Stop Negotiating With Yourself: The 3, 2, 1 Rule You Should Be Living By

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When is the last time you said or thought something along the lines of: "I'll start waking up early tomorrow", "we'll get together once life slows down", or "I'll clean the house next week"? If you're anything like me, it was probably today that you last said or thought one of these excuses. It's an affliction that affects a majority of the population; putting off goals and tasks for that elusive "someday". I've personally done this with a wide variety of things: vacuuming my bedroom, taking that international trip I've dreamt about for years, visiting loved ones, starting a new workout routine, and even writing this blog post!

As humans, we love to procrastinate and make excuses - even with the things we care about. Making grand plans and setting goals is all fine and dandy, when they lie in the distant future that is far from your current comfortable existence. Then, when the moment comes to act, we freeze up. No one wants to get out of their warm cozy bed at 5am to go run outside. Many of us get suddenly plagued by a bout of antisocial feelings once those plans we made three months ago actually roll around. Cleaning the toilet is wayyy less appealing when you could be sipping a cold drink on the back deck. You get the idea.

So how do we solve this issue of excuses and procrastination? How do we convince ourselves to stick to the goals we set and act when the time comes to do so? This is where the 3, 2, 1 rule comes in. When the time comes to move into action and you feel the paralyzing excuses creeping into your mind, I want you to count down from three. By the time you reach "one", no matter what you are thinking or feeling, stand up and act. This could look like jumping out of bed and grabbing your workout clothes when that early alarm goes off. It could be clicking the "buy now" button on that international flight you've been saving up for. Or maybe it's walking out the door to meet the friends you haven't seen in months.

The point is, that by acting decisively when you finish that countdown, you are shutting down the excuses. You are consciously deciding that your goals and ambitions are more important than your excuses. You are affirming that getting uncomfortable to honor the commitments you've made to yourself and others is worth more than the temporary comfort gained by doing nothing.

So, this week, my challenge to you is to incorporate the 3, 2, 1 rule into your daily life. Whenever you find yourself making excuses on why not to do something, count down from three and then act when you get to one. Don't waste time negotiating with yourself on how that thing could be done later or how it's really not that important. Get it done and know that you succeeded in overcoming your excuses. And sure, enjoy that cold beverage on the back deck once you're all done.

Let us know how the 3, 2, 1 could be used in your life. How did it go when you gave it a try?

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