Empower Network

Here’s a short guide to stop making excuses and start being more productive.

Coming up with excuses on why you can’t do something can and will have a very negative impact in your life. I say this because that’s the way I used to be. I would come up with an excuse for everything and as a result, I got very good at it. Might that be a good thing?

Below is a short conversation I had with my attorney before court. The case was 4 years old and I was working towards getting my license back.

Notice how I couldn’t stop making excuses.

Attorney: Wow! This is a really old case.

Me: Yeah, it is.

Attorney: Why didn’t you show up to your last court?

Me: I couldn’t make it. I was in Seattle.

Attorney: Have you got your license yet?

Me: I can’t get it until I pay my collection fees.

Attorney: Why haven’t you paid it?

Me: I’ve been going to school and I don’t have a job.

Attorney: There’s no place you know where you might be able to get a job?

Me: Yeah, but I need my license to drive over and back.

Attorney: Boy, you have an excuse for everything!

As you see above, I had an excuse for everything he asked about. The truth was, I just didn’t care about getting that taken care of –but I wasn’t going to tell him that.

This got me thinking about myself. This was true. I did have an excuse for everything, and the excuses seem to just pop up in an instant. I realized I needed to make a change if I wanted to get things done. This is when I decided to stop making excuses.

Stop Making Excuses and Start Being Productive

Here are a few tips, based on my experience, which can help you stop making excuses. I still catch myself slacking sometimes; I’m not going to lie about it. But the difference I have made over time is huge.

1. Reasons or Excuses?

Think about the excuses you’re coming up with. Are they legitimate reasons to not get things done, or bullshit excuses to avoid the things you need to do? It is very easy to come up with excuses on why you can’t do something. I could come up with 20 reasons, right off the bat, on why I wouldn’t be able to write this very post you’re reading.

Instead, think of the outcome or rewards you’re going to get when you get things done. In this case, it’s me getting paid (learn more). It’s a lot easier when you focus on the outcome you want with a positive mindset, than to start thinking negative and coming up with reasons of why you can’t do something. Stop making excuses and get started with a positive mindset.

2. What do You Want to Accomplish?

A lot of times it’s easy to stay focused on your goals. We got so many distractions throughout the day that makes it difficult to keep our eyes on what’s important. Set your priorities and take note of your goals and do something every day to get closer to them. This will help you out a lot to stop making excuses.

The next time you need to get something done, you’ll know exactly where it lands on your priorities list. You’ll see how important it will be if you get this done. This will help you start to make more rational decisions, depending on what your priorities.

3. Self-Discipline

This kinda ties into #2; when you have goals set, discipline yourself to work towards it. Turn off the T.V., turn of the Xbox, turn off your phone, turn off whatever it is you have going on that’s going to distract you from getting things done. I find myself doing this a lot lately. Many times it’s so much easier putting things off and sit on the couch to watch a movie.

Know that you’re going to have to make sacrifices to get anything you want –I don’t care how small or how big. It’s going to come down to giving up something for whatever it is you want; it’s almost always time or money. Just stop making excuses and get stuff done.

4. Self-Confidence

A lot of times we tend to hold back on something we want to do for lack of experience or self-confidence. We say stuff like “if only I knew how to…” or, “If only I had…” Know that every single successful person started with no experience and many times, started with less than what most people have today.

Don’t wait until everything is perfect; the time will never be perfect. You need to learn how to stop making excuses out of every little doubt you might have. Be confident in yourself and know that it may not happen today, it may not happen tomorrow, but soon enough you’ll reach a point in your life that you’ve always dreamed about.

5. Stop Making Excuses and Take Action

It all comes down to taking action. Like I mentioned earlier, the timing will never be perfect. The most important advice is probably this: “just do it”. Nike has probably the best slogan out there. Whatever it is you want to accomplish just go out there and get started. Use what you currently have and scale up later.

The bottom line is this: Get started and keep practicing. The more you do it, the more you’ll think about it and the more you’ll get done. Do a little bit every day and you’ll be surprised how fast you’ll progress through life.

You can even share your progress with others and get paid while you do it. –Learn More.

Stop Making Excuses and Just Do it! Copyright 2012