Do you often struggle to finish the projects you start, even when you have every intention of finishing them?
Believe it or not, this is a common problem that most people face. Luckily, you can follow a few steps to ensure that you can become the type of person who finishes a project once you start it.
The first step to finishing a task is making sure you have a plan at the beginning. It needs to be a plan which you write down. A mental note isn’t worth the piece of paper it is written on. You may want to jump in and start something in your excitement, but you might not realize all the work and challenges you will face. When you take the time to plan, this will better prepare you for the task at hand, and you’ll be able to spot problems much more easily.
Take A Break
If you find yourself getting overly frustrated or beginning to loathe the project because you’ve been working on it for so long, it’s okay to take a short break. This break will help reset your mind and focus. You might even be able to solve some of the problems you are facing while you take this little breather. Just make sure that when you set an endpoint to your break, this way you can hold yourself to it and not just abandon the project.
Make Small Goals and Rewards for Yourself
As you plan how you will conquer your task or project, break your goal into smaller mini goals. Then, cross them off and reward yourself as you complete them. It will help keep you on task, and you’ll be able to feel as if you are making progress, even if it’s small. This progress will do wonders to keep your spirits high while working on the project. The little rewards you are giving yourself will help too.
So next time you get excited about a new project or goal in your life, slow down a bit and plan, complete them with smaller goals and rewards for yourself. Then, as you pursue the project, don’t be afraid to take small breaks if you need to recuperate. Chances are, thanks to these three steps, you will be much more likely to finish your new goal than leave it abandoned.
We want to be productive. In fact, you might even wake up in the morning with all kinds of enthusiasm for the projects you’re going to get done during the day.
Now fast forward a few hours, and suddenly you’re dragging yourself home at nightfall wondering where the day went, feeling like you never accomplished anything at all.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Most people feel this way at least sometimes. The trick is to realize that this isn’t something entirely outside of your control. Sure, things are going to happen, which derail you, but more often than not, you’re reaping the fruits of self-sabotage. You’ve derailed yourself, through your own negative self-talk.
How to get past this?
Simple!
Start with these easy tips:
Listen to Music
It’s hard to get yourself going if your mood is what’s dragging. Thankfully, this is a quick fix. Put on some music you love, something fast-paced and catchy for a quick pick-me-up and watch your productivity soar.
Get up and Move.
Like listening to music, putting your body in motion will build your energy levels (so long as you’re not trying to run a marathon). Dance around the room, take a brisk walk or try a few jumping jacks to get the blood flowing. Then tackle your task again, wide-awake and energized.
Look Inward
Conversely, sometimes what you need is some quiet time. If you find your mind racing and yourself unable to concentrate on what you’re doing, try meditation to slow things down. Find a quiet place, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths, nice and slow, and focus yourself on the present until you feel calm again.
Reassess What’s Important
It might be you’re not getting things done because you no longer find value in your goal. If this seems to be the case, take some time to ask yourself some very crucial questions about why you’re on this journey. It might be you either need to shift your goal to something else entirely or, at the very least, adjust the outcome to serve your present needs.
Contribute
When all else fails, if you do not feel your work has value, offer to help someone else. Mentoring is one of those win-win situations where you bring your life skills and experience to help someone else who truly needs it. At the same time, you rediscover your passion through the act of teaching others what you know.
Do all this, and it’s good-bye self-sabotage, hello accomplishment. Soon you’ll be more productive than ever!
You are caught up in a cycle. You know the one. You have been talking down to yourself for a while. Every word in your mind points out your flaws and mistakes to where you think you are going to go crazy from listening to it if you have not already.
Negative self-talk can be just this insidious. It gets in your head, courtesy of previous experiences, and negative input from people who do not always mean well. Once there, it plays the same song on repeat, growing somehow worse with every retelling until you quit trying. Your dreams stall out, and you find yourself doing little at all.
Finally, you need to take your life back and put an end to the negative self-talk for the last time.
Easier said than done? Not necessarily. Try these things:
Find the Calm
First, you cannot combat anything when you are overly emotional and overwhelmed mentally. Find a quiet place and sit down to take a few deep breaths. If you can, meditate or try a mindfulness exercise until you can reach a peaceful place internally.
Take Note of What You are Thinking!
Do not avoid negative thoughts. Listen to it. What is it saying? Whose voice does it sound like?
Dig into the Roots
Now ask yourself what the thought represents. Where did this come from? Is this from an expectation you put on yourself at some point, or does it come from someone else entirely?
Drop the Unreasonable Expectation
Are you trying too hard to be perfect in some regard? Is there a more reasonable expectation you can put on yourself in the place of this thought?
Turn It Around
What is the positive counterpoint to this thought? For example, if you are worried about how bad you are with money, remind yourself of a time when you saved up for something you wanted, or think about a time when you paid off a debt and how good it felt afterward.
Create a Habit
If this thought is one which comes around often, what is the new thought you want to replace it with? How can you make this thought a habit? Consider this: the more you react in a new way to an old stimulus, the quicker a new habit is formed, and the old reaction disappears.
Just Stop
In the end, the only way to get rid of a negative thought is to consciously stop it. Once you have gone through these steps, tell yourself to stop when the idea comes up again, and keep telling it to stop until it goes away completely.
Please note: You do not have to listen to negativity but sometimes it becomes so firmly entrenched you might have trouble dislodging it by yourself. When this happens, do not be afraid to ask for help. Talking to a trusted friend or counsellor can help you lay this negative chatter to rest finally.
I came back ‘home’ in July 2021, having spent most of the previous years teaching in different countries. From Physics teacher to Headmaster, I was fortunate enough to meet many great people. Coming home has been hard.
Due to the fear of something bad happening, we tend to close ourselves off and limit our perceptions about what’s possible.
The more you pay attention to fears, the narrower your perspective becomes. You must remind yourself that your dreams and desires are more important than your fears.
Work towards what you want, day in and day out. No matter what happens, keep the faith. Remain anchored in hope and stillness.
You deserve good fortune, beautiful blessings, and celebration.
No matter what made you believe that you’re undeserving of happiness, you must keep reminding yourself that you can overcome the blocks to happiness and contentment.
Social media can be wonderful. Most of us love getting on Facebook and seeing what our family and friends are up to, enjoying new pictures and status updates. However, if you’re not careful, you could get in the habit of spending a lot of time on social media sites like Facebook – time that you could be using for things that truly benefit your life.
If you’re like most people, you probably get on Facebook with the intent of only scrolling for a few minutes. Your intent in good, but you may end up scrolling for much longer. Maybe you got sidetracked or someone started chatting with you. Or perhaps you started checking out what all your old classmates are up to.
You may not realize just how much time you’re really spending on the wonderful entertainment hub of Facebook. And, for some people, all that scrolling can become addictive.
Taking A Break From Facebook
It wouldn’t hurt to take a little break from Facebook, regardless of how much time you’re spending on it each day.
The following are five reasons you might want to take a break from Facebook:
1. You’ll Get Back to Communicating The Old Fashioned Way
Since the days of social media, many people have decreased the time they are communicating face-to-face with family and friends. They pretty much stick to Facebook for conversation and community.
Now, this isn’t all that bad, but plenty of people long for a deeper connection; one where you actually see someone in person. You just can’t get that when you’re scrolling Facebook, liking posts, or commenting.
If you take a break from Facebook, make the intent to really connect with your loved ones via a video call, phone call, or getting together for a visit. While you’re at it, see if you can deepen your relationship. You may even want to get out in your neighborhood and talk to those who are sitting on their porch, doing yard work, or out for a walk as well. Remember what it’s like to live without social media and online communities.
2. You Can Spend More Time Outside
It’s easy to spend most of your day inside at work and at home in front of screens. Whether it’s your computer, mobile phone, tablet, or television screen, time spent outside can go by the wayside. When you take a break from Facebook, make a commitment to get outside more often. Go explore your neighborhood and your town. Take a new look at the trees and flowers, feel the breeze of the wind, and smell nature’s amazing aroma. You’re likely to become quite refreshed in a way that Facebook could never do for you.
3. You Will Like Yourself More
It’s easy to scroll Facebook and think that everyone else has an amazing life. Most people on Facebook seem super happy living the best lives. This can cause you to wonder what’s wrong with you, especially if you’ve been struggling lately. You may wonder why you’re not feeling ultra-happy and content.
Or, you might compare yourself to those on Facebook, feeling shame and fearing that you don’t measure up. The thing about Facebook is that most people only portray themselves in a positive fashion on this social media site. You’ll see all their happy pictures and status updates, but they’re not usually posting about their emotional issues or horrible days. You won’t usually see them complaining about how lonely, depressed, anxious, etc. they truly are.
When you take a break from Facebook, you get to harness more of your energy for yourself. You take the break time to think less about others and their lives and more about yourself and your own life.
Are you practicing self-care regularly?
Are you finding value in meaning outside of social media sites?
Do you feel like your life is empty without Facebook?
How can you add more richness to your life outside of social media?
These are exceptionally good questions to ask yourself and do a little exploring within.
4. You Can Break Your Addiction To Facebook
About how many times do you check Facebook a day? When you’re bored, do you pull up Facebook? Do you get on Facebook as soon as you get up in the morning? Is it the last thing you look at before going to bed? On average, how much time are you spending on Facebook each day?
It’s easy to become addicted to a social media site. You may not even realize that you’re addicted to it, until you decide to take a break from it.
Decide to take a break from Facebook for three days. Do you think you can do it? You’ll find out real fast if you’ve become dependent on Facebook once you start this break. If you think you’ll struggle, you could take the Facebook app off your phone or tablet temporarily. That way, when you get the craving to open up Facebook when you’re feeling bored, it won’t be there.
Of course, not everyone is addicted to Facebook. But still, there are plenty of valuable things you can learn when you decide to take a break from it. You may even realize just how much more free time you have each day.
5. You’ll Experience Less Anxiety
You may experience less anxiety if you take a break from Facebook. While some people say scrolling Facebook relaxes them, experts tend to think that social media may cause people more anxiety.
Why?
It’s easy to compare yourself to others, as mentioned. It’s also easy to feel fear when you read posts that evoke fear, such as the world ending, or aliens are coming to take over the planet.
Being in front of technology often can cause a spike in anxiety. Taking a break from social media may help you reconnect with yourself in a way that helps you feel more relaxed. Leave your devices, go outside, and let the sun and nature nourish you mind, body, and spirit. Or, spend more quality time with family and friends.
Should You Take A Break From Facebook?
Not everyone will feel like they need a break from Facebook. That’s fine. But some people may be able to admit that they’ve become accustomed to living a large part of their days scrolling Facebook. They may see that it’s a time waster.
Does this sound like you?
Do you know how much time you spend on Facebook on any given day?
Would you like to take a break?
If so, set a goal to go without getting on Facebook for a few days or more. Take note of the positives that come as a result. The break may help you realize some things you wouldn’t have if you’d never taken that break!
I just received this through the Daily Motivation site. Uncanny, as I am actually applying for some new jobs and have stated to build a couple of businesses online…
“So many positive changes are taking place in your life right now. Don’t block your blessings by giving in to fear or doubts.
As you age, it is time to start thinking about how you can keep your brain sharp. One of the best ways you can keep your mind fresh is by committing to lifelong learning.
You will Enhance Your Brain
Just like any other muscle in your body, your brain is a muscle that needs frequent use to stay sharp. You can do this with lifelong learning, which means you aim to learn something new each day. One of the best ways to do this is enrolling in a class you have always wanted to take or studying a new language and practicing each day.
You Will not Be Bored
One of the main reasons your brain loses its sharpness is boredom. When you walk a path of lifelong learning, this fights boredom and keeps your mind sharp. And the best part is, you will not have to deal with feelings of boredom which could lead to other emotional issues down the line!
When you spend too much of your life inactive and bored, this can lead to issues sleeping. Instead, when you aim to maintain lifelong learning, this will help your mind to stay engaged during the day, then better disengage at night, which means you will sleep better as a result. And who does not want to sleep better at night?
A major factor in aging is the importance of maintaining your social circle, as this can help keep you happy and healthy. This can be hard to do if you do not have common interests or things to discuss. Lifelong learning can help with this as it can help you connect with new people who share your interests and maintain old friendships you may have already created. Learning helps expand your mind to connect with others better, and it gives you more to talk about to keep them around!
Overall, no matter how you look at it, lifelong learning is an important part of keeping your mind sharp. This is because lifelong learning enhances your brain, keeps you from boredom, and helps you sleep better. Not only that, but it will help you to connect better with others, making it a winning situation for everyone involved. Therefore, it is time to take the leap and make lifelong learning part of your routine today!
Phoenix Education 