Be The Better You

By Ambely Perez

A practical and relatable guide to achieving your goals. If you battle with procrastination, then Be the Better You offers simple and effective tools to equip you in overcoming the bad habit that procrastination is. Learn how to take back control and relieve your stress from a mile-long to-do list that never seems to get shorter. You will be taken through techniques to cut out bad habits and create a positive environment that is conducive to your productivity. There are easy to follow strategies to overcome setbacks and remain consistent as you progress toward your goals. Delve into a whole host of tips and tricks on how to build good habits that do not require a lot of effort but can drastically improve your life! You will be better equipped to handle procrastination when it inevitably creeps into your life and slowly remove it from your life altogether.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ambely Perez
• Release date: Apr 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9798715007704

Book preview

Chapter 1: It’s Alright to Procrastinate

While this chapter’s title may sound contradictory to you, it is an important step to take in reducing how much you procrastinate and the impact it has on your dreams and goals.

Procrastinating happens to all of us. We all put off a task that should be done immediately at some point in our lives—that is okay. It is okay that we have procrastinated in the past, even if there were negative implications. We must forgive ourselves for procrastinating. It is essential to recognize and accept the effects procrastination has had in your life. You need to take the lessons you learned and move forward. You never want to feel guilty for procrastination in the past because I guarantee it will take away your happiness and well-being. It will also put you in an anxious and negative headspace the next time you procrastinate.

Take a few minutes to think of a time where procrastination put you in a negative position. It could have been putting off studying for your final until the night before, which led to a stressful and panic-filled all-nighter. It could have been putting off taking your partner out on a date which led to feelings of guilt for not showing appreciation. It could have been putting off writing that important report for work until the last minute and recognizing that the quality was not anywhere near your best—but, it is too late now. It could have even been putting off training for that half marathon, only for you to arrive at the starting line with no more than a single, 5-mile run under your belt.

How badly do you wish you could go back and spend more time and energy focused on those tasks? It is alright: we have all been there. It is essential to look back on these situations and take this lesson without dwelling on them. Use the gift of hindsight to recognize actions and steps that you should have taken and use it as a lesson learned for the present and future.

One simple reason we procrastinate is that we do not get any satisfaction in the moment by completing a step toward a long-term goal because it seems so far away from anything tangible. We crave instant gratification for a task—especially one that requires effort. This is especially relevant in the 21st century where we have a multitude of knowledge and instant answers at our fingertips.

Our brains are wired to put off unpleasant or difficult tasks, but completing these tasks gives us the most satisfaction—it becomes somewhat counterintuitive. Our brains did not evolve for the modern world, and it takes conscious effort to adapt to it. Our minds are still imploring us to expend as little energy as possible in case a saber-toothed tiger appears, and we need to make a quick getaway. Fight or flight is not triggered by sitting down to do your taxes and focus all your energy and attention on that task. The development of the modern world has outpaced our biological changes. We need to retrain our brains to suit the modern world better. It is not a simple fix where you will rid yourself of procrastination overnight. It simply takes many small steps and consistent effort to shift your mindset slowly.

It is reducing the bad habits that you have built up and forming new, good habits that build to a more productive version of you. It will be uncomfortable and challenging at times, but it will be worth the effort in the long term. What is important to accept is that you are not necessarily putting your focus and attention in the right places. You might feel as though you are already putting in 100%, but the results are not coming to you. It should be time to rethink your plan and strategy to approach the problem. It is the classic case of being too close to a situation to see the error in our