How to Stop Procrastinating (Or Not)

I was playing hooky at the beach this past week.
I was playing hooky at the beach this past week.

It’s ironic that it’s taken me so long to share this post with you, but hey, we therapists are only human.

Scratch the surface of someone who writes about procrastination and you’ll find a procrastinator underneath.

Okay, so now that I’ve outed myself as a some-time procrastinator, I’d like to share a recent post with you from my PsychologyToday.com blog.

You’ll notice I came up with 6 practical tips for overcoming procrastination. Read More

Try This New Spin on Goal-Setting

arrow hitting targetRecently I listened to an interview with Chalene Johnson, who introduced me to a new idea for goal-setting.

At first I was skeptical, but when I actually went through Chalene’s steps, it worked!

Here’s what she suggested:

1. Set 10 goals.

WHAT? TEN goals? That’s too many, isn’t it?

Trust Chalene. Write down 10 goals across a wide range of areas of your life.

Here are the areas Chalene suggests for your goals:

  1. Educational (a “get smart” goal — something you want to learn more about)
  2. Pure joy — something just for the fun of it
  3. Love life
  4. Family / friends
  5. Spirituality
  6. Environment — Meaning where you spend much of your time, such as your home or workplace
  7. Purpose / profession
  8. Financial
  9. Fitness / nutrition
  10. Mental wellness — I like to think of this as emotional well-being.
Read More

Multitasking vs. Unitasking: No Contest

Busy guy with six armsWhenever the topic of multitasking is raised, so are my antennae.

I’m tragically aware of my inability to “unitask,” and like Pinnochio who wanted to be a real boy, I long to be something I’m not. In my case, I want to be present. Focused.

I want to be able to do just one thing at a time, and I’ll tell you why… Oh, there’s a YouTube video on how to peel garlic in 10 seconds! Read More

Procrastination Can Be Productive

man sleeping on park bench with laptopProcrastination can be productive, especially for creative types.

Often when I talk with people who are down on themselves about not moving forward, it turns out there’s something that’s not yet in place — something they need before they can take the next step.

Maybe it’s a decision that needs to be made, or information that’s not yet available. Maybe there’s something inside them saying, “Stop! What are you doing? You’re going the wrong way!!!”

These things take time to process. Read More