A Magic Formula to Find the Right Time

This post is about how to deal with a condition I would call Closet Procrastination, in which you tend to put off important actions with innovative justifications without being consciously aware of the habit. I know from painful experience that I have been a victim of this condition at many times, and I will share a formula to deal with it that I tried and found very helpful for myself.
 
How do I know what is the right time to take an action that is very important to me? The answer is not easy. Very often, I find a very important task remains pending for too long. I may start with quick action and run into some hurdle; or I get distracted with different priorities; or I get affected by mood swings; or interrupts like phone, email, etc prevent me from finishing the task.

Over time, I conditioned myself into believing that there is a right time for carrying out any action, and I am most likely to succeed if I time everything right. In my efforts to find the right time, I sometimes resorted to methods like finding the auspicious muhurt, consulting astrologers, check with spiritual gurus, going by my star forecast, use my gut feeling, etc. but it did not always work out.

As examples, I have often seen myself and my friends grappling with situations similar to the following:

• I am planning to start a new business, but it must be started at the right time for it to be successful, so I am keeping it on hold for now till such time.
• I have to buy a house, what is the right time for it so that the house turns out lucky for us?
• I will surely study harder, but next year will be the right time for it.
• I want to start exercising regularly to get the health benefit, but not now. I will take it up when the time is right.
• Can someone tell me what is the right time to make an investment in stock market / gold / properties to get the maximum benefit?
• I know that I have to spend more time with my family. I will take a resolution this year to start it from next year. 
• I desperately want to do something to fix a relationship that went sour last year. Just waiting for the right time.
• I want to do this good deed to help someone, but looks like this is not the right time for it.
• I love to spend time on hobbies like Music / Painting / Sports, but I have to find the right time for it.
• I am convinced that I should quit smoking, but I need more time to implement it.
• Time is just slipping away and I have not been able to do retirement planning and start a habit of saving regularly. Don't know when the right time comes for this.

Sounds familiar?  The above example are all from very vital areas of our life, still these vital actions continue to be on hold, and we get this nagging feeling of being burdened with so many unfinished actions.. all waiting for the right time.. and in many cases, this right time never comes. As a result, some of these neglected tasks resurface as critically urgent forcing us to take immediate action. For example, if we ignore taking care of our health for too long, a medical emergency may force us to take a break and attend to our ailment.

I propose here a formula to find the right time, which is so simple that it sounds like a magic formula. But just because it is simple to understand, it may not be easy to implement. It may still require you to put the necessary focus and effort to take the action to its conclusion.

Here is the two step formula:

STEP 1:

Ask yourself, do I have all the necessary inputs for this action? If yes, proceeds to STEP 2; else this is a "blocked" action. Your immediate task is to list what you need to do to get the missing inputs, and repeat STEP 1 on each of these new actions.

STEP 2: 
You have all the inputs required for this action, so this is an "unblocked" action now, ready to be executed. The right time to complete that action is TODAY and NOW.

Do you see the simplicity and power of this formula? If you give it a try right now, you will uncover many actions that are "unblocked", ready to be executed right now, and you can prioritize these actions based on their importance and go about executing them one at a time. This should minimize confusion in your mind about what to do and when.

You may ask, "Wait! Why TODAY and NOW is the right time for any "unblocked" action?" The answer is very simple. TODAY and NOW is the only time available to you for doing anything. You can not go in the past and do something yesterday, and you can not go in the future and do something next month.

Do it right now and get it over with.

If you follow this approach consciously for a few days, you will find the burden of unfinished tasks will gradually vanish, leaving you a in a much more happier state of mind.This formula really did magic for me. Why not give it a try, and share your experience with your comments?

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Trivia - I was thinking for long about writing this blog post, waiting for the right time; and then it occurred to me that this is a case of "closet procrastination". So, I forced myself to finish it TODAY and NOW :)

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About B+

How do you see people who are habitually positive thinkers? Do you think they are a part of some weird species with foolish dreams in their mind, ignoring the hard realities of life completely? Or does it sound like interesting stuff to you theoretically, but seems very complicated in practice. Or you may agree that positive thinking is good in practical life, but may have many questions about it, like:

• How do I find out if I am a positive thinker?
• If positive thinking is good for us, we would be naturally wired to be positive. Why all this effort?
• Are you telling me that nothing bad happens to those who think positive? Is it not a like a stock market bubble that is going to burst some day?
• Okay, I am convinced. How do I become a positive thinker?
• I have started being positive. But I still keep getting negative thoughts once in a while. How do I stop these?
• How far can my positive attitude alone can carry me? What lifeline do I have when faced with a extremely challenging situation in life on which I have little control? 

In this post, I will try to answer these questions. I will keep it short as I am writing it on a Friday evening. Initially thinking like a geek, I wanted to use the title "A FAQ on Being Positive", but I chose to reuse a popular phrase to catch your attention :)

How do I find out if I am a positive thinker?
Chances are that you may not know if you are a positive thinker or negative thinker. To find it out, observe yourself for a few days. Do not control your thoughts. Think and behave as you would do normally, but stay in touch with yourself and observe your behavior closely. Make a list of positive and negative phrases for yourself. You can start with the following list and extend it:

Positive              Negative
Yes                      No
Will try               Impossible
Good                   Bad
Hopeful               Hopeless
Luckily                Bad luck as usual                
Like                     Hate             
I look forward     No point
Exciting               Boring

Now pay attention to the language you use in every day life and count the occurrence of the above phrases. If you tend to use words on the left list more often, you are a positive thinker, else you may be a negative thinker.

If positive thinking is good for us, we would be naturally wired to be positive. Why all this effort?
Unfortunately, we are not naturally wired to be a positive thinker. If we allow ourselves to drift freely, we are more likely to end up being a negative thinker. Positive thinking is a skill that you need to learn, just like you learn to speak a language. You work on it gradually and with regular effort and practice, it gets easier over time. It may feel uneasy initially, but you will find that if you do not give up, it become a natural habit with time. 


Are you telling me that nothing bad happens to those who think positive? Is it not like a stock market bubble that will burst some day and leave me disillusioned? 
Be assured that it is not a bubble that will burst, but a life skill that will change you forever. Having said that, do not think that nothing bad happens to a positive thinker. Bad news and bad times are scattered all around us and are as much a reality of life as happiness. The key difference is that as a positive thinker, you learn to look at it as a glass that is half full, not half empty. Armed with your positive approach, you also handle the adversity differently, in a much better way. One more factor is that you avoid the secondary trouble you may get into by worrying too much about your problems.



Okay, I am convinced. How do I become a positive thinker?
Its a very interesting journey. A good place to start is by reading inspirational books and articles (like this blog). Talk to positive people around you to exchange notes. Apply these ideas that you learn in your day-to-day life. In the beginning, catch yourself after you have said something negative and correct it immediately. Later on catch your negative thoughts and learn to switch them.   


I have started being positive. But I still keep getting negative thoughts once in a while. How do I stop these?
You do not need to aim for perfection. It is fine to have occasional negative thoughts. It is just like chillies in your food. A little amount of chilly does not harm, and can even spice up the food, but can you eat a meal full of chillies?

How far can my positive attitude alone can carry me? How do I face extremely challenging situation in life on which I have little control?  
Faced with tough situation, you may need to resort to lifelines. You have two lifelines in this game - Phone a Friend, and Ask Him. You can seek guidance from a like-minded friend or family member when faced with a huge challenge. Many times, talking about a problem leads to the solution popping out like a bread from a toaster. The ultimate lifeline available to you is Ask Him. Take your problems to the Almighty, and use your faith in Him to sustain your confidence. Above all, be assured that He will do what is in your best interest. 

Do you have more questions that are not covered in this post? Do let me know through comments.