This One Book Helped Me Beat Procrastination & Overcome Mental Resistance

7 lessons learned on self-discipline from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.
⏱ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
0:56 - Common Activities That Trigger Procrastination
1:59 - Use Resistance As a Compass
3:00 - Resistance Never Goes Away
3:48 - Procrastination Is Sneaky
4:42 - Stop Fantasizing - Do The Work
6:08 - You Don’t Always Have To Be Inspired
7:25 - Follow The Rules of ‘The Pro’
📚 BOOK MENTIONED
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON: amzn.to/3lKxrHY
🔗 ADDITIONAL LINKS & RESOURCES
5 Morning Habits Of The Most Disciplined People: / 5-morning-habits-of-th...
✍️ This was initially published as an article on Medium.com by Jari Roomer: / this-one-book-helped-m...
✍️ Author: Jari Roomer | www.thepersonalgrowthlab.com/
👨‍💻 LET'S CONNECT
artofimprovement.co.uk/

[@TheArtofImprovement]

⏱ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Intro 0:56 - Common Activities That Trigger Procrastination 1:59 - Use Resistance As a Compass 3:00 - Resistance Never Goes Away 3:48 - Procrastination Is Sneaky 4:42 - Stop Fantasizing - Do The Work 6:08 - You Don’t Always Have To Be Inspired 7:25 - Follow The Rules of ‘The Pro’ artofimprovement.co.uk/

[@405OKCShiningOn]

Thank you, I love your channel. I needed the motivation for daily.

[@Dr_Analise]

This video is amazing !

[@isaacphoenix9200]

I have repeatedly said that if I want a clean house I need to start writing a book. However what you said about resistance being a compass was brilliant.

[@mace_felloutthe_windu]

I saw this video notification pop up and told myself, "I'll watch it later" 😂 I've overcame and now I'll watch the video

[@chancefiveless4962]

😎😎😎

[@kameliyaoppal]

Literally put it in my watch later list-

[@Dr_Analise]

Fantasizing is my favourite method of procrastination. I make schedules everyday but never stuck to a single one..if I did was just half way. I have bought 2 journals and I haven't even used them much ! Gosh this video called me a master procrastinator in so many ways! I need to start following my schedule for more than just one day. Being consistent at work is what will get me to my goals. This video is like my brain talking myself into getting my goals done.

[@nikitabella133]

Can relate! Someone once told me “it doesn’t matter how much you practice if you don’t show up for the game!” That always stuck with me.

[@MissieK]

You need to make your schedule appealing. Many thing that putting all at once and having 10 tasks per day (without including things like laundry or cooking that does take a lot of our time) they are productive. The only thing that has worked and got me off is having 3 things that I need to do. 3 tasks only per day. When you start your day and you are able to check off 3 tasks (usually faster than you will check 10) you gain momentum and want to keep going

[@mymentorjane6705]

Wha has consistently worked best for me is setting a timer. I set it anywhere from 30-60 mins and promise myself that I’ll stop doing the task when the time is up if I want to. Sometimes, I’m relieved the time is up and I stop. Other times, I go on because I’m into it. The other big mindset change I’ve been making is not pressuring myself to do the whole job at once. For example, here in Virginia the weather is getting cooler and I need to switch out my summer to winter clothes. I dread it and always put it off because I thought I had to complete it in one effort. (That’s the way my mom required it when I was growing up so I thought it was “The Rule.”) Now, I might just do one drawer and allow myself to stop there if I want to. I think we’re holding on to a lot of rules about ‘the way it should be done’ and that keeps us from getting started.

[@raqui174]

Omg you are absolutely right!! I also use the alarm clock rule and it really works wonders.. my room was a mess today and I told myself to pick up just 5 things and put them away and I ended up doing more.. your comment is refreshing because it reminds me to be gentle on myself

[@mymentorjane6705]

@@raqui174 yes, I love that thought of being gentle! Take care.

[@kathleenl.7125]

This may be the most perceptive and helpful video on this topic I've ever seen. The more people understand the link between procrastination and resistance the better chance they'll have at breaking through.

[@swaguilar_]

"It sucks, doesn't it?" YES. It most definitely sucks. 🤣

[@lizziebkennedy7505]

This idea of the compass is brilliant. It makes sense of that big time management notion of the 80s, Eat That Frog. A frog being the thing you most resist, which the compass shows you. ETF says do the highest resistance activity first, or start and establish it, each day. Then the next most resisted, and so on. But only with this compass is that doable for me. One of the many great benefits is that when you act on resistance activities, you become so aware of the feeling stares and thought patterns that underpin it. Resistance shifts about and you can see it for what it is. It’s a revelation. Thanks SO much.

[@maryamfathollahi4315]

Thank you so much for the thought and effort behind your videos

[@sabineklein]

I feel a lot of resistance towards cleaning 😂

[@dishaasingh5444]

This was such a much needed video for me!

[@HO-bndk]

Looks like a good book. Maybe I'll read it later.

[@gerardvila4685]

I'll definitely start doing this stuff tomorrow.

[@jichaelmorgan3796]

Amazing job!!!

[@amardeepsaurabh4413]

Will never thank you enough!! ❤️

[@30andBoard]

Solid video as always!👍

[@Stef4o82]

Absolutely fantastic description of the procrastination! Love it! And I'm going to read that book without procrastination! It is pure wisdom and true, thank you very much for this valuable video "Art of improvement"!

[@shellemeow]

Love this

[@riveralatoia9198]

THANK YOU!!!

[@yasserhisham8778]

Thank you for the content you provide, it's always a pleasure to see a new video uploaded by you 😊

[@Vertasoie]

Wow what you say about fantasizing is so interesting. Thank you !!

[@fix_it_good]

Stay focused folks!

[@ELEISONCARABALLO]

Great book👏

[@JoeSmith-oy3hk]

I'll get around to watching this tomorrow.

[@khairulamri4196]

Hey buddy,, thank you very much for the video,, it gave me realization and courage to face my mental resistance,, now I am reading the book you mentioned in the video to learn more about this topic (and yes, to learn how to overcome procrastination is something that I had procrastinated for a long time 😆) I play this video consistently so I won't forget this idea when my mental resistance shows up

[@Saber23]

I love this channel so much 😊

[@TheArtofImprovement]

🙏

[@PhresherAir]

This sounds like it'll be a good video, so I saved it to my Watch Later list.

[@DARobin-iv4tp]

Well played 🤣

[@animalia9.]

Really really like these vids. Could you make one on how we should not care about others

[@geethapriya4215]

If u give it as a pdf means ill stick at my workspace.. It really sounds working!!!😊

[@lukajukic1]

Very good video

[@blueballedtech]

Thanks for posting and delivering some of the poignant parts of the book. I want to get the book.

[@letsdomath1750]

Hmm, I know that this video is well-meaning to get people to reach their dreams, but from personal experience, forcing myself to do things did not make me happy. Achieving things by setting rigid deadlines did not fulfill me. It made me become more attached to my work as it stressed me out beyond measure, and it only made me miserable. I could not care less how others were doing because I had become hypercritical and that led me to procrastinate all the time. Completing anything was nothing more than checking off an item on a to-do list. The resulting relief was ephemeral at best. On the other hand, meditating and visualizing revealed to me that happiness can be achieved now, in the present moment. What happens in terms of doing actual physical work and performing actions in the current reality would be less frustrating and strenuous if we didn't have all of this pent-up resentment that we can only feel better at some arbitrary point in the future. We can feel joy, peace, and well-being now, regardless of circumstances, and then, once our reserves are fully repleted, meet resistance with awareness, fully acknowledge it, and with intention, allow it to show us the way to what we need to do next for our advancement in this life so that it can, then and only then, dissolve on its own.

[@rodi2641]

That is really eye opening ...that is actually really good insight ..i just realised that is why we were happy in childhood...what are you doing in life ..how do you meditate

[@letsdomath1750]

@@rodi2641 Since I wrote that, I got further along in my meditation coaching training as I prepare for a career shift, lol. I have a lot of practice with yoga nidra and other techniques like Vishoka meditation, Kirtan Kriya, different pranayamas, etc., but now I am focusing on using grounding imagery, healing visualizations, and heart breath meditations to facilitate Self-Enquiry.

[@sazgates1195]

Excellent!

[@duderandom7023]

Hi, can you make a video to overcome failure and regret Please 🙏

[@ayushedits8535]

I should be studying

[@hanoniemanoniem3129]

Me 2 bro

[@iamblade7862]

I procastinated on watching this video for so long😆

[@NajiaAlUmri]

The pro shows up The pro is patient The pro acts in the face of fear The pro doesn't take failure and criticism personally

[@ayanbhattacharjee1076]

Be like Pro

[@harrietcraig7817]

Common activities that trigger procrastination? Wouldn’t it have been easier to make a list of what DOESN’T trigger procrastination?

[@lizziebkennedy7505]

LOL😂

[@TheIllerX]

I have heard this book being recommended so many times now. So maybe there is something to it :) Will look it up.

[@lizziebkennedy7505]

Incredible book, but this vid is a much more practical application.

[@DOC7ORT]

I got diagnosed by YT algorithm...

[@OlgaKuznetsova]

Fantasizing is my biggest problem too! It gives me just enough of a good feeling to keep me from actually doing. Also, I really appreciate the fact that you use people from all demographics in your videos

[@sesrasa]

So how can you access my search history? and make a video about it so quickly?

[@dannydm7021]

*Saves this video to the "Watch later" playlist*

[@citizenavatar]

what you do defines who you are..

[@ruairiobradaigh9810]

I was going to watch this but I put it off for a while,

[@grace-fe7fw]

I am procastinating most of the time... but if I am inspired to do something .. I litterally finished all the tasks

[@petitscarabee7662]

Thanks

[@tmmnago2722]

*save video to watch later*

[@eagleone5456]

Is this the fifth video on procrastination?

[@cangrejoxidao]

what have you done? now I don't have any more excuses

[@mariarooney6262]

Excellent. I gave up my destiny because of this. Believe it or not, all of this is in the Bible. I didn’t do what it said to do. I read and believed, but didn’t act. Blinded by lies. Thank you.

[@nadamubarak845]

I'm procrastinating by watching this video P.s I love the drawing of the girl wearing hijab❤

[@samn001]

I procrastinated on watching this video lol

[@moosa173]

Watching this video is a procrastination too 🥴🙄🤠

[@pouhhrtsaq]

I have video game mental resistance and I'm trying to solve it for 6 years..... right

[@mariarooney6262]

Maybe another word for procrastination is slothfulness or lazy. Maybe if we used those words we wouldn’t want to be known for that. Procrastination sounds more acceptable, I know people who make a joke out of saying “tomorrow “. If I would ever say they were lazy, I know they would become very angry. They are not lazy physically, but mentally, where it all starts for all of us. Thanks again.

[@lizziebkennedy7505]

No, that’s exactly the opposite. All the research on procrastination shows it is anxiety about our long term goals and aspirations. We’re not talking about people who just sloth on the couch their whole lives. Plenty of highly productive people suffer from anxiety about their dreams. I can cook dinner parties for ten, scrub the house from attic to cellar, mark 50 papers in a day, but I resist so strongly getting to my core writing. Reducing the complexity of procrastination to mere laziness suggests discomfort with the concept. The whole conversation pushes a lot of buttons.

[@WhiteTUnknown]

Stopping procrastinating is very easy. I’ve done it 8 times already.

[@criandovencedoresofficial]

Algum brasileiro procrastinando por aqui? 😂

[@seeko4558]

The resistance as compass thing is so dumb… as a normal person I feel way greater resistance to murdering someone I’m mad at than not. Does that mean murdering them is highly important to me and I should do it? Lol.

[@seeko4558]

@Lee-Anne Stevenson ummm i literally said the exact opposite? I said I dont feel like murdering. Resistance in ART OF WAR means the thing you DONT feel like doing. My point is the thing you don’t feel like doing isn’t always the thing that’s ‘highly important’. It’s just a lazy heuristic.

[@seeko4558]

@Lee-Anne Stevenson yes that is a much better heuristic than the one presented. I will say though it's hard to know 'what we want vs. what is actually good for us in the long run. Humans are notoriously bad at emotionally predicting the future. Have you read War Of Art by Stephen Pressfield ? I've read it a few times and like it overall, but that point has always bothered me.

[@lizziebkennedy7505]

You’ve totally misunderstood the concept. Yale has done a lot of research on this very subject, worth reading. It’s not in any way about moral or social inhibitors. We only lash out when our buttons are pushed.

[@lizziebkennedy7505]

@@seeko4558 In. Relation. To. Art. You can tell because it says “art” in the title.

[@lizziebkennedy7505]

@@seeko4558Check the words you use, so you don’t inadvertently reveal yourself by misuse of them.

[@Talkinglife]

Procastination is bad

[@lizziebkennedy7505]

What is it?

[@dianasanchez117]

Some people are not procrastinators, they just have ADHD.

[@lizziebkennedy7505]

Procrastination has been discussed by the ancients. ADHD not so much.