Notice how procrastinators think: “I’ll do it tomorrow, next
week, when it stops raining, when I feel like it and so on.” As men-
tioned earlier, the way you interpret your feelings determines how
they affect you. Procrastinators interpret fear to mean “STOP.”
Now, in some cases this is not a bad interpretation of fear. If you
have $10,000 of credit card debt, then your fear of economic desti-
tution can be useful when it tells you to stop this. However, procras-
tination implies the postponement of action toward something you
want to accomplish. Do not wait for fear to go away before acting.
Because feelings are genetically programmed responses to any chal-
lenges, we do not control them. Change your interpretation of fear
to “GET READY.” Fear means you should get ready to meet the
challenge at hand.
NOMOREPROCRASTINATIONMETHOD
Here is a method we learned from our friend, author and teacher
Jeffery Combs. Do this right away.
Gather together:- A supply of index cards or sticky notes
- Paper clips
- A supply of dollar bills
Write down the tasks you are currently avoiding, one for each index
card or sticky note. Then write down the date and time when you want to
complete each one. An example might be:
Graphics designed and organized for my new book. Noon Friday
April 4, 2005
Make sure to state the goal, date, and time precisely, as in the exam-
ple, so that your mind has no doubt about what you mean.
Then use a paper clip to attach two single dollar bills to each of the
cards or sticky notes on which you have written. Add the tasks to your cal-
endar book or whatever scheduling system you now use and place the
cards, with the money attached, on your refrigerator or near your phone
or computer, so that you are reminded of them frequently.
When the date and time indicated on each of the cards arrives, either
you have completed the task or you have not. If you have, take the money
and buy yourself a treat. If you haven’t, cut both bills into shreds. If you
haven’t done the task but you still want to do so, set a new date and time,
attach two new dollar bills to the card or note, and work through the
process again.
Clearly, how quickly this method works for you depends on how
The End of Procrastination 127