Many people want success to be phenomenal and expect it to come quick and easy. Maybe that is why they gulp different articles on success as quick as it is churned out? Yet success is pretty unpredictable and doesn’t follow a particular trend or flow. At the end of the day you are the one to define your success and it is always better to be pretty realistic when setting your standards of success.

1. You need to wait for the right opportunity

The real truth is that nothing is ever perfect, opportunity won’t just come knocking – You have to hunt for it. Many successful people started small and made mistakes along the way. Renowned actor and WWE superstar, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recounts that he started his wrestling career by taking 40 dollars per wrestling match. Today he earns seven to eight figures to feature in a movie.

2. You will be happy when you become successful

Many get it wrong with such expectations. The reality is that success is more of a journey than a destination. Happiness shouldn’t be waited for; you need to appreciate every moment of the climb to the top by building on your relationships and balancing work/personal life.

3. You have to save to save

Many want to be wealthy and they think that attaining such wealth or success requires aggressive saving techniques. What they do not know about the successful is that successful people do not save to save but save to invest. When Elon Musk was undergoing a crisis to get venture capitalists to back his company SpaceX it was the millions he had saved that brought him out of the hole. Elon Musk had not saved to buy a luxurious item, he had saved to buy something that turned him into a billionaire in a couple of years.

4. You can succeed on your own

Success is not achieved independently. Many successful people have mentors and a support group of people who contribute to their success. By staying and hanging out around other people with successful traits you ignite and multiply your chances of attaining success.

5. You define making money as success

The truth is that money is a powerful motivator – Yet money could make you bankrupt on other aspects of your life. It is better to see or view success making a contribution or adding value rather than seeing it as a way to simply add more zeros in your bank account.

6. You need a lot of time to attain success

Many people want success fast, and with all the blog posts offering different advice on the subject many think that it is about working so hard that they get their lucky break soon. The truth is that success needs no lucky breaks but consistent effort daily, monthly and yearly. Doing this comes with a regular sense of accomplishment which keeps you fulfilled and energized.

7. You need society to validate your success

Many expect that their environment and what they can display in terms of looks and luxury items defines their success. What defines success is from within and has nothing to do with the opinions of others.

8. You need to have an advanced degree from a well known university

This is not to say or disapprove of earning a degree from an Ivy League school. However many successful people have defined their success even from poor backgrounds and an inability to finish High school. Success needs simply a dream, a design and a consistent action to seeing your goals to fruition. Successful people like Anne Wintour, editor of Vogue of Magazine and Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group didn’t start out with degrees from any university!

9. You will attain success at your first try

Many believe that to attain success one has to get it right the first time. This is wrong. No one gets it the first time. Successful people fail and they keep trying until they succeed. Failure plays a key role to success.

10. You will become an interesting person everybody wants to be with when you become successful

The journey of success has a way of rubbing on who one is along the way. That is why character is an important element of success. How do you define character? Is it that when you have more money and possessions, you become the person every other person wants to be around? Success will not make you a better person, that will always be up to you.

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The first question that merits an answer is what makes an individual smart. Is it the abundance of facts that one can memorize? Is it the above average, or exceptional, IQ?  Perhaps, it is the wisdom to make a sound decision at the crucial moment, or knowing how to make the best out of the bad situation.

Maybe it is the ability to take as many aspects as possible into consideration before deciding on the future course of action. It is probably a good combination of all the previously mentioned traits.

Of course, if someone is smart and successful, it is hard to pinpoint what exactly is responsible for that person’s success and wellbeing. Truth be told, it is far easier to notice what these smart people don’t do, and arrive to a conclusion as to what is to be avoided. As long as we circumvent these negative things, the rest will come naturally.

1. They don’t act irresponsibly

Do not mistake this statement as “Smart people don’t have fun” or “Smart people are boring.” You can have fun, you can have a drink, or have a good laugh. Irresponsibility does not equal uninteresting, it only means you like to have an organized lifestyle.

Superior organization leads to greater efficiency, whether you are a student, an employee, a business owner, an artist, or a celebrity.

We all have certain responsibilities, and they are not always imposed by someone else. Putting them off for no valid reason is simply packing to travel into a more stressful future. Almost everyone experiences how being irresponsible tends to backfire, but smart people simply practice what they learn from such inconveniences.

2. They don’t hesitate to learn from their mistakes

Mistakes are inevitable. Sooner or later something goes wrong, and an unaccounted for variable emerges, and places a grave dent in our previously well-laid schemes. You can’t always have everything under your control, and we do not have the degree of awareness necessary to view every possible angle.

Mistakes are there to remind us of our flaws, and force us to mitigate the impact they have on our lives. Honestly, mistakes can teach us a lot about our lives, and ourselves, but only if we let them.

Learning from your mistakes means finding what is worth salvaging from your unfortunate experience, realizing what went wrong and finding a way to avert it in the future. Smart people use this input to work on themselves, and change the things they have the power to change.

Arrogant people look for excuses, and choose to blindly believe in their judgement without any retrospect. Not only does this kind of behaviour hinder your future success, it also drives people, and allies, away from you.

3. They don’t heavily rely on others

There is nothing wrong with having friends, family members or coworkers you can trust and rely on. Everyone should have someone they can count on when things go south. Heavily relying on someone, however, only portrays you as powerless. As a smart individual, you should never indulge such a commodity.

You can have a brilliant mind, outstanding intelligence, etc. but if you do not put those traits to good use, then you will only come off as incompetent. When you are in need of assistance, pay close attention, see if your problem was truly difficult. In a great number of cases, it is our fear and insecurity that prevent us from acting.

There is always a thought “What if I only make things worse?” The thought is perfectly justified. The unwillingness to overcome such a fear on the other hand, isn’t.

4. They don’t overlook the possibility to save money

Prudence is a virtue, not to be mistaken with greed or stinginess. Being able to handle your finances and save, by avoiding unnecessary expenses, is an admirable quality. In fact, it is surprising how many small details there are, warranting closer scrutiny.

These seemingly meaningless expenses can be easily avoided, and the amount of money you can save can amount to something rather significant.

For starters, buying a tap filter can reduce the money spent on bottled water. Opting to refill a printer cartridge, rather than buying a new one is another judicious investment. Replacing light bulbs inside your home with those that conserve energy, is yet another wise choice. Utilizing apps to reduce credit card processing fees, or choosing a big bank as your provider, instead of your local town bank, is also a good decision.

The internet has an unfathomable amount of quality content, both educational and entertaining. Paying for a cable or magazine subscription is undeniably meaningless. Almost anything you are after can be found online, at cheaper price, either as a streaming service, or as an online news article.

The point is, learn how to fully realize the things you are already paying for or have at your disposal – that’s what being smart is all about.

5. They don’t permit their past to hold them back

The past cannot be erased, and it does not come back to haunt us, it simply never leaves. We need to learn how to cope with it, and not allow it to interfere with our future achievements. If there is nothing useful to be recovered from the past experience, simply close those doors and let it go.

Past experiences shape who we are today, and our previous struggles can build a strong character, but people tend to use their past to justify their mistakes or behaviour. Perhaps we use these excuses to gain understanding from others, or to make it easier to forgive ourselves.

Still, if you acknowledge your flaws but refuse to do something about them just because you have an excuse, then you have chosen an easy way out, and that’s not what smart people do.

6. They don’t overestimate their abilities

Shelly’s Frankenstein and Goethe’s Faust tell a wonderful cautionary tale about how even the brightest among us can suffer a tragic downfall, simply because they overreached past their limitations. Ambition and hard work are healthy and nothing to be ashamed of, but without moderation, these qualities can be dangerous.

Primarily, you are likely to exhaust yourself continually, which can be indeed stressful and it can have a negative impact on your health. The insatiable desire for advancement in a particular field can cloud your perspective, and make you lose grip on other important aspects of life. Ultimately, we can end up being alienated from our peers, and it can be sad to have no one you can share your success with.

Secondly, our mind has its limits too, and very often actively thinking about the problem doesn’t get us anywhere. We need to know when we are stuck and to take a break. In other words, we need to allow our subconscious processes to grab the reins, and see what happens.

You’d be surprised just how frequently certain answers simply dawn on you. Moreover, even when the answers appear obvious, it is better to examine them again in the morning, perhaps they won’t seem as ideal as they did the day before.

7. They don’t dwell on their errors

To clarify, this refers to companies that manufactured a bad product, or movie directors who made bad movies, etc. It is not uncommon to come up with an idea for something that appears like a true masterwork for us, but once it’s realized, the general public may not be that impressed. It can feel humiliating and really unpleasant, however it happens, whether we like it or not.

When you are making something intended to be appealing to the masses, and in the end fail, start over again from scratch. If you want to impress, listen to your audience, don’t try to patch up the product, or make sequels, in an attempt to prove your vision was brilliant.

This kind of behavior will only cost you your credibility, and even when you manage to come up with something good, people might not even bother to give it a try. It won’t make you neither weak nor foolish, if you know when to give up. It will only give you more time to work on your comeback.

8. They don’t neglect important aspects of their business

One of the key factors responsible for success is attention to details or just paying good attention in general. When one is trying to be a smart business owner, he or she is generally governed by the idea that with a quality product, success is guaranteed.

The logic is not entirely flawless, since even if you can offer a top quality product at a better price than your competition, you are still a far cry from a lucrative business.

The absolute necessity for a successful selling period is credibility, meaning you will need to have a good advertising tactic. This implies striving towards omnipresence and professional appearance, which brings us to the most efficient tool for spreading this kind of brand awareness, and that is your website.

The impact of the website should never be underestimated; people will judge you as a professional based on your website design, its responsiveness, authority and its content. There are numerous people who offer an amazing type of service or products, in person, but simply look like amateurs online.

Start off by finding a good web hosting service, to ensure your sites responsiveness, proceed with quality design, and finally, eloquently describe your product or service.

Clearly, this is a single example of an important aspect, there are others as well. like providing a good customer service and creating efficient incentive plans etc. But the point is never to push in one direction. Always work on numerous fronts.

9. They don’t rely on good luck to solve their problems

“Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.” A good quote to be guided by when you invest your time and efforts into something. Hope for the best possible scenario is what motivates us, whereas preparing for the worst prevents us from falling apart. On the other hand, simply hoping for the things to work themselves out is no different from being lazy.

Luck should only take credit for a fragment of your success, considering that relying on it too frequently will only suffocate your ambition.

Besides, smart people would never permit luck to take glory for all their hard work. When you pour your heart and soul into achieving your goal, it would be disappointing to give good fortune the title of “major contributor”.

10. They don’t put all the eggs in one basket

This one is a no brainer. Never fully invest yourself for the sake of realizing a single idea. Always have backup plans, alternatives, contingencies etc. It was already established that people may not be impressed with your design, or that something can go wrong if we don’t account for all the variables.

This doesn’t imply that you should be discouraged and back off when things don’t go as planned, but this matter will be addressed later on.

11. They don’t make redundant enemies

Regardless of your status, whether you are a rising star entrepreneur, or an employee in a small firm, you are likely to encounter enemies, nemeses, competition, whatever you want to label particular individuals.

These people are not malefic in nature. Your convictions, ideologies or points of view are only incompatible. The problem is that you can never know what they may do if they feel provoked, and they are probably perceiving you in the same manner, which results in unnerving animosity.

It is important to define a difference between enemies created by circumstances, and enemies created by our actions. We have already established how our competition can induce minor paranoia, so it is better not to incite any redundant conflicts. When you socialize with stubborn and hot headed individuals, rest assured that you are not the only one who notices their traits.

Trying to prove a point and creating an argument with these people will get you nowhere. A smart thing to do is just nod, or say you do not agree, and end the discussion.

When entering partnerships, do a thorough check on your potential allies, see if they are not prone to deceive you, but also make sure you don’t accidentally do something that can be viewed as treacherous. Furthermore, if you are going through a divorce, see to it that you do not separate on completely bad terms, since creating a relationship based on acts of spite won’t do anyone any good.

12. They don’t take unnecessary risks

We all found ourselves, at some point in life, when we could have taken a risk in exchange for a greater gain. In the event you are an adrenalin junkie, a motto like “high risk, high reward” is not a bad thing to live by.

Being smart and calculated very often contradicts with this approach, since it is not implied that you won’t face risks, but it limits you to only those that are necessary.

Even small risks with significant gain, like lottery, are a poor choice; if you have some extra cash, save it and wait for it to accumulate. Do not depend on people who are more or less strangers, or wildcards, and stay away from the fluctuating stock markets. Work hard to achieve success – don’t be tantalized by the possibility to change your life overnight.

13. They don’t allow their pride to get in the way

Time to quote one of my favorite manga artists, Tite Kubo: “If it rusts, it can never be trusted. If its owner fails to control it, it will cut him. Yes, pride is like a blade.” Spiritual teachings usually label pride as a bad characteristic, but reality tends to tell a different story. Having pride is completely acceptable, but being consumed by it is quite inconvenient.

It is not rare that once you become so brilliant, you tend to automatically castigate the opinion of everyone around you. Not only that, but you may often find yourself rejecting a good proposal or initiative simply because you are not the one who thought of it. Smart people rely on their reasoning and if too much pride interferes with it, then it is a feature not worth nurturing.

14. They don’t make strong remarks that can make them look weak in the future

Actions speak louder than words. Don’t feel overconfident and use words of grandeur to describe your future actions. It only makes you look like an attention seeker, who will inevitably lose his or her credibility.

Credibility is of the utmost importance for one’s future and well being, and we all know how in “Boy who cried wolf” the loss of credibility had a strong impact on the outcome of the situation. If you want to be taken seriously and to be respected, don’t talk big without a means to back it up. Simply let your hard work tell your tale.

15. They don’t feel defeated just because they need to reevaluate their convictions

Our environment, our parents, our education and our past are all responsible for forging our convictions and our perception of the world. It leads to a creation of what is referred to as “umwelt” which roughly translates as “self-centered world”. Umwelt is more connected to how we create the image of the world surrounding us by using our sense, but it can be extended to our point of view on philosophical matters.

The convictions we acquire throughout life are not wrong per se, but are very likely to be proven incompatible when exposed to an entirely new experience or more difficult questions that need answering. Also, if you move out and change the environment you are likely to witness different patterns of behavior, simply because education, or lack of education in some areas, resulted in the blooming of other other human qualities.

Sooner or later, our convictions are challenged and sometimes they will triumph, sometimes they will be trumped. Smart people constantly challenge their convictions; they do not discard them. They reshape them, and they allow them to grow proportionally with their new experience. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to broaden your mind-set, you are not defeated if you gained something valuable.

16. They don’t lose the opportunity to broaden their experience

This is closely connected to the previously mentioned convictions, like Friedrich Nietzsche said, “There are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.” You can never become a complete being, and you should never set such goals for yourself. However, making ongoing endeavors towards progression in various areas is indeed what a smart person would do.

Science constantly expands our understanding of the world; it constantly tests theories and comes up with new ones. Even old or proven findings are never left alone, they are re-examined, redefined, and updated. They are constantly after progress, investigating what is most likely the truth, not what they want to believe the truth is.

It is a good way to expand your database. After all, scientist are usually those who have the qualities, or are perceived to have qualities, of smart people. The majority of smart celebrities were and are scientists.

17. They don’t waste the potentials of their gadgets

Lacking knowledge related to a certain field, or lacking the necessary skill to accomplish a particular task, does not automatically make someone incompetent. Smart people have a good way of overcoming these obstacles; they can find solutions to compensate for their shortcomings.

Using your gadgets to their full extent can prove to be rather beneficial in a variety of scenarios.

Obviously, smartphones and tablets have internet connection and access to Google, thus all you need to do is know how to utilize these browsers efficiently. Almost anything you want to know has a recorded or a written tutorial online, meaning as long as you are connected to the World Wide Web, you will have the means to solve tricky problems.

App stores have an applications galore, and a great number of them are really remarkable. Sure, there are those which are utter nonsense, but every smartphone and tablet device should have a few useful apps installed. For example, you should have apps that help you with your data management, making your job significantly easier, in terms of organization.

Apps that can help you navigate when you are on unfamiliar terrain, thus boosting your level of security. Apps that can help you find good restaurants while in a foreign country, like Yelp. Additionally, language boundaries are significantly mitigated by use of translating apps, and even though they are not one hundred percent accurate, they can still aid you a great deal.

18. They don’t give up on their ideas just because other people don’t agree with them

I know that it was stated how knowing when to give up and start anew is a good thing, and how being too stubborn or pushy will ultimately yield bad results. Well, a wise person knows when he or she should push the envelope and stand firm when the situation takes a turn for the worst.

There is a difference between when someone gives your idea a chance and did not like it in the end and someone not giving your idea a chance at all. We are all entitled to constructive feedback on why our ideas or products are not satisfactory.

If someone wants to discard our efforts based on a hunch, do not let them. Fight for your chance to shine, or try finding someone else who will hear you out and appreciate your idea.

There is always a possibility that someone is intimidated by your expertise; thus that person wants to hinder your development. If you want to publish or launch something, look for more than one opinion. Even if the first one is flattering, look for more.

Constructive criticism can be used as a precious insight for the future.

19. They don’t know how to back off from a good cause

Much like with the good idea, wise people do not back off from a cause worth fighting for. Revolutions were led and achieved thanks to these individuals, and luckily, our society is still flawed and can provide us with many causes worth fighting for.

We are often criticized by our parents, superiors, or teachers about our tastes, our interests and our hobbies. Honestly, they can be right from time to time, but throughout the course history, a fix has emerged. Older generations tend to scold things they do not fully understand, and are too self-absorbed to even give them a chance.

Imagine just how many art forms, in terms of music, books, and film genres would not be here today if people didn’t regard them as good ideas. Today, video games are struggling with the same issue. They are held responsible for violent and troublesome behavior in youth, and people do not consider them a medium capable of delivering deeper moral values.

20. They don’t lie to themselves that everything will be easy

Finally, don’t live in the illusion that life will be easy. Your efforts may be thwarted on more than one occasion. Bright and intelligent people know how to pick themselves up and make a comeback. They work on their confidence, and don’t expect things to get easier. Even when things appear to be easy, don’t drop your guard – it’s always quiet before the storm.

Smart people love challenges and the thrill that comes from overcoming an obstacle. Having some downtime is refreshing, but confronting and tackling new problems is what they live for.

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Becoming successful requires some emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence offers you the stability to go the long haul. Through this process you meet difficult and toxic people who defy logic and challenge your vitality. Difficult people offer you stress and negativity and could deny you the platform to attain each milestone. Here are some ways in which many emotionally intelligent people deal with difficult people.

1. They establish boundaries

You cannot please everyone neither can you fulfill or meet all their expectations. Emotionally intelligent people do not sell themselves short in this regard. They rise above the chaos and maintain some distance with difficult people.

2. They focus on solutions

Rather than focus on problems caused by difficult people they focus on actions that will better circumstances. There is no point in rambling and going toe to toe with a difficult person’s negativity, instead they find how to deal with whatever complications that should be solved.

3. They know their strengths and weaknesses

They know what they can take and what they cannot. They are self aware of their flaws and strengths and can thus project or channel this in finding the right way when they are met with the stress from a difficult person.

4. They don’t forget

Some say experience is the best teacher. The emotionally intelligent person knows this. He knows that a difficult person’s prior troubles could give birth to another. Even when they will have to offer a second chance, they try to protect themselves from it through the knowledge they already have.

5. They terminate negative talk

Difficult people are full of criticisms and negativity. Emotionally intelligent people don’t listen to this neither do they engage themselves in conversations that will create tensions and stir negative emotions.

6. They don’t consume themselves in a fight

Going into a fight with a difficult person could leave them severely damaged, thus they keep and conserve their strength for another day. They know they do not have to respond to every negative emotion a difficult person stirs.

7. They focus on their joys

Emotional intelligent people are happy and they love to stay happy at what they do. They derive their satisfaction and happiness from within rather than from the external opinion of people.

8. They get a deserved rest

Getting the right kind of sleep tends to recharge an emotionally intelligent person. They relax and get the needed rest to reduce their stress level to keep them positive, creative and proactive for the next day.

9. They cling to like-minded people for support

Dealing with difficult people alone may not be the best solution. Emotionally intelligent people forge a support system with those who they admire and who can support them through difficult situations. This is why people like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates or like-minded people remain friends.

10. They stay above difficult situations

Emotionally intelligent people do not get involved in emotional brouhahas with difficult people. Rather they stare at the facts and numbers. They do not focus on the things they cannot control, but rather on the things they can control.

11. They can forgive

They distance themselves from mistakes and do so to adapt and adjust theirselves for future success. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting though, yet they do understand the benefits of letting go and defining a path for things they have to accomplish in the future.

12. They disconnect

Emotionally intelligent people sometimes have to refrain from activities related to work to get away from their stressors. They want to get the best out of themselves and thus they offer theirselves time to recharge and get away from negative or difficult situations.

13. They limit caffeine intake

Caffeine intake tends to trigger the release of adrenaline in the body. Adrenaline remains a source of a fight-flight response. Because they want to be able to manage their emotions they do well to reduce their caffeine intake so that they do not have to respond fiercely to a comment from a difficult person.

Featured photo credit: urban man lying on a catwalk in the field enjoying nature via shutterstock.com

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Are you a night owl? Most people have heard the phrase ‘the early bird gets the worm’, but various studies have actually shown that night owls may be smarter.

As everyone else is nodding off, the night owls start to become productive, resulting in all kinds of benefits.

Check out 10 reasons why night owls are smarter people.

1. They Have ‘Evening Strength’

There may be a physical advantage to being a night owl: researchers at the University of Alberta tested the leg strength of nine early birds and nine night owls and found that the leg strength of an early bird remained consistent throughout the day. However, the leg strength of the people who stayed up later actually peaked to higher levels during the evening!

Olle Lagerquist, the co-author of the study, said the reason for this may be because night owls “show increased motor cortex and spinal cord excitability.”

2. They Tend To Be More Relaxed

Early birds often have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which stay high all day. However, night owls are often much more relaxed, as they don’t receive the same amount of cortisol in the morning.

3. They Score Higher On General Intelligence Tests

A study conducted at the University of Madrid looked at the sleeping patterns of roughly a thousand teenagers. The study came away with two pretty different results; while early risers are more likely to get better grades, the night owls actually scored higher on tests related to general intelligence.

4. They May Need Less Sleep

Researchers from Belgium and Switzerland have discovered that night owls may not actually need as much sleep to function as everyone else. The study noted that after sleeping seven hours a night, early birds started to get wearier. However, this didn’t happen with the people who stayed up later, suggesting to the researchers that they required less sleep.

5. They Can Remain Alert For Longer

A study at the University of Liege, Belgium, monitored 15 extreme night owls and 16 extreme early birds. The participants continued with their normal sleeping patterns, and the researchers measured their brain activity when they first woke up, and then again just over 10 hours later.

While the scores were similar in the morning, they noted that unlike the night owls, the early birds had lower brain activity in various areas relating to their attention span.

6. They Are More Flexible With Work

Although there are many people who prefer to stay up later, many of them have no choice but to adjust to an early morning schedule for work. Not only do night owls still regularly thrive in these situations, they also easily adapt to the extended hours in their day. This means night owls can often work effectively first thing in the morning, as well as last thing at night!

7. They May Have A Higher IQ

An interesting study conducted at the London School of Economics and Political Science by Satoshi Kanazawa, found a connection between adaptive behaviors and intelligence. The study discovered that “more intelligent children are more likely to grow up to be nocturnal adults who go to bed late and wake up late on both weekdays and weekends.”

8. They Have Productive Evenings

Night owls always have the option of socializing or working in the evening, because they have the energy to do so. As they go to bed so late, they also still have some wind down time before bed.

9. They Have Time To Prepare For The Following Day

Night owls normally have a long time between finishing work and going to bed, so they often have time to prepare themselves for the following day. From mentally planning the next day to setting out their work clothes, night owls often have their next day planned before it even starts.

10. They Have Strategic Thinking Abilities

Night owls often struggle to sleep, and the dark brings them peace and solitude. During this time night owls contemplate their lives and the world around them, making them more strategic thinkers and helping them to effectively deal with their issues and problems.

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There are more than six billion people in this world and I am willing to bet that the majority of us are probably procrastinators. It is just an easy habit to fall into. Think of procrastination as if it were like quick sand. It is easy to stumble and sink into and hard to get out of. Not to worry though, here are some tips that can help pull you out of the procrastination pit.

1.Set an abundant amount of alarms.

As a procrastinator, you all know the feeling of waiting until about fifteen minutes passed your alarm to actually get up. Set several alarms to force you out of bed and to give you time to transition from morning yawns and sighs to being ready for a new day. Also, make hitting the snooze alarm harder to hit to make you get out of bed with each alarm.

2.Write things down!

It is best to start out with a dry erase calendar to remind you of what you are needing to do. Big bright letters or bold black letters are going to be best to make sure it catches your eye when you walk by. Keep it up there and cross it out as you complete the tasks you must finish.

3.Set things out.

To save you some time, try setting the things you need the night before, as oppose to the day of. It gives you time to start your day off right instead of frantically searching for something in the morning and pushing everything on your schedule forward.

4.Minimize distractions.

Having the TV on while you clean, or while you are doing homework works for a few people, but more than likely it takes more time. If you’re like me, you probably stop a few minutes here and there to actually watch what is going on the screen rather than working on an assignment due in a few days. Try putting music on if you need white noise in the background and place it further from you. This will help keep the procrastinator in you from grabbing your phone to “change the song” and ending up on facebook.

5.Reward yourself.

Remember when you were a child and your parents rewarded you for doing simple things every once in a while? Remember how excited you got? It helps out to reward yourself after completing that paper that was due or cleaning your house. Set aside a DVD or a slice of chocolate cake for you to enjoy after your tasks are completed. It works! Trust me!

6.Set time aside to do activities you do when procrastinating.

It is important to set time aside for mindless news feed scrolling, game playing, and sleeping. Even though we are super humans, our brains need rest every once in a while. Set time aside to just lay around. Set a timer and give yourself about fifteen minutes

7.Snack on food that gives you energy.

Stay away from heavy snacks that make you sleepy and lazy. Grab an apple or an orange and enjoy mother nature’s pick me up. You will feel better and your body will be more energized to get tasks done.

8.Minimize your To-Do list.

Instead of trying to accomplish a huge goal all at once, break it down into little goals. For example, instead of trying to re-arrange and clean the whole house by next Tuesday, break it down by room each day. Clean the kitchen one day, the living room the next day, etc. It will give you a list that will seem do-able and not so overwhelming.

9.In your office/study area/ work area set the clock 10 minutes fast.

This is for the ones that like to wait until last minute to start making dinner or getting ready. It won’t give you too much time, but it will at least give you a head start on things.

10.Get up earlier.

There are a lot of people that get more done in their day than I do in mine. If you think you are not going to have time in a day to get everything done, set your alarm to wake up earlier. You will give yourself an extra two to three hours that you usually don’t have to finish all that needs to be done.

11.Take breaks.

It is important to give your brain a break when trying to finish something like a paper or a take home test. Take ten minutes here and there between each hour to stand outside or grab a snack.

12.Don’t sit down right after work.

We are all guilty of it and we all can’t deny that we do this. Sitting down after work when there is a lot to be done is a huge mistake for us procrastinators. We sit down and everything we needed to do is either out the window or an extreme inconvenience from then on to finish. Our bodies get comfortable, and our brain starts to shut down.

13.Have an organized friend be your mentor.

Ever heard of “if you lie down with dogs, you get fleas?” It is usually used when someone is hanging around bad company, but it also works on the opposite side of the spectrum too. If you hang out with someone who is organized, does everything in a timely manner, you will slowly start to as well. It can go either way though, so make sure you chose wisely.

14. Use Post-It Notes

When you don’t see the dry erase board telling you what to do, place post-it notes on the things you do walk by daily. On the fridge would be an ideal spot and it would be perfect to remind you to have a healthy snack before your meeting in an hour. It will also remind you to do little things like “finish cleaning the guest room” so you can check it off the list.

15. Accept it.

On the days you find yourself still in bed binge watching Netflix just remember, you are not perfect and neither is anyone else. Sometimes we need those kind of days. The keyword being sometimes.If all else fails, accept it. Accept it and get help. Remember, it takes two weeks for something to turn into habit and a month for something to be a regular routine.

Featured photo credit: Gradeeation- Andrea Van Orsouw via flickr.com

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