You are an expert at finding excuses to justify your own inactions.
But excuses hold you back. They chain you to passivity.
Actions take you forward – one step at a time. So let’s learn how to break free from the chain of excuses and start paving the way for 2012.
Excuse #1: “I don’t have time”
This is likely the most common excuse you use to block yourself from taking action.
And you must learn to master it. Teach yourself to guard your time with your life. It’s a constant variable and a precious resource.
How do you choose to spend your 24 hours?
Start to record a week of your life.
Chances are you’ll be surprised to find what you do with your time. There are tools out there to help you track your time, such as Toggl and Tick. Although I haven’t used them myself, they may be of value to you. I prefer to track my time in a journal because it has proven most effective for me.
Do whatever works for you. Just don’t miss out on the important auditing step because it opens your eyes to all the unnecessary things that distract you from your priorities. The goal is to:
Be aware where you invest your energy and attention.
Your energy and attention have never been more valuable. Every day you are bombarded with messages and people work hard to buy your attention. You read that right. Even if a service is free, you still pay attention to it.
Is it really worth your precious energy?
Edit ruthlessly, learn to automate processes, and control your actions instead of blaming time. In this next step, you begin to manage your time which allows you to weed out all the fluffy, unimportant stuff.
As a guiding principle, you can spend more time to:
- Nourish your relationships
- Develop your skills
- Look after your body
Avoid this dangerous excuse and teach yourself to master your 24 hours more effectively.
Excuse #2: “I can’t do it”
This excuse feeds your insecurities, and gives your self-confidence a slap in the face as well. The excuse itself is an expression of hopelessness, or a sign that you choose to resist change.
Let’s put those words in perspective.
A Lesson from Our Ancestors
Imagine hearing our ancestors saying:
“I hate this spear, I will never learn how to use it. I’m hopeless. I can’t do it.”
Those who tried this excuse are not our ancestors today because they died. Those who learned the skill, however, survived and marked the beginning of our species.
Now that’s the short, uncomplicated story 
But you get the point…
Grow and learn, or fear failure and die.
This lesson is applicable in the information age as well.
Have you noticed the cool air of insecurities surrounding us every day – the new tools, the buzz? It is a full time job to keep up with the latest technology trends and gadgets.
But there’s no need to pull out your chest hair just yet.
Ask for Help, Be Patient and Use Your Resources Wisely
Instead of telling youself “I can’t do it”, seek help from others around you. Ask your party crew for support and advice, or go online to find an answer or to learn a new skill.
Be patient. A sea of information is at your disposal.
Consider yourself lucky but use the online information and services wisely. It’s worth investing time in learning how to surf these waves before they paralyse you. The last thing you want is to drown yourself in information overload. You’ll learn invaluable skills in the process, and you’ll thank yourself later.
Stop telling yourself that you can’t do something.
You end up underestimating yourself, which hinders your growth and robs your emotional bank account of your most valuable asset: yourself.
Your negative thoughts eat you up from the inside and suggest you’re willing to give up.
Are you?
Of course not, because we are here to help
The secret is, you must ask. Dare to be vulnerable. Make mistakes and learn from them.
We can’t read your mind, which is why you must break free from this excuse. Instead imagine all the things you can do with a little help, only if you look around.
3. “I don’t want to”
This is a difficult excuse to tackle because the source to your problem lies in a lack of motivation or your self-imposed fear.
You don’t want to write that report, hold that speech, or complete that tax return.
The Million Dollar Question
The first step is to ask yourself: What stops me from doing it?
Is it because the task:
a.) Bores you?
b.) Scares you?
c.) Is too difficult?
d.) Is too time-consuming?
It’s a million dollar question, so don’t waste your lifelines on answers c.) and d.)
(Hint: See Excuses #1 & #2 above)
Outsource Mundane Work
There are tasks you find so mundane that you don’t want to do them. Tax returns, anyone? There are also tasks you fear so much you don’t want to do them because they make you look stupid and feel worthless.
Luckily you can outsource most of your mundane work such as tax returns to your beloved tax agent. And you can and should outsource those tasks, so you can focus on the work that is more meaningful to you.
What About Other Tasks?
You can’t outsource all tasks, although you can try. Certain tasks you have to complete yourself. When you have a project you must complete, try this method:
- Break up your project in actionable steps.
- Work in small chunks: Use an online stopwatch to monitor your time, energy and attention.
- Reward yourself afterwards.
You can choose your own reward, of course
The Getaway
The only way to break free from excuses is to take action.
What’s your next step? What are some of your favourite excuses? How do you break free from them? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo by John Morgan
About Olle Lindholm
