It is the single most common state that keeps people from taking action Knowing that there is an important task at hand, you keep putting it off.



Have you ever had to start work on a project but kept doing everything else that would delay you in getting started? You cleaned your desk, got a drink of water, checked your emails, walked around and finally said, 'I think I will do it tomorrow!'

Has there been another time when you felt totally motivated in getting started on a project? A time when you just sat down and got it done immediately?

I believe we are aware that this situation rarely happens, never happening in times when we need to get something done.

We Create our States of Motivation and Procrastination

We have to understand that we create entirely different states using our physiology and internal re-presentation. When we understand this, we will be able to change, interrupt and change states whenever we need to.

When you were procrastinating, you were using your physiology in a particular way. Your breathing was probably slow and shallow. Your muscles were droopy, your eyes were looking down and your facial muscles were probably flaccid.

What about your internal re-presentation? You were probably seeing pictures of yourself having a tough time, being overwhelmed and getting frustrated. You were probably saying to yourself in the most weary and bored tone of life, "Must I do this now? Can I do it later?"

How do we create Motivation?

A question we have to ask ourselves, when we are in a motivated state, taking action and accomplishing our tasks, how did we create that?

Our physiology was probably different. We were sitting differently, breathing differently and moving differently. We were probably re-presenting the task very differently in our mind.

We were seeing ourselves getting results, having fun and doing things effortlessly. We were probably saying, "do it now!" "Let's get it done!" in a more excited, higher pitched tone of voice.

Remember, our states are hardly managed consciously. We do not consciously shift our physiology nor do we control our internal re-presentations with the intention of controlling our states.

Instead, our minds are allowed to run on autopilot causing us to lose control of our own states, ensuing in mediocre results that we are not to be pleased about.

Now that we are aware that states of motivation and procrastination are entirely created by us, the responsibility is on us to learn and take charge of our physiology and internal representation, propelling us to attain the greater results we desire.