409 - Do This Every Morning To Stop Procrastination & Never Be Lazy

0:00What if I told you there is one simple thing you can do first thing in the morning to stop procrastination and feeling lazy. In this video, we're talking about a super simple morning habit that does just that. Plus, stick around till the end because I'm also going to reveal this unexpected truth about when procrastination can actually be the best thing you can do. You don't want to miss it. Now, before we get into the solution, let's talk about how costly procrastination really is. Did you know that the average person spends 218 minutes a day procrastinating? Do you know what that adds up to? 55 freaking days a year wasted.

0:43I mean, think about that for a second. 55 precious days that you could have used to grow your business or write that book or learn that language or travel or get into the best shape of your life. But this gets even worse because procrastination isn't just a time waster. It is this stressful, shame-filled habit that sabotages your dreams and sets fire to your bank account. Check this out. It's estimated that procrastination costs the U.S. economy around$70 billion a year. Yeah, that's billion with a B. And it's not just toxic for your wallet, it's toxic for your health. Procrastination is also linked to stress, depression, and anxiety.

1:30Now, here's the thing with procrastination. It's not really about being lazy or unmotivated. It's actually about your brain trying to avoid discomfort, whether that's the discomfort of starting something big and new or tackling something that you're unsure or insecure about, or just this general anxiety of knowing that you have so much to get done, but you got no clue how to start. Now, here's the good news. You can outsmart procrastination with this one simple trick. So what is it? It's something called the 10-minute morning rule. And here's how it works. The moment you start your day, commit to spending just 10 minutes working on the most important task on your list before you do anything else.

2:17And yes, I do mean anything else, maybe besides coffee. So no checking your phone, no scrolling through your emails, no getting distracted by the news, just 10 minutes on that one most important thing that you know needs to get done. Now, you might be wondering, well, why 10 minutes? It's short enough that it doesn't feel overwhelming, but it's long enough to get you into the groove. And research shows that starting is actually the hardest part of any task. And here's what's cool. Once you get that momentum, your brain shifts gears and you're much more likely to just keep going. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, well, Marie, what can I really accomplish in 10 minutes?

3:00And that's the beauty of it. The 10-minute rule isn't about finishing the task. It's about starting it. Once you've started, you'll often want to just keep going well beyond those initial 10 minutes. This is so simple, but it works like magic. It's simple physics. A body in motion tends to stay in motion. Plus, by tackling what's most important to you first thing in the morning, here's what's cool. Not only do you guarantee that that thing gets done, but you're also setting a positive tone for the rest of your day. You're going to start feeling like a frigging champion right from the jump, which makes it so much easier to stay motivated and to keep getting done.

3:39It's this little psychological win that keeps you in the driver's seat rather than letting procrastination take the wheel. So you might be asking, well, how do you make this little 10 minute morning rule work for you? Here's a rundown. Number one, identify your MIT, which is your most important task. Don't do this in the morning, but actually the day before. So sometime before you go to bed, decide the one most important thing that you need to get done the next day. Write it down and put it somewhere where you're going to see it first thing in the morning. Number two, set yourself up to win. So make it an easy start by preparing everything that you're going to need in advance.

4:20So for example, let's say you're planning to exercise, lay out your sneakers and your workout clothes the night before. If you want to work a little bit and write on your book. Make sure that your computer is charged up and that you've closed any distracting tabs. The goal here is just to make it super easy to dive in and get to work without thinking. Next, commit to 10 minutes. Now, after you've had your coffee or tea, dive straight into that task. Set a timer for 10 minutes and focus solely on getting started. Number four, work distraction-free. So for those 10 minutes, do not let anything interfere with your focus.

4:58No emails, no social, no news, just you and the task at hand. Now real fast, if you want a little help on this step, grab my free focus checklist in the link below. It is ridiculously simple, but it guarantees you're going to work distraction-free. Download it below or at marieforleo.com slash free focus checklist. Enjoy. Number five, follow your flow. So if after 10 minutes, you are still in the zone. Keep frigging going. If not, just take a short break and then dive back in. Either way, give yourself a high five because guess what? You've already beaten procrastination for the day. Now, one last important thing to know.

5:35Here's what most people never get. Sometimes procrastination isn't a sign of laziness. It's actually a warning signal. It's something that you should pay close attention to. I want you to think about it this way. What if the fact that you keep putting something off is actually your intuition trying to help you avoid this costly and painful mistake? So here's an example. Years ago, we were working on a business deal with someone who's fairly famous in our world. And this deal was on our project list and my team was ready to move it forward. And honestly, my team, all of us, we're all about getting things done.

6:12But for some reason, this deal wasn't progressing. Every day we'd look at it, but for whatever reason, it kept getting pushed to the back burner. And we started to feel guilty about it. We were like, oh my God, what the hell's wrong with us? Why aren't we making this happen? Then I got a phone call from the person that we were getting ready to work with and everything made sense. So there is this one small detail in our contract that they disagreed with and they wildly overreacted. I'm talking anger and screaming and ranting and raving. I was like, wow, the public doesn't see this side of you now, do they?

6:49Point is, they acted like a toddler having a meltdown. That behavior told me everything I needed to know. Clearly, we were not meant to do business together. And thankfully, no contracts had been signed. In other words, procrastination saved us from this huge, expensive, painful mistake. And honestly, that wasn't the only time procrastination has been a blessing in disguise. So here's the bottom line. Procrastination isn't always a bad thing because sometimes putting it off is a sign that you need to call it off. Now, if you found this video helpful, hit that subscribe button because we got a lot more goodness coming your way.

7:27And if you're ready to dive deeper into mastering your time and beating procrastination for good, come check out Time Genius. It's our evidence-based program that's helped thousands of people double their productivity in a fraction of the time and actually have fun doing it. It's all science-based. It comes with a money-back guarantee, and I promise you it will change your life. You can learn more at jointimegenius.com. Until next time, stay on your game and keep going for your big dreams because the world really does need that very special gift that only you have. I'll catch you soon.