Page 96 - End Procrastination Now Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach

64 End Procrastination Now!
table 3.1
PURRRRS Planning

Procrastination problem: Putting off completing a competitive
analysis.

PURRRRS Choices Made and Actions Taken
Pause: tune in to Put a green dot on your thumb to remind yourself
what is happening. to tune in to procrastination urges before they
cause a shift to e-mailing friends instead of think-
ing through the problem. This represents the first
Y choice: to work on the problem or retreat.
Use cognitive, emo- This stage involves temporarily living with the
tive, and behavioral discomfort. It’s a mobilization stage involving
resources to resist conscious decisions. It represents a second Y
impulses. choice: staying with the problem or letting the
horse race away.
Reflect: think about In this metacognitive phase, you think about your
what is happening. thinking. What does the horse have to say? What
is the rider’s way? That frames another Y choice:
which view has the greater sway?

Reason and plan out What are the potential consequences of grabbing
your actions. the reins? What are the potential consequences of
letting the horse bolt? This leads to another Y
choice: do you plan to start the project? If so,
what is the first step? What are the short- and
long-term benefits of these actions? Do you let
the horse race away? If so, what is the first step?
What are the long- and short-term benefits of
these actions?

emotional muscle? How do you translate that tolerance into do-it-
now behavioral actions?

• Tune in to what you tell yourself when you feel discomfort about
a productive task. Is it an urge to avoid or escape it? If you
catch yourself thinking, “I don’t want to,” that may be true.
You may not want to study a competitor’s marketing ap-
proach. Still, if this is a job responsibility, how do you grab
the reins and get it done and out of the way?