Dr. Hibbs - Consider It Done

"Helping People Change for Good"

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 Procrastination...

     Imagine how good your life would be if you did everything you needed to do in a timely and efficient manner.  You would have a lot less stress.  You would enjoy better health.  You might even make more money.  Unfortunately, most of us find it much too easy to put things off.

     Psychologists have discovered that procrastination is not caused by a lack of will power.  Instead, it is the result of overly negative “self-talk.”  So often, just when we are about to begin an important task, we allow our minds to be flooded with negative thoughts.  These include thoughts such as: “I don’t have time to do it all now, so it’s not worth starting,” or “This will be too hard,” or even “I just don’t feel like it.” 

     The secret to overcoming procrastination is to “talk back” to these negative thoughts. That is, we need to develop more positive thoughts that gently but firmly rebut the negative thoughts.   An example might be, “It’s true that there’s not much time, but at least I can get started.”  I have seen many of my clients use this simple technique to overcome procrastination and become more productive. 

     To learn more how to use “self-talk” to overcome procrastination, I suggest these books: The Feeling Good Handbook, by David Burns, M.D. and What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, by Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D.  Get these books today.  Don’t procrastinate!

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