1408: Two Simple Habits of Non-Procrastinators (Plus One Bonus Habit) by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Work Daily, Episode 1408, Two Simple Habits of Non-Procrastinators Plus One Bonus Habit

[00:00:07] [SPEAKER_00]: by Leo Babauta of Zenhabits.net. And I'm Dan, I am your host and we're going to get right

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: to it on this Thursday as we optimize your life. Two Simple Habits of Non-Procrastinators Plus

[00:00:22] [SPEAKER_00]: One Bonus Habit by Leo Babauta of Zenhabits.net. It's pretty rare to find people who almost

[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_00]: never procrastinate. In my experience, 95 to 99 percent of people procrastinate, at least part of

[00:00:36] [SPEAKER_00]: each day, if not most of the day. That's not a judgment I procrastinate too. It's about understanding

[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_00]: our habitual reactions to stress, uncertainty, difficult tasks, being overwhelmed, distractions,

[00:00:48] [SPEAKER_00]: and more. Most of us procrastinate based on habits we formed as kids and teenagers,

[00:00:53] [SPEAKER_00]: but some people rarely procrastinate. It's like finding a unicorn. They are beautiful

[00:00:58] [SPEAKER_00]: and a little unbelievable. So when I find one, I interview them. Here's what I've found two habits

[00:01:04] [SPEAKER_00]: of non-procrastinators are, and their habits I try to practice most of the time, plus a bonus habit

[00:01:09] [SPEAKER_00]: that I've found to be useful. Compassion for Future Self. This is the main one I found to

[00:01:15] [SPEAKER_00]: be true in non-procrastinators and most of them do it without really thinking about it. They

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_00]: think about what would make their future selves happiest or have the least amount of pain,

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_00]: then they do that action. So simple, right? Making the Steps Small and Do-able.

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: This is a fairly common tip, but combined with the last habit, it's a powerful one-two punch.

[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Take any task and make it smaller, easier, more doable.

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_00]: And bonus. Fully Open to the Task. This is something I've added that not every

[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_00]: non-procrastinator does, but it works wonders. Instead of closing ourselves to the task,

[00:01:49] [SPEAKER_00]: instead of wanting it to be over, you can open up to the task fully.

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's look at each of these in a little more detail.

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_00]: 1. Compassion for Future Self. You've heard this one before, but it's worth thinking about again.

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: One of my favorite meditation teachers wrote about this the other day and I wanted to

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_00]: explore it a little bit. I think non-procrastinators formed this habit when they were in

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER_00]: elementary school and don't even realize they're doing it much of the time. Something

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: happened when they were young. Maybe they turned something in late because they procrastinated

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_00]: or they had to do it last minute and really hated it, but they learned that putting things off

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_00]: equals future pain. So instead they have a mental habit of thinking, if I put this off,

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_00]: it'll just be more trouble for me in the future. Or if I do this now, I'll be happier in the

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_00]: future, so therefore I should just get it over with and do it now. So simple,

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_00]: and yet this must be ingrained as a habit. Instead, most people have a habit of thinking,

[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_00]: I can do this later, it's not a problem, I would rather do something else right now.

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Or, I want to get away from this pain right now. I'd rather put it off and relieve my stress with

[00:02:52] [SPEAKER_00]: comfort food or distraction, etc. Therefore, internet. It's such a strongly ingrained habit

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_00]: that we don't even think about it. To change the habit, pause and be more deliberate. Think about

[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_00]: your future self tomorrow or a year from now. What action taken today and repeatedly would

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_00]: make this future self happier? How can you be compassionate with this future self so that

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_00]: they don't have to suffer? Practice it and make it a habit. It's simple, but again combine it with

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_00]: the next habit and you'll see the power of this method. 2. Make the steps easy and doable.

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_00]: The first habit is simple and perhaps a bit obvious to people who have heard it before.

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_00]: And so is this habit. But most people don't realize how powerful it is to combine these two

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_00]: habits into one method. In fact, I believe most non-procrastinators do these two habits in

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00]: combination without realizing it. The habit really is this. Make the task seem so doable

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_00]: that starting it will be easy. Once you've started, you're in. You're already moving,

[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_00]: so you just keep moving. So the key is to get moving in the first place and you do that by

[00:03:53] [SPEAKER_00]: making it seem really easy to start. You kind of trick your present self into starting so that

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_00]: your future self will be happier. But it's not really a trick as it really can be easy to start.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00]: But we build the task up in our minds into something so hard and painful that we put it off.

[00:04:08] [SPEAKER_00]: If we just start, we'll see that it's not so bad. So when you're contemplating a task or project,

[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_00]: make it a habit of thinking about how easy it will be to start. Want to write a book chapter?

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't think about how hard it will be to write a chapter for three to four hours or

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_00]: how many things you need to figure out before you can write the chapter.

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Instead, just think about opening a simple word processor, playing some nice music,

[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_00]: and writing that first thing that comes to your mind. Easy, doable, small. Just think about how

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_00]: easy it is to start. Don't think about the whole thing. The truth is you can't do the whole thing,

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER_00]: not at once. All you can do is the next simple step. So focus on that. Combine these two things

[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_00]: and see what happens. Empathize with your future self and then just think about the smallest

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_00]: possible way to start. Be just like a non-procrastinator. And three, bonus. Fully open to the task.

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_00]: The last habit is something I've found to add a lot to this method,

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_00]: even if not every non-procrastinator practices it. It takes a little more awareness and

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00]: mindfulness than most habits. It's about how we normally want to either, one, get away from

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_00]: a task because it's hard or filled with uncertainty, or two, get the task over with,

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_00]: like it's a chore, and move on to the next task because we have a lot to do.

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_00]: The problem with this approach is that every task becomes something to get done with,

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_00]: something we don't like doing. Which means we spend our days filled with things we

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: don't really like, and after a while this gets tiring, stressful, and boring.

[00:05:33] [SPEAKER_00]: This leads to procrastination because who wants to do tasks you don't really want to do?

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Instead, what if you fully opened up to the task, finding joy in the middle of it?

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_00]: It's about allowing yourself to be fully present with the task. For example,

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_00]: you're about to start writing or some other similar task. So you get into the space,

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_00]: allowing yourself to arrive fully. You look at the task full on, and notice

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_00]: if you're resisting, wanting to run, not liking it. You allow yourself to stay with the task,

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_00]: being compassionate for yourself but also your future self. You find gratitude for being able

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00]: to do the task and connect it with the larger mission you're trying to serve,

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_00]: the people you care about. In the middle of that gratitude and devotion to who and what

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_00]: you care about, you do the task and find joy in the simple doing. Notice the difference

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_00]: between this kind of opening and the way we usually try to just get things done,

[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_00]: just get them over with. It's completely different. Open up to the task, have compassion for your

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_00]: future self, and just focus on the smallest, most doable way to get started. See what that might change.

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: You just listened to the post titled Two Simple Habits of Non-Procrastinators

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_00]: plus One Bonus Habit by Leo Babauda of Zenhabits.net. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp.

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_00]: We all have non-negotiables. Maybe you never skip leg day or have to take your morning

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[00:07:04] [SPEAKER_00]: it's hard to make time for it. Therapy can help you reclaim control of your time and values

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[00:07:14] [SPEAKER_00]: trauma, therapy can be a great tool for setting boundaries, learning positive coping skills,

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[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_00]: therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible,

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_00]: and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed

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[00:07:44] [SPEAKER_00]: That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash workdaily.

[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_00]: And I want to thank Leo as always. Zen Habits, which we feature regularly across our network of

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_00]: podcasts, is all about finding simplicity and mindfulness in the daily chaos of our lives.

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_00]: It's about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what's important, create something amazing,

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_00]: and find happiness. It has over a million readers and was named one of the top 25 blogs

[00:08:09] [SPEAKER_00]: by Time Magazine. And if you enjoy Leo's work, you can come check out our other shows,

[00:08:14] [SPEAKER_00]: as I mentioned, where we narrate more of his content, since he writes on so many

[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_00]: different subjects. And you can find all of those shows by searching for Optimal Living Daily,

[00:08:21] [SPEAKER_00]: wherever you get your audio. Then make sure to hit that subscribe or follow button in your podcast

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_00]: app to get those new episodes automatically. Or you can come by oldpodcast.com to see all

[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_00]: the shows we have, plus more content. But that's going to do it for me today. Hope

[00:08:35] [SPEAKER_00]: you enjoyed this post from Leo and that you're enjoying your day. And I will see you

[00:08:39] [SPEAKER_00]: right back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.