Is there anything in the world more
annoying
than advice about how to stop procrastinating?
There's a reason to ignore it.
"Break it down into steps!"
Oh boy, how insightful.
"Give yourself a reward for unpleasant tasks!" First off: Blech! Also: totally won't work.
"Stop worrying and just do it!"
You know what? Bite me.
Even if it weren't yawn-inducingly inane, advice like this is still kinda insulting. And useless.
Probably the most annoying part is the way that it assumes you are a complete idiot.
See, if you just knew that not checking your email saves time (thanks, Tim Ferris), you'd change your habits, right? Since you're still checking email a thousand times a day, clearly you're the moron. Ugh.
Or if you just had some discipline you'd write the damn book already. Or make that stupid phone call already. Or do the thing already . Or if you just knew the principles (thanks, Stephen Covey), you'd be doing everything right by now. Since you're not, you're a pathetic loser, apparently.
As if your own smart-ass self-recrimination system weren't loud enough, you need a bunch of experts to point out what's wrong with you.
Well, guess what? The experts are wrong.
You're not an idiot and you're not weak. And I'm not just saying that because I like you -- those systems just don't work the way you do.
Right. Got it. So we aren't idiots and aren't morally bereft. Now what?
What about those of us who just don't know how to start doing the thing because it's scary and overwhelming? What about when even thinking about doing the thing triggers hard-core emotional paralysis? What if doing the thing is pressing some serious buttons for you and you don't know what to do about it because no one ever talks about that part?
There is a way past the "Gak! I'm freaking the *#$% out!" barriers, and it's not "common sense" or a list of ridiculously obvious tips.
It's also not a self-satisfied lecture on the importance of being disciplined. Or a bunch of rah-rah "you can do it" motivational fluff. Or a series of wacky mystical rituals. Okay, maybe one or two wacky mystical rituals. But the rest is very practical, very down to earth and -- much more to the point -- it actually works.
If you're reading this thinking about how frustrating it is to want to be doing the thing and not be doing it, you know what I'm talking about. In fact, I'm guessing you're one of those bright, talented (well, maybe, on the good days, insert your self-deprecation here), frustrated creative people that I like to hang out with.
You already know that your self-doubt is seriously getting in the way of the stuff you need and want to do. You already know that trampling over it and kicking it to the ground doesn't work. You want a better way, you want it to be smart and insightful, and you want it to work.
You can stop feeling bad for not being able to follow bad advice
Seriously, I'll write you a permission slip right now. The sad truth is that no one deals with how to actually sit yourself down and do the thing. They don't tell you what to do about the worry, anxiety, distractions and what-ifs that keep you from doing the thing.
They don't explain what to do when it's scary. Or how to deal with the fact that sometimes you really, really don't want to do the thing.
So of course you default into panic mode or tantrum mode or distraction-avoidance-repression-mode .
It's normal, and (luckily) there's a better way to do things. Not discipline. Not common sense. No "Seven Steps" or "Eight Keys". But a way of learning how to neutralize the chaos in any given moment so you can dissolve the procrastination pattern, and enjoy the results. My clients do it. With some training, you can do it.
Here it is: the Procrastination Dissolve-o-Matic
(Beat procrastination without beating yourself up)
From chaos to calm. From panic to results. From overwhelming to in control. From "It will never happen!" to "My favorite poet is John Donne! I'm done! Done! Done!"
Yes, it can make you a little goofy, but it feels so good. Seriously. And you can get there. It's all about having the right tools. In a format you can learn from. With a good teacher.
Since you probably aren't going to make it to one of my Dissolve Procrastination seminars (hello, you're a procrastinator), here's the ebook/audio/training packet/kit thing that makes it all better.
You get wildly useful exercises and tricks to help you dissolve the stuck and do the thing.
Prepare to:
My background (or: why even bother listening to me)
Obviously you don't want to learn from someone who doesn't get it. Like some self-satisfied business guru who does everything right. Or some perky, hyper-enthusiastic "let's get going" mile-a-minute motivational former-camp-counselor-from-hell. Nooooo!
On the other hand, there's also no point in learning from someone who has your problem and hasn't turned it around. I've turned it around. I've done the work and I'm doing the work.
So if you don't know me from the blog, hi! I'm Havi Brooks and the duck is Selma. We believe it can be done, and not just done, but done compassionately, intelligently and consciously. No bulldozing through it, no dragging you out of your comfort zone and none of that annoying "you have to face your fears" stuff. Because you don't.
Qualifications: I got some
 Smart, creative people with tremendous gifts to share with the world are often the MOST likely to get stuck in what Havi calls "debilitating inner criticism" and "depressing self-sabotage". For this reason, I am so glad that she is sharing her no-fluff, inspiring, useful and revolutionary tactics for breaking out of a state of stuck . I can't wait to share them with my blog readers, and to use them frequently myself!
Pamela Slim |
What's in the Procrastination Dissolve-o-Matic package?
1. MAGICAL PROCRASTINATION-DISSOLVING FAIRY WONDER DUST
(the
instant-help-right-now guide)
Let's face it. Sometimes you are going to be so deep in the godawful distress of it all that you're just not going to have time or inclination to thumb through a tome of wisdom or learn a system. Happens to the best of us. This is for when you need the quick fix and you need it right this second.
Magical Procrastination-Dissolving Fairy Wonder Dust.
One quick, do-able, completely genius technique.
How to do it. When to do it. This is your go-to whenever things gets rough.
Comes with extra cheat sheet to print out and carry around with you.
2. THE E-BOOK: DISSOLVE PROCRASTINATION
(108 pages of pure unadulterated problem-solving)
All the stuff my coaching clients beg me to write down. The fun stuff we do in workshops and seminars. The best exercises. The most genius techniques.
Plus a ton of seriously useful information about how your habits and patterns work, as well as what to do about them and why.
I'm probably not supposed to say this, since I wrote it, but this book is the bomb. A big, crazy dose of helpful. I wish someone had given me this ten years ago.
3. BEST. BONUS. EVER.
(sample sessions)
Bonus mp3 recordings of me doing the emergency genius technique with real, live people who are in the throes of stuckness. This is a great way to experience how it's done in a powerful, visceral, body-memory kind of way so you can get even better at doing it on your own.
It's also a great way to not pay for expensive coaching. And you get to solve your own stuff vicariously through other people's stuff. Like being a fly on the wall, only: more fun! Also: Genius.
These audio clips are designed intentionally to be short enough that you can listen to them even when you're in "Ohmygod, I have no time, deadline deadline deadline!" mode. Ridiculously helpful.
Real next-day result from one of these sessions:
"Guess what? I emailed
the guy I'd been avoiding all year ...and I had NO
guilt about it! I felt really good
about it - not obsessive, not pathetic, not unaccountable.
It was great!!!"
EXTRA BONUS WITH THE "VIP" (very intentional person!) VERSION ...
Grab the VIP version and enjoy a 60 minute private training with me where I will walk you through your own personalized Dissolve-o-Matic session. We'll record it too (just for you -- no one else will ever listen to it). That way you can work with it on your own as often as you like. Plus I'll send you a written summary with notes to work on from our session together. This bonus is limited to ten people .
 Frankly, I will buy anything Havi Brooks sells, ever. She could write a guide to training ferrets and I'd eat it up, and feel bad because she's not charging more. In fact, I may send her money right now just because. This will calm you and inspire you and excite you and zen you out and it will make you want to move into her guest room just to hang out with her. Seriously, you can't afford not to buy this. Naomi
Dunford
|
 This little package is the perfect antidote to those mini-meltdowns we sensitive writer-type-people like to have from time to time. Not only do I now have a full arsenal of techniques to use whenever I need them--aaah!-- but I also now understand why they work because Havi explains everything so well. Havi's warmth, quirky sense of humor, and bulletproof B.S. detector make this process nothing at all like that horrible yoga class I took that one time. I'm almost looking forward to my next freakout moment. Kelly Parkinson |
The "let's see if it can be a little bit less stressful" guarantee:
I know how miserable it is when something isn't right for you. Plus you don't need the "Aargh, what if it doesn't work?" worry. It's important to me (tree-hugger) that you feel safe and supported doing this work.
So: if you give the material your best effort, and don't think you now have way better tools/skills for dissolving procrastination, I'll buy it back from you and I'll ask you to gift the downloads on your computer to someone who could really use them. That way you get to be a connector and a giver of goodness, and someone else gets the best surprise ever.
I want this product to be in the hands of people who love it. If it's not right for you, no worries.
How much?
How much is an hour of your time worth?
Not just your hourly rate. I mean, a really good hour when you are totally in the zone and doing your best stuff. And how many hours get lost to that familiar vicious cycle of avoidance and pain? Stupid cycle.You know how it goes. Not doing the thing. Getting mad at yourself for not doing the thing. Getting mad at yourself for getting mad at yourself for not doing the thing. Ugh.
All that not to trigger your stuff (god forbid) but just to reassure you that you'll absolutely make back what you spend on this package in hardly any time at all.
Like this. I used one of my own techniques myself the other day, after catching myself avoiding making a phone call. Doing the technique took five minutes. The call, which I totally could (and would) have put off for weeks, ended up bringing my business a heck of a lot more money than this package costs.
The point is, when you know what to do and how to do it, you save yourself not only all the pain, angst, self-loathing and merciless beating-on-yourself, but also a huge amount of time and money.
| Two options. Both good. |
The Dissolve-o-Matic Kit | VIP: the Dissolve-o-Matic AND a 60 minute session with my duck. |
| $108 | $335 |
Note: These are all digital downloads. If/when I make hard copies of these, there will be a free upgrade option. You'll be the first to know and I'll make sure you can upgrade at no extra cost (shipping aside).
Again, if you don't love it, I'll buy it back.
 This will definitely help you get going so you can take action on all those little and big stuck things in your life! Havi is astoundingly tuned into what's REALLY going on in your head, and is a deeply compassionate and gifted (and fun!) teacher. One-of-a-kind gem! Also, everyone needs a Dissolve-O-Matic in their life. Alison Marks |
Questions? You can always get in touch.
P.P.S. No ducks have been harmed in any way in the creation or use of the Dissolve-o-Matic. Just saying.
Still not sure?Download a free sampler packet with a Dissolve-o-Matic lesson plus a calming-session transcript. |