How to stop procrastinating

How do some people seem to get a
gargantuan amount of things accomplished…
while some of us struggle to just get
through the day?
How can you learn from the masters and
apply what they know?
TRUTH #1: We all have the same amount of
time. Productive people do things differently.
TRUTH #2: Learning how to stop
procrastinating isn’t about super-secret
tactics or fancy apps. It’s about mindset
and simple, but powerful, shifts in how
approach your to-dos.
Today, I want to give you a sample from
my Finisher’s Formula course. These are 3
action steps you can use to stop
procrastinating and feeling lazy…and start
following through and being more productive
instead.

Step 1: Watch what you say
We’re all highly affected by the words we
use (even if we aren’t fully aware of what
we’re saying).
For example, how many of us have said
something like this recently…
“I really need to get my act together”
“I should stop being so lazy”
“I know I’m smart, I just don’t apply
myself”
The words we use are powerful. There’s a
subtle — but important — difference between
asking “why am I procrastinating on this
task?” and “why do I always procrastinate?”
In the second, procrastination becomes part
of your “self-talk” and, eventually, who you
are. (This is what I call an “invisible script”
— and I talk in more detail about invisible
scripts here.)
Even though our beliefs may be too deeply
embedded to completely change overnight,
we CAN start to gradually reprogram them
by simply paying attention to and changing
the words we use — by using a more
positive “self-talk.”
If you’ve ever heard that standing up
straighter makes you feel more confident
over time (it’s true), this works the same
way. Changing our language can gradually
change how we feel about ourselves and our
goals. The language we use really does
matter.
ACTION STEP: For 1 week, try to catch
yourself whenever you use negative language
like the above examples. Then, instead of
beating yourself up, think of a small tweak
you could use so your negative language
becomes neutral or positive.
Here are a few examples to help get you
started…
Instead of “I’m so lazy”, try “I’m
human. Everyone struggles
sometimes”
Instead of “I’m going to fail”, try “I’ll
be fine. Even if the worst case
scenario happened and I do fail, I’ll
be OK”
Instead of “I should do x”, try “I’m
going to start small and do x on
Tuesday at 2 pm”

Step 2: Stop blaming time
It’s easy to use time as an excuse. How
many times this month have your friends (or
even you!) said something like…
“Sorry, something came up. I’ll catch
you next time”
“I don’t know if I can do that. I’m just
so swamped at work, you know?”
“I’m too busy to do that right now.
I’ll get to it later.”
We all have the same 24 hours in a day —
CEOs, politicians, PhD candidates, mothers
of 2…everyone.
It’s OK to recognize when “no time” is
actually a blanket excuse for not doing
something you don’t want to do. To figure
out if that’s the case — and to get that time
back — follow “Ramit’s Rules of Letting Go.”
Let go of “should do’s” that you actually
don’t care about
Ask yourself, in the scheme of all the things
you want to try, do you really care about
this? When I went to my cousin’s wedding in
India a few years ago, I saw one of my
friends order his food in fluent Hindi, and I
thought, “Hmmmm…I should take Hindi
lessons.” But when I got back to NYC, I put
it on my to-do list, only to skip over it for
MONTHS.
The truth is, I really didn’t care enough to try
and learn Hindi. It wasn’t important enough.
When I acknowledged I wasn’t going to do it
and crossed it off my list, it freed me up to
focus on doing the things that I really
wanted to do.
Let go of waiting for inspiration to strike
Inspiration is for amateurs. I wake up every
morning, rain or shine, feeling great or awful,
and I get to work. Not because I’m a
machine, or a better person than anyone, but
because I have systems that I depend on.
Willpower and inspiration fade quickly — for
example, have you ever been SUPER
EXCITED TO START SOMETHING…only to
feel unmotivated 2 weeks later? But systems
last.
A system doesn’t have to be a complex
monstrosity that takes you 16 years and 4
PhDs to decipher either.
For example, here are some systems I use:
I set reminders in Google Calendar for
small tasks, like sorting a box of
papers in my apartment or calling my
Mom (BONUS: Here’s my exact
calendar system.)
In college, I created a scholarship
system to apply to 60+ scholarships
and pay my way through undergrad
and grad school at Stanford
I keep my workout clothes in the
same spot every day (right next to my
bed), so I never have an excuse to
miss the gym.
Depending on a “mood” or “inspiration” is
what unprofitable life coaches do. Waiting
for inspiration to strike is a quick way to
randomly pursue something, then give up,
only to yo-yo back a couple weeks later,
eventually leading you to hate yourself.
Start with a small system — like my calendar
system above — and you’ll spend more time
focusing on what MATTERS.
Let go of feeling guilty
With so many things we could do — and so
much pressure from everyone around us —
it’s no wonder we feel guilty.
Think about the last time you felt like you
should do something. Maybe it was a new
language you thought would be “good to
know.” Or, maybe you wanted to try a new
sport because a friend told you to do it.
It’s easy to say “yeah, I should do that”…
only to never get around to it and feel
TERRIBLE.
Life is short. Nobody is making you feel
guilty except YOU. We realistically have time
to learn maybe three new major things per
year. Make sure you want this thing to be
one of them.
Today, I want to show you a video from one
of my premium courses about defeating guilt
and enjoying the things that make you
happy. We’re constantly told what we
SHOULD do, so it’s important to reward
ourselves when we work hard and earn
something.
Enjoy What You Earned, Guilt-Free…
ACTION STEP: The next time someone offers
you an invitation, instead of saying “I don’t
have time” be honest with them and
yourself. You can even use this exact script:
“That sounds really interesting, but I’m going
to pass so I can focus on a couple other
things I really want to do.”
This will:
1. Make others value your time and
commitments
2. Force you to be honest with yourself
about what’s important
3. Free up your mental energy to worry
about things you actually care about

Step 3: Break a big “to-do” into tiny habits
Part of the reason we procrastinate is that
we’re just overwhelmed with how much we
have to do. Where do we start?!
One of my mentors, BJ Fogg (check out an
interview I did with him on how to stop
being lazy ) has a program called Tiny
Habits .
We’re motivated by the little wins — but
demotivated by failures. Once you know this,
you can design your goals to boost your
confidence and start building momentum.
When you’re starting out, it’s better to
successfully walk one mile than to fail to
run three miles.
What tiny habits can you start building
today?
Do two pushups a day
Floss one tooth a day to get started
Drink one glass of water a day before
you go to bed
And you can ramp up from there.
ACTION STEP: Think of one of your “big
goals” (getting fit, learning a new language,
organizing your house) and break it down to
the TINIEST habit you can. And I mean tiny:
2 push ups per day, 1 new word a day, pick
up one paper per day…however small you
need to get started.
Do this habit for 2 weeks and then you can
consider expanding.
P.S. I hope you enjoyed this article on how
to stop procrastinating. I’ve written a lot
about productivity in the past. For more
resources, check out:
How to increase productivity using
my “Iceberg Method”: The exact
system I use to stay productive and
prevent “information overload.”
How to stop being lazy: Interview
with BJ Fogg I prepped for 16 hours
for this 60-minute interview on
behavior change and habits with one
of my mentors, BJ Fogg.
Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail Why
we don’t do things we say we will –
even if we want to. Plus, a free time
clinic.
How to Follow Through on Anything
with Finisher’s Formula : This is my
course on how to follow through on
anything. It’s currently closed, but
you can get on the waitlist here: