3 ways to beat procrastination

What is the secret to getting things done? To view this email as a web page, [click here]() {NAME}, What is the secret to getting things done? Buckle down and work harder. The end. -Ramit Sethi P.S. That’s not true. Should we all work harder, finish our tasks earlier than the deadline, and not let anything distract us while we’re working? Sure. But at I Will Teach You To Be Rich, we focus on how people actually behave, not how they “should” behave. We’re all going to get distracted and back slide. Sometimes you will spend a day relaxing on the couch, ignoring your to-do list. [Ramit wearing a bathrobe] Bathrobes: the official uniform of Procrastination Nation That’s OK! Over the long term, a day or two doesn’t matter. But what we do day in and day out does. Today, I want to give you 3 tactics that I’ve used to overcome procrastination, anxiety, and my own indolent human nature. These have helped me go from being a “dreamer” on the sidelines to being a “doer” and crushing my goals, like [writing a New York Times bestseller]() or [launching a hit podcast](). Notice: I’m NOT giving you apps or productivity tools that will supposedly fix all your problems. Be honest — if those worked, you would have already used them! It’s not about a productivity hack or simply buckling down. It’s about building systems that make it easier to finish. Rule 1: If it’s not on your calendar, it doesn’t exist. My friend once asked me how I manage my to-do list every day. I pulled up my calendar and showed him exactly how I run my life. If it’s not on my calendar, it doesn’t exist. [Calendar Schedule]() Look at this one: [To do] This was a random to-do that I would have normally put in the back of my head … and it would never have gotten done. Instead, I added it to my calendar and it always got done. Pro tip: You can set up weekly, monthly, and quarterly “to-dos” for things like reviewing your systems, planning an annual negotiation, or even checking in on your relationship. Rule 2: Don’t lie to yourself about what you can do. So many of us start our day off with a lie: - “Ugh, I’m tired … I’ll go to the gym after work.” (Said after not remembering to wash your gym clothes all week.) - “Ok, for real, I’m not going to eat junk food tonight.” (Said while getting dressed to go out, knowing you’ll be drinking 6 vodka tonics and passing by that pizza place.) - “I’m going to wake up early tomorrow.” (Said while watching TikToks at 11:30 pm.) This is where I take something I call an “Honesty Bath.” I get BRUTALLY HONEST about myself. I look back at the last month and ask, “What did I claim I was going to do? And what did I really do?” Example: If every day for a month, I’ve claimed I’m going to wake up at 7 am, but every morning, I just slap the snooze button until it’s 8 am … I’m not going to wake up at 7 am! [Ramit sleeping] Don’t wake me up. If I claim I’m going to make my bed every morning, but I have a huge project at work and I haven’t made it in the last 3 weeks, I’m not going to make my bed while the crazy project is happening at work. Based on my answers, I decide if I can stop worrying about it (I’m OK waking up at 8 am), try again later (I’ll make my bed after this project is complete), or get it done. This takes a lot of fortitude, because you have to be ruthlessly honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Your past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. If you find yourself using the word “just” — “Ugh, I’ll just start next week” or “I’ll just try harder this week” — you’ve already lost. The best part? Once you make the decision, you can live GUILT-FREE and use your energy to commit to things you’ll actually do. Rule 3: If you don’t want to do it, say no (using this exact script). I used to have an inbox full of things I wanted to say no to, but I didn’t want to disappoint people. I also told myself I didn’t want to be rude, but truthfully, I didn’t know how to turn people down politely. We ALL deal with this — invitations, obligations, things we don’t really want to do. And usually, we either (1) say yes, then regret it later, or (2) ignore it, hoping it will go away, until our ignoring it actually becomes rude. In truth, wouldn’t we rather have someone be honest and say, “I wish I could help, but this isn’t the right fit” quickly … rather than dragging it on and giving you false hope? Exactly. So why don’t we do it? To remove all barriers, here’s a “No Script” you can use today to politely say no: Hi NAME, Thanks for this invitation. I’m flattered! Unfortunately, I’ve got my priorities set for the year and this just doesn’t fit in. Again, thanks for thinking of me. -YOUR NAME Send this script to one person today. You’ll be amazed how it feels to clear out the cobwebs of obligations and start off fresh. The tools to finish anything you start To review: [2023-08-29-IWT-3 ways to beat procrastination_Ramit's 3 rules for getting things done.png] These are some of the tactics you can use to conquer procrastination immediately. But they barely scratch the surface of the full arsenal of tools I use. If you want to see the full system — including the deeper psychological strategies and mindset shifts to quit being unmotivated, distracted, and unable to finish anything — check out [Finisher’s Formula](). Remember, the doers take action quickly, while the procrastinators wait and see if they feel like getting around to it. Which one will you be today? [Signature]     You may be new to IWT. 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