Hello everyone, this is Helen Huang @ Organizing, based in Beijing, China. In order to better learn and practice the YiXiaoNeng Time Management System, after finished publishing 100 Chinese articles, I decided to continue writing and publishing a daily English article in another 100 days based on the "YeWuBin Time Management 100 Episodes" audio program. Today is the 131st day.
Today's topic is: Three Ways to Treat Procrastination
Procrastination has almost become a "social problem". Therefore it is important that we talk about this.
At the beginning of this "procrastination" series topic, I said that serious procrastination can and will kill a person!
I also talked about the formula for procrastination: U = E x V / I x D. By now, you should know
U represents efficiency.
E and V are numerators.
I and D are denominators.
U represents your efficiency.
E is the expectation of success and V is the value to you of completing that task.
I is the immediacy of the task and how important it is to complete and D is how likely you are to delay or procrastinate the task.
In the previous lectures, I also talked about two major categories of methods to treat procrastination:
1). The first is the simplest to understand but most difficult to actually execute - that's choose happy and meaningful things to do in your life. But under actual circumstances, many people cannot do this.
2). The second method is also simple, but truly not sustainable over a long period of time - that's what I call the procrastination treatment pills which have four sub-methods.
If this is the first time you're hearing about this, you can listen to the previous two lessons to learn about it.
In today's lecture, I will talk about the third major methods for the treatment of procrastination: the hardest but the best method - that is to strengthen your self-control and willpower!
Self-control is a limited resource. So this is the most difficult method for the treatment of procrastination, but also the most effective way.
I want to talk about three things.
First, I want to talk about the Yixiaoneng model that I have taught in previous lessons.
1) The Yixiaoneng time management method includes: potatoes, tomatoes and frogs which you know as to-do lists, Pomodoro technique and eating your largest frog in the morning. By the way, potatoes mean to-do list. Because in Chinese, potato is pronounced as "tu-dou" which translates to "to-do lists" in Chinese. The GTD principle - Getting Things Done and the Pomodoro Technique comes from the 80-20 rule or the pareto principle. These contents have been talked about in the previous lessons, and I urged you to review if needed.
2) Many people cannot concentrate and focus because of so many distractions in life. The mind was not designed to store information such as all the things we need to accomplish in a day. Therefore, the Yixiaoneng system emphasizes using tools to store information and your brain to process and execute instead of storing.
3) It also includes waking up early every day and adopting good habits and a consistent schedule each day.
4) The Yixiaoneng method includes to plan your day early in the morning but leave time accomplish urgent tasks that occur every day while completing your scheduled tasks.
5) All of the remaining tasks must be put into a list and categorized by context such as in the car or over the phone or at home. Therefore, we collect our tasks into two groups: lists and schedules. Far more tasks should be put on the list than on the schedule. Don't add deadlines to the items that don't need it, otherwise you will create unnecessary stress on yourself and limit your productivity. Schedules should be operated on a daily basis, but lists should be long-term, so that we do not need to continuously arrange the items on the list. These items are important but non-urgent and therefore should not be scheduled. We need to classify the affairs on the list according to the situation or context.
In order to master the concept of contextual lists, you must learn this piece gradually. You can also come to our Yixiaoneng classroom lessons where I can teach this method to you in person. Of course, if you like, you can also purchase the Ten Time Management lessons on Ximalaya. In these lessons I will explain each step of the time management process in detail and accompany you every step of the way.
The second thing I want to talk about is this: we should not expect to get instant results without any effort.
1) Give yourself at least 90 days to change yourselves. Trying to change too quickly will only increase the chance that you will revert back to your old habits. Start by increasing your self-discipline by focusing on the meaningful tasks that are not easy to accomplish and complete those. Break your task down into smaller parts until they become manageable.
2) Challenge yourself by making a friendly bet with your friends or spouse that you will complete the task. Public commitment and self-motivation are great ways to motivate you.
3) Consistent effort brings success over time, and little by little you will improve and become a new and changed person. Your preferences will change over time. Slowly you will find that you will begin to like those things that were difficult to accomplish and didn't make you happy before.
4) Remember that we will not enjoy completing things that make us unhappy or that we must do, but we can decrease the difficulty and break them into manageable parts until they become more fun to handle.
5) The greatest method of all, the most successful method of all, is to love what you do. When you love something, you are not persevering but completing the task nearly effortlessly. By falling in love with your tasks, you can naturally continue to complete them.
The last thing I want to remind you is to rebuild the online lifestyle.
1) Combine productivity and rest in efficient cycles and develop a healthy lifestyle and a regular routine in your life. There are many books on procrastination, and many of those emphasize two very important methods that can solve procrastination from a long-term perspective: exercise and meditation.
2) The body is an energy station, and movement can improve your flexibility, help you think more clearly and be more agile in how you approach tasks. Increased activity will increase your blood circulation which can stimulate the brain's ability to learn. Research shows that, after exercise, people's ability to learn and retain new things is enhanced by as much as 20%.
3) Mindfulness meditation is a method of Zheng training, which has been in existence for more than 2,500 years. It is particularly useful for the treatment of procrastination! Remember that mindfulness meditation is designed to help you maintain awareness without judgment. By subjugating over repressing your emotions in favor of peaceful awareness, you can decompress and relax. This is why it is such a valuable practice. Many procrastinators live under great physical and mental stress, and this will help them with it. Therefore, I highly recommend you try mindfulness meditation.
Now I would like to summarize:
1) The most efficient but most difficult way to manage your procrastination is through self-control;
2) Second, learn the Yixiaoneng model of time management systematically over time. Gradually develop your self-confidence by accomplishing small tasks and increasing the number of things you accomplish each day. Therefore developing this small but important habit, the habit will cultivate new and more difficult habits in a snowball effect.
3) Third, reconstruct the way you approach your life. We can achieve this new perspective by waking early, exercising often and meditation.
The three methods we have talked about can fundamentally solve your procrastination. Many students of Yixiaoneng also practice these three strategies, and as a result have changed their lives forever. I hope that you can say goodbye to procrastination forever through the lessons you've learned here.
Thank you being with me together today. Have a wonderful day!
