Real, quick. I recommend listening to the show on Spotify, we can listen to all of your favorite artists and podcast in one place for free without a premium account. Spotify has a huge catalog of podcast on every imaginable topic, plus he can follow your favorite podcast, so you never miss an episode premium. Users can download episodes to listen to offline wherever and whenever and easily share what you're listening to with your friends on Instagram. So if you haven't done so already be sure to download the Spotify app search for optimal living daily on Spotify or browse podcast in the your library, Tab also make sure to follow me, so you never miss an episode. Optimal living daily does optimal living daily episode. Sixteen forty, a guy to overcoming procrastination and finding focus LEO about of Zan habits, die net and I'm your narrator just a moloch. Reading you blogs every single day of the year Tubby If a more meaningful life they show covers self help or personal development, productivity, motivate gin inspiration in la more all enough.

To help you pretty rare we again email from someone with no agenda just who wants to share out the pod back to their life. I love those emails. Someone even sent an audio one time, and I had to share it with family and friends, because, if so, moving things even share too on the show. I got another the other day, just a renewed email and actually went really well with you What is article that has so many comments that I didn't want to make that episode too long, so I saved it for today. I'm sure that after today's reading from Zen habits, so for now, let's get right to it as we optimize Arlo A guy to overcoming procrastination in finding focus by way about a bout habits done that we all procrastinate. The question is how or even whether we overcome the tendency to procrastinate and if we can find focus

This matters more lives are brief and limited, and while we don't need to be productivity, robots running in fear of difficult tasks to distractions and comfort is not the best way to spend our lives. We can face fears. We can learn to deal with them mindfully and in doing so but we can develop inability to return with courage to the work that matters the most to us to create something important, something that helps the world least in a small way, distraction and running orange, useful habits, lesson to overcome them and find focus to create the procrastination, fears. Why are we run from hard tasks because of fears that we don't know what we're doing there were gonna mess up and look bad that wills seed and then have to face a scarier situation that the task will be difficult and uncomfortable. Basically, we fear discomfort and uncertainty

We want comfort and certainty and distractions like emails, social media and reading news and blogs are easy and we know The do them very well. Distractions are always much more tempting than difficult work, much more comforting than facing fears we all have fears, but our habit is to run from them avoid even. Thinking about them. Her mind very good at this we get distracted. I forget clearly about what we were supposed to be doing. Our minds are good, forgetting in getting lost. We try to focus but then immediately. We have an urge to switch to something else, because staying is uncomfortable. Our minds, love comfort, hate discomfort and will run to comfort every time if we let them. So. That's why we procrastinate. But how do we overcome this over? The procrastination reminds are very good at running from discomfort and most of it

We don't even realize it's happening. We just have an urge to switch and follow the urge immediately. The trick, then, is to catch ourselves when we're about to switch when he urged comes up this, which we have to notice. Then we have to pause and deal mindfully instead of my Leslie, with the urge here's. How number one create a practice space do an unprecedented session once a day to practise taken in. Task many will do when you ve been request on as a good choice, set a timer for five minutes or ten. If you feel ambitious committed doing nothing, but your important task for that five minutes number two dont, let yourself switch cleared

actions and have nothing that you can do except this one task, your single tasking when you get the urge to switch when not, if noticed this and don't act on the urge, we can feel and urge and not act on it, how liberating number three seats. With the urge, instead of acting on the urge, instead of ignoring the urge just stay with it, sit still and feel how it feels noticed. A fear of this task that your face, I notice discomfort, boredom Brad, feeling, intimidated and or overwhelmed, or confused or incompetent just stay with it and be curious about the physical feeling. What is the energy in your body feel like a number for return to the task after sitting for a minute with the urge and discomfort they'll probably died out, simply return your focus to your task. You didn't scratched the edge

Wasn't that big of a deal by working on this once a day. You can begin to develop trust that you'll be okay. If you don't scratch the itch they be able to handle the urge without acting on it, they'll be fine. If you deal with the discomfort of a difficult task, this is quite an accomplishment find Focus focusing on one thing is incredibly difficult thing to do, whether you want to go, is on writing a report or a book chapter focus on drawing our privacy music focus on me being or meditating on your breath. Your mind is in the habit of switching to something else. Focusing then is a matter of practicing staying and beyond procrastination session I just arrived. We talked about how to practice. Staying in addition like to offer a few more practical tips, number one have a deeper motivation. The thing you are focusing on should just be nice to do, but you really feel meaningful to number two.

Remember your motivation as he gets started. This task and doesn't just have fear and at others agree, deal of love as well. Let the love drive. You pass. The fear number three use external motivation if needed, While love is the best motivator, sometimes you just aren't feeling up to it, so use external debt mine, that accountability promised a male something to affirm or Kali by a deadline oriented something. Embarrassing, put your reputation on the line and accountability. Group dont. Let yourself off the hook a number for allow yourself to get into flow This is a state of mind where you are lost in the task is easy to only be half way into a task with your mind floating around in wanting to do something else, but if you can get fully into a task, you'll truly love doing it. That means clearing all distractions, Really putting your mind into the task, I find it helpful to have a challenging task and one that works.

Ask me to visualize, for example. If I'm writing a story, I should be concerning how the story is going visually. Not just thinking about the words focus, isn't a magical quality that you can just acquire is a skilled at tastes daily practice and to get better at it, but never complete the master, it you're slip up and get discouraged, but you can just practice some more. In the end, all the practice will be worth it, because you learn a focus on the things that really matter, and that is a life worth living in my experience you just listen. The post titled a guy to overcoming procrastination and finding focus belly. About us and habits on that now as family, job obligations, piling on your plates. Guinea a degree can seem like an attainable goal, especially when you ve been out of college for awhile where'd, you need that degree to advance.

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or you tap today for more information. Again, that's online dot. You tap dot EU with you tap connect higher education is now within reach of everyone everywhere and as a measure that The show yesterday's reading reminded me so much of an email I recently received from a listener and want to share with you for the sole purpose of you some additional inspiration, as you can see how someone actually took what they heard and applied it. So you re go. I start listening to her podcast about a year ago and and mentally after all. This time, I'm only on episode, eighty one for as this, changed my life nonetheless, after having daily was a first part ass I ever listened to, and in addition to that is the reason I quit my job and started my journey down a path to improve my life I used to work indeed, entry for defence manufacturing company for years, they never finished getting my college degree constantly limited my opportunities for advancement might have wanted to go back to school. To finish my degree,

only because I didn't want to have that as a roadblock in my future anymore, not be as a summit she wanted to do a demon What do I wanted? My just decide I needed a degree to get by in life. I poured thousand dollars, situation, money already changed my major twice and was taking a break, to try and decide where I wanted to say the rest of my funds my start. Listening to your podcast, I decided I needed to take a step back evaluate what my priorities were episode. One I walked away from my six figure career by the minimalist. Really go. The vote on the idea that I should stop centering. Life decisions around money, and am I not ever found that article without you, I am working Hard next four months vigorously, paying. What was left of my thirty five thousand or credit card debt, and once it was gone, my quit us for it those in a position financially with the help of my boyfriend that I could be without work for some time. So I went on the search for my dream job.

And many ideas, but none that really took flight. So I sort of volunteering with a couple of non profit organisations in San Diego at community clean. Ups with I love a clean San, Diego and Habitat restored, with the Sandy ago autumn, on deciding how on to help out at a kennel facility for an animal rescue called the animal pad. I the freedom to choose what table on hearing I wanted to do, and this law me too realise it is easy to do what you're truly passionate about when money is no longer a factor. I did a voluntary, more and more with the animal tat. I realized a lot of these days. So really benefit from some basic training things like potty training them helping them learn, not bark excessively in training them to wait at the door and not bolt out of it were all things I could help a dog stay adopted So our learning, how to train dogs. Flying what I learned to our risk is now in the early stages of becoming a full blown professional dog train,

I no longer care how much the average yearly salary is or if their pension in four one key benefits. I no longer care. If my friends, family will approve of my career change. Walls were concern us having a breakdown, and I have never. And happier. You ve made a significant impact on my life and my future. I just wanna take some time out of my morning to let you know you are greatly appreciated, so there you It's amazing to hear if you have a story like this, a rare for me to get emails like this. I mostly get pitches or collaboration, require But I really love these kinds of emails. I dont while share more here on the show, but I wanted to share this one egg permission from her. Now thousands firing Hopefully it was inspiring for you, but I do it for today a great day great weekend. If he listened in real time and I'll see you tomorrow for minimalist Monday, where optimal life awaits