It’s all about the work. Nothing is going to fall into your lap. If you want to be a lawyer, see yourself as a lawyer, go to the library and start learning the law. If you want to be a rapper, start rapping and get out there. Live your life as if you already are where you want to go. — Russell Simmons, Chairman and CEO Rush Communications

Now that we’re half-way through Anti-Procrastination Month 2008, how’s your productivity? Are these posts helping you? What challenges are still coming up for you?

Today’s post shows how motivation plays a role in helping us do what needs to get done.

Here’s one person’s take on motivation:

Having been a professional procrastinator early in my adult life, I can tell you that my own anti procrastination motivation plan is to think of all of the missed opportunities I have had over the course of my life due to procrastination.

I then remind myself of where I am and where I have been, and how I finally achieved upward mobility and success in my own mind when I stopped procrastinating duties and tasks.

Even the small tasks we like to pt can lead to huge opportunities, benefits, or rewards if we just get them done!

Stress is less, and life is really a whole lot easier if procrastination is not allowed to inhibit progress on goals, and rob us of opportunities because we have put off something that could turn out to be the next big opportunity for success. — Joanne Young, PMP

What’s my motivation and what is procrastination really costing me? Here’s how it goes for me (thanks to Ann Rusnak for helping me through this process):

I hate writing. But…

• If I don’t write, people won’t know me.
• If people don’t know me, I won’t get clients.
• If I don’t have clients, I won’t get paid.
• If I don’t get paid, I’ll have no money.
• If I have no money, I can’t feed my kid’s healthy, immunity-boosting foods. (It’s so much more expensive to eat healthy, than it is getting fast food or processed stuff).
• If I don’t feed my kids healthy foods, we’ll be sick all winter and I’ll compromise their health for the future.

… and I could go on, but you get the point.

As you can see, when boiled down, my motivation are my kids and the health of my family.

So, what’s your motivation to stay productive and beat procrastination when it creeps up?

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly. — Albert Einstein

Now that we are back to a “normal” routine (hubby’s back at work, kids at daycare) and I’m home with Jasmine trying to work between naps and feedings, I’m finding it difficult to avoid distractions. And there are, oh so many distractions!

The usual suspects are: social media (tweet, tweet), email, internet, baby care and — can you guess??? — blogging.

With the (extended) end-of-month deadline for my Designing a Compelling 30-second Intro v2 guidebook looming over me, I’m feeling the pull of distractions even more. Does this ever happen to you?

Here are 3 ways I use to eliminate (or diminish) distractions:

• Close my speakers. This made a huge difference, because programs, like Outlook, Twhirl, Vision Board, make a sound when updated. If I don’t hear it, I’m not lured into stopping my work to check it out.
• Close all windows on my PC except what I’m working on. For my guidebook, that means keeping only these programs open: MS Word, Notepad and Visual Thesaurus. Everything else gets closed. Out of sight, out of mind.
• Close my PC. This is the most extreme measure, but must be done when I’m in crunch mode. I work much better with pen and paper anyways. I’ll print notes, close my PC, take a notepad and favorite pen, set myself up on the kitchen table and write away. When I’m done I go back to my office and type what I wrote. It may not sound efficient, but I save time by not fooling around on other things.

My latest procrastination-beating tool is Havi Brooks’ Procrastination Dissolve-o-Matic (Havi is my current flavor and I’m stalking following her work closely). She teaches a super quick technique (something you wouldn’t expect) to immediately get you into action. I’ve had her book for a week and it’s worked wonders.

Finally, if I’m really resisting doing whatever it is I need to do (and I don’t feel like doing anything about it), I simply stop pretending to work and try not to beat myself up over my lack of focus and discipline. I’ll get up, play with Jasmine, walk to the store or give in to whatever distraction I’m avoiding. I know I’ll do better next time, so there’s no use white-knuckling it.

What are your culprits? How do you overcome them?

October 2008 marks the second annual Anti-Procrastination Month on The Savvy Entrepreneur.

Now I ain’t an anti-procrastination expert… In fact I’d like to get something out in the open right now — I’m a terrible procrastinator or should I say I’m good at procrastinating? Either way, what I’m trying to say is that I struggle with productivity, procrastination as much as the other guy.

Anti-Procrastination Month is my attempt at boosting productivity and regaining momentum. Along the way, I share with you what I’m learning. How does that sound?

Now that the awful dirty truth is out, in order for Anti-Procrastination Month to be a success this year, I need your help.

I’ve posted the question on LinkedIn Answers and now I’m throwing it to you.

I’m looking for your favorite productivity-boosting/procrastination-beating tips, tasks, ideas, thoughts and suggestions. If I like it, I’ll use it as one of the daily Anti-Procrastination Month posts (with full attribution, of course).

Are you an Anti-Procrastination expert? Would you like to participate at a higher level and get a little more exposure? If so, please c’ontact me. Let me know your desired level of participation and what you want in return. Some ideas are:

• Interview (live, recorded or blog-interview)
• Guest post
• Daily/weekly tips, assignments
• Etc… (suggestions?).

I look forward to reading your comments — and please, no smart ass replies like “I’ll tell you tomorrow” or “I’ll get back to you on that one.” They are highly predictable and it’s old already — I got my (over)dose on LinkedIn.

Until next time, just do it (another popular reply received thus far)!

Summer is over, baby is born, hubby is back to work and kids are in daycare. So there are no more excuses… I’ve been slacking off long enough.

This blog has been sorely neglected, with only a minimum of posts (have you at least been enjoying my weekly Savvy Snippets? Please say yes! ). I’m ready to get back on track.

Helping me this month is Crissy Heron Gipson from IndieBizChicks. Today marks day one of her Back To Blogging 4 week program (it’s free). I received my daily inspiration email and I’ll be posting soon.

Won’t you join me and get back to blogging too?

Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers. — Tony Robbins

How do you really want to live? What gets you most excited? When do you feel stuck? What kind of person will you have to become in order to achieve all that you want? These are some of the questions Robbins suggests you ask yourself and answer honestly.

Every night before going to sleep, Robbins suggests asking yourself the following three questions:

• What have I learned today?
• What have I enjoyed today?
• What have I improved or contributed today?

In asking yourself the above three questions, you can work on improving yourself each and every day.

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. — Elbert Hubbard

Who cares what others say? Go out there and be everything you want to be and more. No matter what you do, there will always be someone there to complain about it. Stop trying to please everyone else because it’s a losing battle.

Don’t think of failure as something negative. Look at it as a learning experience.

If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative. — Woody Allen

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. – Dr. Harold Thurman