Procrastination is such an obstacle for so many people.

Are there any strategies to beat it?  Innumerable is the answer.

One of the best? What they call as the “the five-minute takeoff”.

I first learned about this strategy from Tal Ben Shahar’s Book “Choose the Life You Want”. So let me share the idea in Shahar’s words from the book:

“Fortunately, the research into procrastination has also identified practical ways that can help overcome the tendency to procrastinate.  The single most important technique is called ‘the five-minute takeoff.’  It consists, simply, of starting to do the thing you have been putting off, no matter how little you feel like doing it.  Procrastinators often believe that to do something one has to truly want to do it – to be in the right mood, to feel inspired.

This is not the case.  Usually, to get the job done, it is enough merely to begin doing it – the initial action kick-starts the process and often brings about more action.”

So, again stop waiting inspiration to knock on your door.

Stop waiting the right mood in order to do what needs to be done.

Stop believing that doers and achievers are feeling like doing what they do. They don’t.

They simply do it whether they feel like doing it or not.

If you start doing it just for five minutes, you will see that the pain experienced in thinking about doing it was much-much more than the pain of actually doing that something.

So, just do it!

“The five-minute takeoff”.  One of the best strategies to beat procrastination.

Take care!

All my best,
Konstantinos Karypidis