I came across 3 ideas on this subject recently that I thought you would be interested in.  It turns out that everybody suffers from the potential to procrastinate – even Olympic athletes.  What makes the difference is that some people (usually without realising it) will use one or more of these ideas to get things done.

So, the next time you have something important that you want to do and you are tempted to put if off one more time, try out one of these ideas and see if it stops you from putting it off. 

1: Just do it. If you have a task that is not very appealing, do not imagine doing it before you begin.  For example, imagine that you are in bed all snug and warm, and your alarm goes off telling you it’s time to get up and go out for a run.  Don’t think about how cold it is outside and how warm it is in bed.  If you do this, the chances of getting up are almost non existent.  Instead, as soon as you hear the alarm get up, get changed and go out.  Don’t think about what you are about to do - just do it.  To sum it up in 2 words – don’t think. You have already done the thinking (that going out for a run is a good way to start the day) you know the health benefits and how it can help you, so adding another layer of thinking about the cold weather is only going to stop you from what you already know is a good idea.

2: Think the right thoughts. If you must think about the task in hand, be selective in what you think about.  So, to take the running example again, think about how you feel 10 minutes into the run, or what you feel like after you have completed a successful run.  Alternatively, you may want to think about what happens if you DON’T go out for a run.  How would you feel then?  Lazy? Fat? Unhealthy?  All unattractive thoughts that should make you want to take action.  So if you are going to think, think about the good that will come from the action - or think about the consequences of not taking the action.  Don’t think about the down side of the action itself.

3: Make a start.  As humans, we tend to carry on doing what we are already doing.  So if we are sitting down in a comfy chair, we’ll tend to keep on doing that until the chair is no longer comfy.  If you know that there is a book you should read, commit to reading the book for just 5 minutes.  That’s no big deal and doesn’t sound like hard work.  However, once you’ve got the book out and have started reading, you’ll be tempted to keep on reading because that’s what you are already doing.  Even top athletes use this idea. They commit to running the best 100m of a training run of 3 miles, because the chances of stopping after that are small and it’s not hard to commit to running just 100m - even on a cold day when you don’t feel like doing it.

Since finding out about this idea earlier in the year, I’ve used it in all sorts of areas, and I’ve been amazed at how well it works.  I’m terrible at putting off little things that aren’t important to me, but can be important to other people.

Now, by using one of these 3 ‘anti procrastination’ ideas, it’s helped me get more done. I know they sound really simple, but they are surprisingly effective.   Try using them tomorrow and let me know how you get on.  Did you do the thing that you’ve been putting off for weeks?

"The Apprentice” by Alan Sugar is based on his BBC 2 TV show earlier in the year.  It’s interesting that the BBC seem happy to promote this series, but are keen to schedule the Donald Trump original as late as possible to stop people from watching it. Anyway, as you probably already know, Sir Alan Sugar is the self-made multi-millionaire behind Amstrad.  He is also well known outside the business world, thanks to his high profile involvement with Spurs FC.

The book is a practical guide to succeeding in the business world and is packed with instructional information from Sir Alan based on the lessons learned in the series. It contains lots of questionnaires, bullet points and summaries in order to make the subject matter more accessible and easily digestible than in traditional business manuals. There are also plenty of case studies to illustrate and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates from the series, so the book will appeal to fans of the programme as well as would-be entrepreneurs. As an added bonus, because the series went out earlier in the year, you can buy this book for half price or less at many bookshops.  I’d highly recommend it – and if you don’t enjoy it – you’re fired.

In this new feature each month we look at what marketing ideas we can glean from the animal kingdom. This month: how to get noticed, by not being noticed.  

Part 2: Camouflage

Many animals don’t want to get noticed – because if they get noticed, they’ll get eaten.  In fact, people are now so resistant to advertising that they automatically ‘tune out’ advertising messages.  They know exactly what an advert is going to look like in a magazine and do their best to look away. One way to avoid this is to make your advert look like something else. Your advert can be camouflaged to look like an article – say as an advertorial – or even a fake magazine cover.  This can buy you a few seconds of time whilst people examine your message – and perhaps discover that it is actually relevant for them after all.  

Do you know what is the most popular part of your website?  Do you have an area that nobody visits or seems to actively turn people off?  Many websites have a weak spot that are making people leave their site.  It could be down to poor text, a confusing message or even a broken link.  There are plenty of weekly software packages that will tell you where you are going right and where you are going wrong on your site.  Talk to Caged Fish to find out if your site has a weakest link that is letting you down. Call 01858469 988 or e-mail steve@cagedfish.com