Written by: Daniel Mangena, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Deck: Are you frustrated by your inability to maximize your efficiency and get things done? If you find yourself plagued by distractions and a mounting workload, this article is for you.
We all want to learn how to become more disciplined. Nobody really likes that feeling of an incomplete task list, looming deadlines and unrealized life goals.
So what are some ways to overcome laziness and procrastination?
The first thing to recognize (and this may sound like a semantic copout) is that laziness and procrastination aren’t you ‘failing’. When you’re sat around playing video games, shopping for a new dress or making yet another cup of coffee; you’re succeeding. You’re just succeeding at the wrong things!
We’re all running on subconscious programming, as much as 97% of the time. This is for a good reason. If you consider all of the bodily functions, movements and general tasks you go through in a single hour, you need those to be handled without conscious intervention.
If you had to consciously choose to take every breath, you’d have a very full day!
The subconscious runs all of that, but it is also responsible for our fight or flight response. Again: this is for a good reason. You don’t want to have to first weigh the pros and cons of running away from a hungry tiger.
The problem is, your subconscious is actually just your prehistoric brain. It’s what our ancestors developed when they lived in caves and fought (ran away from) saber-toothed tigers. As such, it doesn’t really respond to modern, conscious thinking.
This is why it’s virtually impossible to intellectualize away your laziness and procrastination.
It happens every January. The same old resolutions come out don’t they? “Lose weight”, “make more money”, “drink less” etc… and do you stick to them? Well maybe, but if you did, you represent only between 9-12% of the 41% of Americans who even make resolutions in the first place.
Why is this number so woeful?
Because that 97% of your brain is not just concerned with day-to-day operations, it’s also tasked with keeping you safe. Unfortunately, being such an ancient machine, running on the most basic of programming, safe simply equates to: “the same”.
That’s how basic your mind is. It operates on the assumption that the status quo, up until now, has resulted in your continued survival. It, therefore, surmises that it should be preserved, in order to maintain your safety.
This is why you see people being emotionally addicted to scenarios, people and places that are really not serving their growth. It’s why we become so intransigent, even in the face of overwhelming intellectual evidence that we need to change.
You see: it’s not that we’re ‘failing’ to do anything. We’re perfectly executing our internal programming. It’s just not programming that we consciously desire.
With this in mind then, here’s how to become more disciplined: find a strong enough ‘why?’ that will give you sufficient leverage over your internal programming.
As Nietzsche said: “He who has a strong enough why, can weather any how”. Or words to that effect.
We can obviously understand that intellectually: “if I want something enough, I’ll do whatever I have to to get it.” But what’s more important is that our subconscious understands this too.
More than simply having the ‘why’ though, is the connection to it. If that is so strong that it represents your life’s purpose, and that the thought of not achieving it feels like dying (albeit a symbolic death) then you will get your subconscious on board.
Unlike your conscious mind, your subconscious developed long before language did. It therefore can’t be reasoned with using words. You have to speak to it with emotion. This is why the pull towards your consciously chosen goals has to be so strong!
This is really how you instill discipline. Think of it as a life hack. With that emotional connection established, like a compass pointing due North; you’ll have no issue doing what it takes to get there.
Another life hack, that will help you to become more disciplined, and overcome laziness and procrastination, is “micro-shifting”.
A huge reason why you fail to ‘scale the mountain’ of your stated aims, resolutions and life-goals; is because you fixate on the summit. You can’t jump to the top of Mount Everest in one go. You have to break it down step-by-step. That’s what micro-shifting is all about.
Again, it comes back to your subconscious.
The reason why fixating on the summit is a problem, is that it represents too much change. Yes; you derive your emotional pull (‘why’) from it, but that must be met with practical actions that can be taken in the direction of achieving that outcome.
Push your edge, not your buttons.
We all have what I refer to as an “edge”. This is the line beyond which your subconscious deems to be unsafe territory, and fights back. This can be in the form of anxieties, or self-sabotaging behaviors like laziness and procrastination.
These are really just expressions of discomfort from your subconscious programming. So the point is to find your edge, and then make sure that you move towards your goal in micro-shifts that expand your edge in manageable steps.
Here’s an example: say you want to grow your business to $1M turnover.
The first thing to do is lock in that goal and connect with it on an emotional level, truly understanding your ‘why' and who you want to become in the process.
Next ‒ identify the easiest first step towards it. If you don’t have one, let me help: start a journal. It’s a vital tool in organizing your thoughts and working with your subconscious.
Your first step, therefore, is to go out and buy a journal. That shouldn’t create too much resistance from your subconscious, but say that it does. In that case, go one step smaller and simply set the intention of going to the stationary store. No pressure to buy anything, you’re merely looking.
Hopefully, you get the point: find ways to defuse the emotional charge of these incremental steps towards change, by focussing on the tasks that seem utterly benign to you. As you go about completing those, your subconscious will be supplied with evidence that making progress in your chosen direction is not as dangerous as it feared.
Very quickly you’ll find that you are noticing new opportunities and bigger steps that you can take towards your $1M company. Congratulations: you have pushed your edge.
Now your subconscious is working for you and your consciously chosen desires. It’s looking for evidence to support your new reality, just like when you get a new car and start noticing how many others there are on the road.
Hopefully, now you have more of an understanding of what laziness and procrastination really are. Simply being armed with that knowledge, you’ll have a much better understanding of how to overcome them and feel more disciplined as a result.
Try taking some baby-steps in the direction of a new goal today, and just observe the changes that occur within you.
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Daniel Mangena, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dan Mangena is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public speaker. Recently named in the Wall St Journal as a "Master of Success," he is completely self-made and has spent decades perfecting his world-class coaching methodology. His books, podcasts, events & retreats continue to help captains-of-industry and private individuals alike live an abundant, joyful, purpose-driven life. He offers many unique and effective free tools via his website.
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