HowToBeMoreProductive.com – Time Management Tips

No one procrastinates. Even though I teach how to overcome procrastination, it’s really a misnomer.

You never procrastinate: you only choose to do activities that are not going to contribute to you achieving your most important goals, projects, or tasks as quickly as possible.

You are always doing something; you are never doing nothing.

Let’s say you’re sitting back on the couch, watching television and eating potato chips. You may be delaying doing something else, but you’re not procrastinating watching television. You are actively engaged in the activity of watching television.

So you are not procrastinating. You are simply not making great choices about how to spend your time. Or you are making great choices, depending on your goals.

If you’re goal is to be out of shape and unhealthy, I suppose choosing to excessively be a ‘couch potato’ is a good choice. If you’re goal is to be physically fit and healthy, then choosing to consistently exercise and eat healthy food are good choices.

Even when you’re sleeping you’re not procrastinating. You are choosing to participate in the act of sleeping.

When you’re sleeping, your mind and body are actively engaged in the concerted act of cleansing your body by expelling toxins through your sweat glands and breath. That’s why you have bad breath in the morning.

Choosing to consistently get adequate sleep promotes good health and is a good choice if one of your goals is to be in physically fit and healthy.

So figuring out how to consistently make great choices is a smart goal. That’s one of the keys to ‘black belt’ productivity: consistently making great choices about how you spend your time.

So to recap: it’s impossible to procrastinate. You can’t not do something. You are always engaged in some action.

If you find yourself automatically taking actions that goes against what you want, almost as if some else is in control of your actions (obsessive), then you may want to seek a qualified cognitive therapist. Cognitive therapy can help you overcome mental blocks, obsessions, and/or negative emotions (guilt, shame, etc.) that may be preventing your from consistently making great choices and following through with them.