How To Stop Procrastinating & Make Better Choices To Achieve Your Goals.
Channel: BExceptional
Date: 2018-11-01

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In previous videos I've talked about setting effective goals, but what happens when you simply can’t get started, you procrastinate or just keep making the wrong choices that take you away from, rather than toward your goals?
 
Well, in this video I want to address that and I'm going to talk about two science based techniques that you can combine to literally change how you think, tackle road blocks and change habits that get in the way of you achieving your goals.
 
Firstly, let me explain a concept called implementation intention or if/then planning. This is a technique described as a way of strategically delegating control of your behavioural responses to situational cues. Now that sounds complicated, but in simple terms, provided you have the right goal in place and we've talked a heap about that in previous videos, you can create a decision guide for your subconscious mind to make pre-determined decisions on how you'll behave or react, to cues, people, behaviours or events, that are getting in the way of you achieving your goals.
 
The fascinating thing with if/then planning is that it drives your sub-conscious, in a way that can beat previous inclinations to procrastinate or make short term choices, that might go against you achieving a longer term goal.
 
It's also a very effective technique for tackling those really tough steps towards your goals, that run counter to long formed existing habits, or that require significant effort outside of your comfort zone.
 
So, how's it done?
 
Well first you identify what might be getting in the way of you using your goal and to do this, you can use another technique called mental contrasting, which in this case is about working out the best outcome of a desired goal and then elaborating the biggest obstacles and potential problems that you may face along the way.
 
Those obstacles become the IF part of your IF/Then plan.
 
You then develop the THEN part of the plan, which is a pre-determined and automated action you intend to take when the IF part of your plan happens.
 
Here's an example, based on my goal to improve my health and an objective to spend 1 hour at the gym 4 times a week, which I wasn't consistently achieving.
 
And don't forget you can apply this thinking to ANY obstacles whether they be personal or professional.
 
So, first I used 'mental contrasting' and identified that one of the obstacles I had, was that whenever I had even a minor problem like a painful knee or even a stiff neck, I would use that as an excuse not to go to the gym.
 
So I created an IF/THEN plan, to tackle that issue.
IF I had a sore knee, THEN I'd still go to the gym, but I'd do exercises that wouldn't need my knee, like pull-ups or upper body work.
 
This removed the reason I'd been using not to go to the gym and replaced it with an automated response in my subconscious, that made the decision for me, even when I wasn't physically feeling up to it. Now you can apply this very simple approach to any obstacle.
 
Sounds too simple to be true doesn't it, but studies support IF/Then planning as key way of breaking habits, automating responses to specific cues, reducing procrastination and being more likely to make the right choice in situations where you have competing goals.
 
Now, don't take my word for it, try it out.
 
And if you want to get help with your obstacles and IF/Then planning, please comment below, contact me and check out the links to other materials below.
 
Well that’s it for this video and don't forget to subscribe for my next video in the series.