How to Beat Perfectionism and Procrastination
9am.
That’s my favorite time of day.
At that point, I’m just returning home from the gym and about to kickback with some breakfast and some Facebook action.
But not “random scrolling around and stalking people” Facebook action…that’s a waste of time.
Instead, I do rapid-fire QnA sessions on the Early to Rise Facebook page.
Each day our thousands of readers post their business, time management, and motivation questions for me. It’s really cool, because I learn a LOT about the obstacles people have to overcome to succeed.
Check out this recent session…
Q: hi craig! how do you personally keep track of all your daily goals and your weekly schedule? do you prefer pen and or prefer pen and paper, white boards etc, or do you prefer electronically (eg google calendar).
Which methods work best for you with personal productivity?
Answer:
I use a word document. Keep it as simple as possible. Too many people turn planning into procrastination.
Q: Hi Craig. Is it true that you should stick to big markets when building a product/affiliate business (i.e. health, business, dating), or is there room for small niches? I’ve kind of heard both ways, I guess depending on your goals for your business. Thanks.
Answer:
There’s room for everything. If you want to make $10 million a year, obviously you’ll need a larger audience, or a small one with a lot of money. If you want to make $100K per year, you probably only need 1000 customers. What you should really focus on is identifying where you can best provide value to the world and the BIG idea that you can use to communicate your message. Once you do that, $100K is simple, and $1Million is possible (within a few years).
Q: I am hoping to move my business to online. What sorts of resources can you suggest for website build and development. I currently have been using E-lance.com. Would you also suggest some school courses in SEO and web design etc, or would you just outsource?
Answer:
Outsource everything. Focus on making sales and get others to do the rest. Elance, Odesk.com, Guru.com, and even some stuff from Fiverr.com will help you get started. We cover a lot of this in Financial Independence Monthly.
Q: What’s a good way for creative types (writers) to clear their head between projects, especially when juggling two or three things per day that require a “clean slate” mind to be mosuot; mind to be most productive?
Answer:
Rituals. For example, when its time to finish working on one project and move to another, do a brain dump (write down everything in your head), then take a 5-10 minute break, and come back to your desk as if you were just starting the day again. Perhaps there is something you could read related to the new topic as soon as you sit down.
Q: What is the best way to deal with the issues of perfectionism and procrastination?
Answer:
The only thing that beats procrastination is action. It’s really that simple. In order to get something done, you must first get started. That’s it. It’s painful and dreadful, but there is no easy-button solution. But those are small issues compared to real problems. You can and will overcome those and they will NOT hold you back from success.
Q: I get overwhelmed by everything I wish to accomplish in a day, and then I am angry and discouraged with myself for not being as productive as I should (and can) be. It’s really, really frustrating. I am capable of so much more than I am accomplishing right now.
Answer:
Start your day by doing 90 minutes of focused work on the ONE major project that will have the greatest impact on your life. Celebrate that success. Listen, you have to stop trying to do a million things and understand that you just can’t go on with that approach. Prioritize and attack your top priorities. Let the minor things slide. Every day try to get better and better at this approach. You MUST move towards prioritization. We all must. We are all running out of time to make an impact. Focus, focus, focus.
Q: I’m looking for perfection with the stuff that I do, and that paralyzes the starting process. Any advice to get over the fact that starting something won’t be perfect?
NOTHING is perfect. God created the world and look at all the problems down here. You’re not going to do better. The sooner you get over it, the better. Sorry if you find this harsh, but you need to let it go. You will never, ever, ever, ever, ever get to where you want to go if you demand perfection. Just get out there and get something done and make it better as you go along.
Hope that helps.
Join me on my next session (right now) on Facebook here.
Looking forward to your questions,
Craig Ballantyne
Be proud of yourself for taking action, getting out of your comfort zones, and getting closer to the business and life of your dreams. It’s your life and doing the right thing is more important than what other people think or say about you. Stay strong. Get stronger.