My PROMISE: In this post, three surefire ways to get over this procrastination thang… once and for all.

If you’re worried about procrastination being a character flaw, consider this: one of the most influential men in the Renaissance,  Leonardo Da Vinci… was a terrible procrastinator.

You and me, we might be procrastinators, but least we’re in good company.

We don’t remember Leonardo Da Vinci as a lazy guy. Even though he went long stretches not delivering on his promises and not producing anything of value. We don’t remember the piles of unorganized notes and unfinished drawings. We don’t think, “Geez, what’s the big deal? This guy only really made, like,  twenty paintings in his whole life. Michelangelo did over three hundred on one ceiling!”

No, we remember Leo for the stuff that he did finish. Because they were freakin’ masterpieces.

These guys were geniuses. But even Leonardo and Michelangelo, heck, NONE of the Ninja Turtles would be remembered at all if they had not come up with a way to do Step ONE: Get OFF Your ASS. And get some work done.

How to Cure Procrastination Forever

You. Yeah, YOU. Quit smiling. You think this is funny?

I didn’t think so. You know you need to produce, right?

So… Now get to work.

Now.

NOW. Before I COME OVER THERE AND KICK YOU IN THE NUTS!

….

Heh. Hmm… that doesn’t seem to really get results, does it?

We’ve all done it. You have, and you know it. Oh yeah, and I have too.

We’ve kicked ourselves in the ass… for not kicking ourselves in the ass.

😉

Okay, How to REALLY Cure Procrastination Forever

So, yelling at yourself won’t solve the problem. Sure, you may bully yourself once or twice into taking some action. You might even produce some good work once in a while this way. But it does violence to your very soul. What if there were a way to create great content, create awesome value for yourself and others… without resorting to self-loathing and a persistent feeling of failure?

Procrastination Cure #1: Give Yourself Permission to Fail

So dude… not everything that you make is going to just sing. Not everything is going to seem worthwhile. So just embrace that and do something anyway.

Why wouldn’t ya?

People watching? Screw ’em.

Mommy or Daddy wouldn’t approve? Aww shucks, you learned to walk didn’t you? I’ll bet they didn’t b-slap you every time you took a furtive, wobbly step. Naw, they probably encouraged you and even picked you up when you fell down. Oh, they’re not doing that anymore? S’ok. Just apply the same principle now in your field… take steps. It’s okay to fall down, just don’t stay down.

Procrastination Cure #2: The Awesome Power of the SFD

I wrote my first book by following the first step above; I gave myself permission to fail… but fail only one page at a time.

That is, I would sit down at my computer with a commitment to type one page per day. That’s type, not necessarily keep. Again, I had permission to produce without any reference to how good it was. My editor would help me sift through the crap for the nuggets of gold that sometimes came through.

During this journey of writing my first book  I discovered the next nail in the coffin of my former procrastination habit. ‘Twas the mighty principle of the SFD:

The Shitty First Draft. 

Think everything you write or say or sing has to be silk, laced with gold? Naw, shucks. You’re going to bomb out a LOT. Especially in your own eyes. So again, in the vein of giving yourself permission to fail… give yourself permission to produce a lot of crap. A crapload of crap. Indeed.

When I was a kid I had a goat to care for. There wasn’t a hose by the barn but instead a rusty old well pump. That first few pumps of water looked so dirty I wouldn’t even give it to the goat; I’d dump out the first pail. The pure clear stuff came out with a few more pumps. You have to get the first, nasty pailful from the well before you can get the good stuff. That’s just how it is… the important thing is to start pumping, then keep pumping. Get it?

Procrastination Cure #3: Clean it Up AFTERwards

Once you give yourself permission to fail and get moving on what is sure to be a dismally shitty first draft… then you take a look at what you’ve produced and clean it up afterwards.

Heh… Couldja take even my crappy post here and get maybe one or two good ideas out of it? Sure you can. You might boil this 1,000 word-wordy post into a 250 word, succinct statement. Or you might expound on what I left out and make it 2,000 words. Or you might take the general gist and make a whole new post. Or even reject every dang thang I say here and replace it with all new ideas… but guess what?

It’s easier to edit crap than air.

The key is to wait and produce a critical mass of something from Procrastination Cures #1 and #2 first… and take a step back. Go make a sandwich or play with your kids. Then when you’re ready to come back, change gears from creative mode to edit mode and you’ll soon be putting the polish on some magnificent work.

During this final Procrastination Cure it would be good to have a second set of eyes. Dude, you’re going to produce good stuff and bad, and chances are you won’t recognize the bad stuff as bad and the good stuff as good.

We’re our own worst judge when it comes to the content we create. Didja know that Stephen King’s wife rescued his manuscript for Carrie from the garbage bin? That book went on to become a major motion picture, not once but twice, and a vehicle for King to publish oodles and oodles more. Good thing ol’ Stephen had a Number Two that loved him and didn’t let his best work go down the toilet. 😉

A Final Hint: the Minimal Commitment Mind-Hack

So now you’ve got all three ways to KILL procrastination and actually get something done. Here’s a final hint. Commit to doing a ridiculously small amount of work.

Think about it… most times you didn’t start something it was because in your mind it was a monumental task. That, combined with perfectionism or self-doubt, is why you never seem to get off top dead center.

So next time you’re putting off what you know you need to do… and you have at least a semi-clear idea of what your topic is gonna be… Don’t sit down to write for four and a half hours. Instead, set a timer, stand up over your desk and WRITE AS MUCH PERMISSION-TO-FAIL-SFD-CLEAN-IT-UP-LATER-CRAP AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN IN JUST FOUR AND A HALF MINUTES.

This is magic. I don’t have to tell you why, just try it and see if I’m right.

Keep Stepping,

Kurt