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Don't let time pass you by.

Our homunculi are really short-sighted.  They are basically little monkeys: it's about right now, me, here, now.  I'm hungry, now!  I'm bored, now! I'm tired, now! Unfortunately, today's "now" doesn't last forever, and before we know it, what was once "the distant future" becomes "now" and we must live with the consequences of our actions.  Perhaps it is time to help our little, impulsive inner-monkeys visualize what the future could be like.

One strategy for increasing our motivation to get to work, now, is to contrast our current state with our dream future state.  This can work for any goal that we're procrastinating on: what is your life like right now, and what do you want it to be like?

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Task: Compare and contrast your current state with your dream state.

Info: This is a visualization exercise, so find a nice, quiet spot.  What do you need motivation to do? Get to work?  Lose weight? Start a new business?  Whatever it might be, visualize your life right now.  Really picture in your mind all the aspects of your life, right now that are not ideal.  Then, start to visualize how your life could be if only you accomplished the goal of your choosing.  What would be different about your life?  How would it feel on a daily basis after you've completed the goal?  Really try to visualize all the awesome stuff that will come your way if you can accomplish your goal.  This exercise is known as mental contrasting and serves to remind our impulsive sides that there are discrepancies between what we are now and what we want to be.  This can be a powerful motivator to get back on task.  Give it a try!

Goal: Spend 10minutes visualizing your current state and 10minutes contrasting that with your "dream" state.

As a small aside, try not to think about everything you need to do to get from your current state to your dream state - that can often be overwhelming.  Instead, use a vivid, visualized dream state as a tasty carrot pulling you to get back to work.  Then divide and conquer, and do one easy thing to get a step closer to your goal. Rinse and repeat!