the best out of those limited 24 hours. If you’re seeking to have a comfortable lifestyle while taking your business to new heights, it is essential to understand how to become productive. Productivity can be achieved by working harder, naturally. But what about working “smarter?” And what of working harder and smarter when what you’d REALLY rather be doing is binge-watching The Serpent on Netflix while munching on a Grubhub delivery?

Is there a place for laziness in the realm of productivity?

But before we talk about how to boost your work efficiency, it is vital to turn our attention to how some entrepreneurs have turned their natural laziness into productivity. Although society has always frowned upon the habit of laziness, at some point, it can also turn out to be a talent. Sometimes, even the laziest people turn out to be the most successful and well-driven.

It is laborious for many entrepreneurs to plan their slate of products and services and then release them successfully to the world. And sometimes, regardless of your 30,000-foot plan, you just want to coast. So, consider if there’s a way to make your natural tendency toward laziness pay off. Bill Gates once said that it is better to hire lazy people to do challenging tasks because they will find an easier way to get that job done.

Here are a few trusted tips from experts to help you get more done by doing less — and with enhanced productivity levels:

Find the most suitable working hours for you

Most people struggle to get things done on time because they work at odd times. You can be more productive when you identify the best time for you to work. Some people perform better in the morning hours; others can enjoy total productivity at midnight.

If you find that you cannot force yourself to work at any specific time of the day or cannot get rid of the lazy behaviors, try to figure out if there’s a particular time when you feel motivated to get things done. At that particular time, you will find it easier to accomplish tasks sooner, and then you will find more time to relax.

After identifying the right time to work, eliminate distractions

The great news is that many technological advancements have become an integral part of human life these days. On one side, they offer significant growth opportunities to the current generation of entrepreneurs and consumers, but these modern age devices can also prove to be distractions when you’re trying to work. Studies reveal that gadgets and devices have become the most significant source of procrastination. Monotasking — the practice of dedicating oneself to a given task — is a recent productivity buzzword, but the science backs up its value. Doing one thing at a time, rather than “multitasking,” does make you more productive. That said, monotasking is virtually impossible when all your gadgets are constantly alerting you to incoming e-mail, texts, upcoming calendar appointments, etc. Learn how to minimize your interruptions, and you’ll get more done.

If you want to become more productive, it is crucial to block distractions from your routines. The best idea is to turn off notifications for your e-mails and social media; thus, you will be able to stop wasting time checking the alerts time and again. People who know how to eliminate distractions from day-to-day life are likely to become more productive. You can also use some modern age apps that are designed to help people to eliminate distractions.

Cut work that doesn’t matter

This is probably the hardest thing to do. But you need to analyze where you spend most of your time and what results you are getting from that. It is essential to understand that 80% of your overall results come from 20% of your work; therefore, it is vital to eliminate tasks with a low return on your investment of time. You should only focus on things that bring some positive output for you.

If you are a business owner, you have to analyze the outcomes of every task you do routinely. Make sure you prioritize tasks based on how much time they will take and how much profit they can make for you. Experts advise cutting the work that doesn’t matter at all for your business. When you stay focused only on the essential tasks, you can automatically be more efficient and productive. Moreover, you will be able to complete things on time and spare more time to relax.

The key takeaway

To boost your productivity levels, you might try taking a nap. This is the fastest way to restore your energy magically. You may also need to take a break after completing exhausting tasks; it can help you regain your strength to work efficiently on the following tasks. Other than this, you need to organize your routines in such a manner that you can stay more focused on productive tasks.

Bottom line

Experts advise following the 80/20 method to become more productive in life. This method involves analyzing 20% of activities that consume 80% of your routine time. This technique can help you to prioritize next steps and get them done on time, with more time to spare for fun with your loved ones!

INTERNET ROUNDUP: The surprising connection between laziness and productivity

Everyone experiences moments of laziness from time to time. In the business world, we’re accustomed to considering it a bad thing. But what if it’s not? What if laziness can actually help us become more productive and successful?

ARE LAZY PEOPLE MORE EFFICIENT AND INNOVATIVE THAN WE THINK?

Turns out, laziness might be the mother of invention. Are you feeling lazier lately? You can’t go to the gym. You’re probably stuck at home. You might be sitting on your couch writing an article about laziness in your pajamas. And you could be feeling a bit guilty about it. But what if a bit of laziness was a positive thing? What if laziness was a sign of intelligence or a driver of innovation? [PHYS]

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SCIENCE: LAZY PEOPLE ARE LIKELY TO BE SMARTER, MORE SUCCESSFUL, AND BETTER EMPLOYEES. WHO KNEW?

Let’s be honest, lazy people get a bad rap, especially when some of the world’s most successful billionaires are perceived as the exact opposite. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, for instance, gets up at 5 a.m. every day. He answers emails, eats breakfast with his family, reads the news, takes meetings, and plays sports like tennis, running, and kitesurfing (what?!) — all before going to bed at 11 p.m. Basically, Branson is an incredibly active and accomplished individual (and it should be a crime to call him lazy). [CNBC]

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HOW BEING LAZY CAN MAKE YOU MORE PRODUCTIVE: LOAF YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

American culture doesn’t value rest nearly enough. Our work ethic, passed down from the no-nonsense Puritans who landed on our shores in the 17th century, equates a busy life with a good life. Many of us feel that taking a break from our never-ending to-do list will kill the prolific productivity that we’ve come to worship. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, a little laziness is essential to your productivity. [BELIEFNET]

INTERNET ROUNDUP: INTJs and their relationship with procrastination

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INTJ MOTIVATION: HOW THE INTJ HANDLES PROCRASTINATION

INTJs are often excellent at motivating themselves, but even the most focused person can struggle with procrastination at times. Most of us deal with moments where we lack a bit of motivation and find ourselves struggling to find answers or solutions to these problems. We really want to be able to keep moving forward but it just doesn’t always come naturally and pushing sometimes makes it worse. Here are a few ways the INTJ struggles with motivation, and how they can break free from the procrastination hurdles. [PERSONALITYGROWTH]

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PROCRASTINATION THE INTJ WAY

Oft times, it’s assumed that INTJs can’t procrastinate, that they are always uniquely productive. However, just like anybody else, they are perfectly capable of being useless. An efficient work-style is not always inherent and can be influenced by environment, childhood socialization, mental states, and addictions. Many INTJs are expressly efficient, while other INTJs struggle to keep a schedule or motivate themselves to get things done. [MBTIFICTION]

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7 WAYS JUDGERS PROCRASTINATE WORSE THAN PERCEIVERS

Of all the types, Intuitive Judgers are considered to be the most likely to slip into perfectionist tendencies. These types tend to obsess about the ideal solution; about how things “should” be and how they can remove flaws in the system. As such, they want to control the quality of the work they put out. If something is not working, NJs will delay the task until the result is better, or they have better-quality facts on which to base their decisions. Sometimes, they put off the project indefinitely because they know the result will not be good enough. [TRUITY]

Stop Overplanning Your Day

Kevin Shirley, Associate Broker (DC), GRI, e-PRO, ASP

Done well, routine planning rituals can help you live your life intentionally and peacefully. But many people spoil their day-to-day activities by overplanning.

There is no doubt that people who plan their lives well are likely to stay more organized. Plans give them a strategy to remain directed towards their goals in a meaningful manner. Sadly, the seduction of living a planned life compels many people to overplan. They try to run their routines more like a movie where every variable of life stays in their control, and there are no unknown situations. But real-life is much different than “reel” life. There is no script; rather, many things happen in entirely unpredictable ways. In such situations, if you try to maintain control on every minute of your day, you may fail to hold up your plans, and it may soon cause more emotional torture to you.

Experts advise planning your day to avoid the stress of neglecting important personal and professional goals. But planning should not preclude the joy that can be found in unexpected circumstances. Instead, try to develop an openness and acceptance towards everything in life while maintaining a streamlined approach to execute essential tasks.

Expert recommendations

Those experiencing stress and emotional disturbances due to overplanning in life are advised to follow expert advice to avoid such situations. Below are a few important tips and tricks to help you lead your life efficiently while doing only necessary planning:

Tip 1: Be concerned about your intention

You cannot book a seat on the plane without knowing your destination because you may end up heading in the wrong direction. This is the main reason why you should plan certain things in advance regarding where to start and where to end. List out things to be done over the course of the day. Instead of attempting to control every minute of your day, it is better to organize things around you and handle tasks on a priority basis. It may help you to avoid irrelevant things to achieve set goals with ease.

Tip 2: Redefine the 100% score

Perfectionists have a reputation for consistently completing every goal and task they put on their to-do list. They plan things in such a way that they get 100% out of every day. But this is very rare in real life. For most people, accomplishing 60 to 70% of the intended tasks in a day is a significant achievement. Even if you are more competent and aware of all your priorities, the unplanned circumstances in life can cause your plans to go sideways. Therefore, instead of trying to be perfect, it is better to concentrate on your genuine priorities.

Tip 3: Don’t be obsessed with your plans

No matter how hard you try, there is no perfect plan. Even if you plan something really well based on the current data, you never know what will pop up unexpectedly. It is not possible to guarantee the perfect execution of any plan. The main goal of planning must be to create clarity about the day to focus your attention in the right direction. People who get obsessed with their plans often experience emotional imbalances due to failures. Your plan must keep you open to the new opportunities that arise on the way.

Tip 4: Create a roadmap

Whether you plan for a year, week or day, create a roadmap and sense of direction for your life and routines. Your plan should also provide a high-level overview of all the paths that you are willing to take in this journey. But at the same time, it is important to have a backup plan (or two!) for situations likely to derail your progress. There should always be some option to reroute your journey without losing your patience and productivity levels. Be clear about your to-do list and create a plan that can work as a roadmap for what to do next.

Tip 5: Get ready for the unexpected

The greatest power of adequate planning is that it can give you the ability to respond to unexpected situations without causing undue stress. People who plan things accurately are likely to move through all their essential activities without worrying about deadlines. Overplanning tends to prevent you from handling unexpected changes in the routines; proper planning, conversely, leaves some margin to switch between tasks without any trouble. It can also give you flexibility for any unexpected interruption in the process.

Tip 6: Stay open to creativity

No matter how focused you remain on your routines and plans, it is always good to spare some time for creativity. Instead of being overdisciplined about your priorities, you should always find a way to try new things. Experts advise creating a balance between freedom and intention while leading your life in a planned way. Do not sweat on the details; it may hamper your confidence levels. You should take notes on everything that happens around you and look for opportunities to take action. It is better to follow a consistent approach to execute your plans without even getting obsessed with them.

The main goal is to understand your long-term and short-term objectives while building a strategy to achieve them. But make sure you keep the process simple without overwhelming yourself. The objectives should not get challenging; instead, they should be achievable. When you stay flexible with your plans and do not stress out about unexpected happenings, you can streamline your routines in a much better manner.

Make procrastination your secret sauce

Kevin Shirley, Associate Broker (DC), GRI, ASP, e-PRO

Procrastination is delaying or putting off tasks until the last moment or even past their deadline. Some researchers define procrastination as a kind of self-regulation failure, characterized by an unreasonable delay of tasks without regard to the (possibly damaging) consequences.

According to researchers, around 20% of U.S. adults are chronic procrastinators. However well organized and dedicated you are, odds are that you’ve found yourself frittering away hours on trivial pursuits when you need to be spending that time on work or school-related projects. Whether you’re finishing a job for work, avoiding homework or household chores, procrastination can have an enormous impact on your career, your grades, and your life.

Rather than view procrastination as a problem of time management, discipline, laziness, or willpower, research unequivocally shows that procrastination is an emotional-regulation problem. But not all procrastination is a self-defeating and disadvantageous indulgence or outright dysfunctional behavior. There’s also a beneficial type of procrastination.

Researchers have identified two kinds of procrastination. Active procrastination is when you affirmatively or strategically opt to complete a task later or closer to the deadline. If you perform better under pressure, waiting to complete a task can result in an improved result. Passive procrastinators frequently start a necessary task only to be absentmindedly derailed by less critical work.

Active procrastination has four essential dimensions

A preference for time pressure. Active procrastinators are ordinarily not frustrated with deadlines, nor do they lose their capacity to concentrate under time pressure. They frequently prefer working under pressure.
The intentional decision to delay tackling tasks. Unlike passive procrastinators, active procrastinators feel a sense of autonomy, volition, and service in their decision to delay action.
The capacity to meet deadlines. Active procrastinators, unlike passive procrastinators, aren’t always struggling against a deadline. Even though they may rush to complete a task on time, they generally meet set deadlines.
Satisfaction with the results of delayed action. Active procrastinators tend not to be happy with their results when they complete a task before a deadline. When they complete a task before a deadline, they often end up editing and finessing the finished product past the point of diminishing returns.

Some might argue that this really isn’t a form of procrastination, primarily because, as a culture, we have implicitly added negative associations and unpleasantness to the very definition of procrastination — we assume that procrastinators delay a task ONLY because it’s unpleasant and dull. Conversely, waiting to complete a task can be strategic. Another way to look at active procrastination would be as an intentional, self-motivated delay at the beginning of completing a task to create better, more satisfying results.

We’re basically looking at a self-regulation approach to improve productivity that superficially appears similar to procrastination but is based on significant core aspects. Current research doesn’t clearly suggest whether this is a trainable strategy.

It might just reflect personal temperaments, needs, and tastes. This means it isn’t clear if changing gears and suddenly becoming active can cancel out your passive procrastination and enhance productivity since both kinds of procrastination can coexist within a person.

By leveraging the power of active procrastination, you can benefit from several of procrastination’s counterproductive benefits:

Procrastination gives you an instant boost of energy. No matter how tired you are, when that impending deadline nears, you’ll get a dose of energy-boosting adrenaline, helping you push your task over the finish line!
Procrastination reduces unnecessary efforts. Do you know who’s efficient at getting something done quickly, efficiently, and in the most streamlined fashion possible? A practiced procrastinator, that’s who!
Procrastination enables you to have fun doing other enjoyable things. Certainly, you’ve heard of Parkinson’s Law, which says that “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” The trained procrastinator knows innately how to leverage this immutable law. Simply limit the amount of time you need to do something until the very last minute — and use the remainder of the full, allotted time doing more pleasurable things.
Procrastination helps put off unwanted anxiety. Deadlines come with a lot of anxiety. If you keep worrying about all the deadlines you have to meet, your anxiety levels will inevitably keep rising. Ugh. Anxiety. No good comes from anxiety, and the seasoned procrastinator knows that worry and anxiety are for the birds. Forget about your task and its resulting anxiety until the very last possible moment. Your health will thank you.
Procrastination boosts creativity. You have to get creative when you’ve put off a task until the last possible moment, and you now have to complete a 3-hour task in 45 minutes. With your adrenaline flowing, your brain will naturally focus with laser-like precision on the fastest, smartest, and often the most creative way forward. You’ll never know how creative you can be until you’ve got an enormous deadline staring you in the face!

As you can see, there are definite benefits to procrastination. So don’t fight it. Lean into it! Here are a few strategies to make the most out of something you’re probably already doing.

Leverage the energy release. Our energy is a finite resource, and each task eats up a small bit of these reserves throughout the day. It is not uncommon to drop into procrastination style when you’re confronted with tasks that seem time-intensive, tedious, difficult, or low on your interest meter. Whenever your levels of energy drop, your desire to finish a task also decreases. However, if you procrastinate long enough, you will find yourself up against fast-approaching deadlines. Looming deadlines can create negative emotions of fear, anxiety, and stress, but the deadlines also trigger positive changes such as adrenaline rushes. Even on an empty tank, fear, along with an adrenaline surge, supplies an energy boost to assist you in getting the job done.
Get laser-focused. When you have procrastinated to the point where a deadline is right around the corner, offers need to be written, reports are expected, and decisions must be made; the only idea in your mind will be, how to get everything done. Even for chronic procrastinators, it is hard to dismiss work when there are dire consequences of not completing your tasks on time. You’re not as likely to get diverted or delay your work because you are so focused on the task at hand. Waiting until the absolute last moment to achieve something will force you to concentrate by shutting out all extraneous social interactions, electronics, and email.
Delegate and prioritize. As an entrepreneur, your day is most likely filled with things you may not wish to deal with at that moment — from minor tasks to massive projects. Being a procrastinator may help you streamline your daily workload by focusing on the functions that pique your interest and have more pressing deadlines. Look at the day-to-day tasks that you are inclined to avoid and ask yourself if any one may be delegated to someone else. That is an excellent opportunity to hand off your tiresome tasks to a digital or virtual assistant so that the time you have may be used for more essential matters that only you are capable of accomplishing.
Get it done faster. Few things will make you rush toward the end line like realizing you are behind schedule. With less time available to complete the job and a contract deadline looming, you will put in maximum effort to finish the race. The benefit here is that you understand just how rapidly a task takes to complete once you finally give it your all. This realization can reduce that feeling when a similar task comes up in the future. Since you’ve created a baseline for how long it will take to get done, it will be simpler to complete similar projects on a deadline in the future.
Give yourself time to research. Timeliness in decision making and handling projects are generally a good thing in business. Relationships and changes in strategy, growth, and agreements with partners and other vendors tend to go well when things have been handled effectively. And on the other hand, procrastination provides you more time to contemplate the expenses and advantages of decisions you need to make. As opposed to creating a quick decision, procrastination allows you time to thoroughly mull decisions over and assure you make the right choice. This is particularly useful if new information is uncovered through the delay that may influence a decision based on facts and research.
Improve your work-life balance. A healthy dose of procrastination can go a considerable way toward keeping you healthy. Every day should not be a play day, of course. Rather, when you know you have projects due and deadlines approaching, it is ok to occasionally take a break and pursue other less-stressful endeavors. Delaying a task to take a walk or a rest, spend some time with family, or participate in other self-improvement activities may positively influence your physical and psychological wellness. When you are healthy and well-rested, you will have more energy and a better state of mind for handling projects when it is time to get back to work.

Your skills, capabilities, and characteristics got you where you are now. And that includes your inclination to procrastinate. Rather than attempt to change who you are in the middle of building your business, figure out ways to utilize procrastination to your benefit, and find new ways to use your unique personality traits for your business’s advantage.

Stay productive even during a bout of depression

Kevin Shirley, Associate Broker (DC), e-PRO, GRI, ASP

If you are suffering from depression, you may find it challenging to remain productive. It is also known as major depressive disorder; it is one of the most common psychological disorders.

Depression affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act. It causes you to feel sadness and loss of interest in daily activities. As a result, it affects the productivity of your mental and physical health. All of its symptoms may prevent you from carrying on with your life.

But there are a few strategies you can deploy to keep productive despite experiencing depression. Here are six ways to enhance your productivity even in a depression.

Make a timetable

Make a schedule of your daily routine that will help you to be in a proper channel. Once you set your schedule, then stick to it. Following a plan will make your daily routine a habit. And once you develop a habit, it takes less time and effort to do a specific chore. Staying busy will also keep your mind active, leaving less time to ruminate.

Concentrate on the present moment

Thinking and regretting the past doesn’t benefit you. Of course, it’s necessary to keep those moments in mind and learn from them, but overthinking can overwhelm you. Similarly, thinking about unknown future challenges can leave you worried, sad, and hopeless. Therefore, focus on your present moment, the moment you are living right now. For instance, pay attention to the leaves moving in the air. Feel those movements for a while. Practicing mindfulness will help you cherish the present moment.

Get your body moving

Sitting and cogitating for hours not only slows down your metabolism but also can endanger your mental and physical health. Conversely, exercise and physical activity release hormones that improve your mood. So what are you waiting for! Get your body moving. Start small and keep yourself motivated by trying different workout techniques or new gym equipment.

Improve your diet

You may have heard, “you are what you eat.” Therefore, choose what you eat wisely. Avoid junk food, processed food, and sodas. Instead, favor homemade cooked food, whole foods, and fruits and vegetables. Include juices with your breakfast, and make sure to get all the essential nutrients in your diet. Remember, healthy food keeps your mind and body healthy.

Spend time on your hobbies

Books can be your best friends. Focus on this friendship. Set aside time every day to reading. If you can’t read much, simply build a habit of reading even one page daily. If this seems too daunting, try downloading an audiobook and listen for a few minutes at a time. Or do whatever makes you feel accomplished and happy, such as writing in a journal, listening to your favorite music, going for a relaxing massage.

Maintain your social support system

Connecting with people is a human need. Nurture the relationships with those in your social circle and spend time with them. Hangouts with friends or family can lift your mood and help you share what you are going through.

Although depression can make you feel sad, ineffectual and reduces your interest in daily activities, among other symptoms, there are ways to enhance your productivity and live a better life. Throw out all the self-defeating thoughts away and follow the strategies listed above to bring productivity back in your life, even if you are suffering from depression.

Break the Vicious Cycle: Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Paralysis

Kevin Shirley, Associate Broker (DC), GRI, e-PRO, ASP

Let’s face it, perfectionism, procrastination, and paralysis are toxic and can hold you back from achieving your goals. If you’re stuck in this vicious cycle, you can work endlessly without getting satisfactory results. While getting stuck in this vicious cycle is very dangerous, some people don’t even know that they are there, thus, the cause for the unending quest to end the cycle.

How would you know that you are affected by one of these unwanted perfectionism traits, procrastination, and paralysis?

Perfectionism

Perfectionism is exhibited by the constant fear that whatever you are doing will not be good enough, thus, pushing you to keep on working on your project, striving to perfect it (tweaking, editing, reworking). Perfectionism comes from set expectations, which are often high and unrealistic. The fear caused by perfectionism can also be caused by the fear that your output will be rejected. Therefore, you might realize that you are suffering from perfectionism if you are always worried that your project is not good enough.

Procrastination

Procrastination is the act of postponing work, leaving it pending for a long time. There are many causes of procrastination, including being a victim of perfectionism. So, when you are stuck for any sort of fear, you start making excuses for not doing the work, thus pushing its deadline further ahead. You can also engage in other unrelated tasks to keep yourself busy to avoid doing the main task.

Paralysis

As a result of perfectionism and procrastination, you can become completely stuck on a project. When you are unable to carry on with a specific task, it is then that you show signs of paralysis. Paralysis damages your self-esteem, making the cycle continue since your greatest fear is confirmed with this.

Basic steps to end this cycle

You will never enjoy the beauty of accomplishments if you are always stuck in this vicious cycle. It is of great importance that you start to take deliberate steps to end this cycle. Here are seven great ways to get you started:

Accept imperfection. One of the primary things that you can do to stop perfectionism is to start accepting imperfection. The first thing is to recognize that genuine accomplishments are sometimes imperfect. You should treat this as a normal thing, for it is expected if you live in this world. One important thing to remember is that accomplishments might not happen as you expect them to happen, but it doesn’t mean that you cannot celebrate your achievement in its shape. Another essential thing that will help you deal with perfectionism is knowing that everyone has a different view of what is perfect; thus, you should not judge yourself against what others think.
Take small steps. If you want to tackle a task effectively, you need to break it into smaller achievable steps. Just take a light example of organizing your emails. If you were to do that in a single sitting, you might not be able to finish it all at once, but if you assign yourself bits of the task, you might end up finishing it in a week or so. But when you break tasks into smaller action steps, you make them achievable and manageable. Furthermore, you feel a sense of accomplishment along the way since you get involved in achieving what you can manage. Always remember that these small accomplishments will help you build the momentum of finishing more significant tasks.
Track your time. Another important thing that can help you break the vicious cycle of perfectionism, procrastination, and paralysis is tracking your time. It is of paramount importance to note that time defines the task you want to do. Setting an achievable target alongside its deadline is vital in helping pace you well. This will help you avoid the temptation of procrastination. You also need to balance your priorities to avoid a scenario where you are focusing on one task, neglecting other aspects of your life, which might also lead to psychological damage.
Surround yourself with positive support. There is nothing as exciting as having positive support around you. One of the top reasons people don’t finish important tasks is because they get distracted because of loneliness. Associating yourself with positive people who can help you achieve a task can help you complete the task and celebrate your achievements.
It is okay to say NO. The vicious cycle tends to target people who are committed to working. While there is nothing wrong with being committed to your work, you need to start practicing how to say no. People can take advantage of you if you cannot decline proposals to get involved in overwhelming responsibilities. If you have a lot in your planner, just decline incoming tasks to allow you to finish the pending tasks. If you have a lot under your sleeves, you might end up finishing none.
Use the reward system. One of the best motivating factors that can keep you in check while doing a task is rewarding yourself. As earlier suggested, you should break your tasks into smaller bits. Every time you finish any of the smaller tasks, reward yourself. This will keep you focused on the next piece of a task as you have the upcoming reward in mind.
Consider your body and mind. Another thing that leads to paralysis is being unable to coordinate your body and mind. You need to be in an excellent physical and mental state to perform your tasks diligently. You need to perform regular ‘self-checks’ to ensure that you are in good shape to carry on with the task.

Breaking the vicious cycle of perfectionism, procrastination, and paralysis is a journey that should begin immediately. Never let any of these unwanted elements of the vicious cycle hold you down; simply put the basic guidelines into practice. If you are unsure, you can talk to a professional about your experiences to get help.

How are your New Year’s resolutions coming?

That’s obviously a trick question: I know you don’t make resolutions; YOU set goals! Here’s my goal-setting strategy.

Whether you are an entrepreneur, a 9-to-5 office worker, or a stay-at-home parent, you need goals. You will have no idea where you are going and if you’re making progress in the absence of them. Setting goals using the SMART methodology is an excellent way to get started. It is a method of writing goals that follow specific criteria. So what are “SMART” goals anyway?

It is generally accepted that the SMART acronym was codified in 1981 by George T. Doran, a consultant and former Director of Corporate Planning for Washington Water Power Company, in a paper entitled “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives.” In his paper, Doran provided some clarification for readers on applying the SMART acronym:

“‘How do you write meaningful objectives?’- that is, frame a statement of results to be achieved, Managers are confused by all the verbal from seminars, books, magazines, consultants, and so on. Let me suggest therefore, that when it comes to writing effective objectives, corporate officers, managers, and supervisors just have to think of the acronym SMART. Ideally speaking, each corporate, department and section objective should be: (SMART).”

— GEORGE T. DORAN

So, what’s your goal-setting technique? And how do you measure your success? Hit me back, I’d love to know!

What Artificial Intelligence Means to Entrepreneurs

Kevin Shirley, Associate Broker (DC), ASP, GRI, e-PRO

If you are making efforts to build an impression in the business industry, you might be already aware that technologies leave a considerable impact on this sector. Today, routine operations at most enterprises are highly dependent on artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. Neural networks and deep learning methods are opening new opportunities for boosting popularity in a competitive market.
Investors around the world are always interested in finding growth opportunities for their artificial intelligence-based ventures. But to succeed in this field, you need to thoroughly understand the technology and its applications.

Artificial intelligence in the enterprise sector

Artificial intelligence has been serving society for the past several years. However, the incredible progress of technologies such as data analytics and cloud computing in the business sector is now opening new doors for growth. The big companies such as Microsoft, Facebook, and Google have already started adapting artificial intelligence to improve their impact. The big brands are investing in forecasts to understand future growth opportunities. It can help them develop clear-cut and most effective practices to serve the market’s target audience. Instead of messing around with several trial-and-error methods, they can follow the predictions to make the most reliable decisions.

Artificial intelligence for recommendations, visualization, predictions, and risk detections can significantly improve your business. Experts consider it the next stage in the business industry after the internet. This technology can bring in-depth insights from the market to enhance a business’s operations to perform better. Artificial intelligence can further help in improved data analysis and for enhanced decision making.

There are so many ways you can utilize artificial intelligence in the business. Below are the most impactful applications of this technology to ease your decision-making process:

Marketing

Machine learning algorithms can help you analyze an extensive range of data, trends, and patterns from the target market. When you evaluate and understand user data more efficiently, it can naturally open new doors for effective marketing. You can merge your artificial intelligence algorithms with a social media strategy to receive enhanced returns. The behavior tracking further improves the ability to serve the audience with an enhanced satisfaction level.

Sentiment analysis

Artificial intelligence can also help understand human beings’ complex emotional behavior so that you can improve your business accordingly. Sentiment analysis can help you predict customer behavior, and you can design your marketing campaigns to capture their attention. This advanced technology can help you change market trends with ease.

Improved workflows

Artificial intelligence does not just assist with marketing, promotion, and customer satisfaction. Instead, it offers the most reliable solutions to improve workflows at office premises. The automated supply chains and streamlined processes can save more time for your staff to handle other vital tasks in the meanwhile. This technology can also help you save more on maintenance and cost associated with malfunctions. In simple words, artificial intelligence can help entrepreneurs to achieve enhanced sustainability for business.