You,Suffer,From,Untilitis,amp, DIY Do You Suffer From Untilitis?

When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in

That little voice in your head that keeps saying "Don'tget started until ..."There is a closely related syndrome called unlessitis.Of course, until and unless never actually happen, soyou never get started at all.When I was first thinking about setting up the BizE-zine web site I suffered from these complaints thewhole time.'I'd better not start until I learn HTML''It would be better if I wait until I've bought PaintShop Pro.''I can't design a web site unless I've researched thefield thoroughly.''I won't get started until I've read a few books aboute-commerce.'And on and on.But you know what? None of these objections reallymattered. They were really just my subconscious demon'sway of stopping me from putting my head above thetrenches.We all have that little demon living inside our brain.It evolved with us as a survival instinct - so we thinktwice before doing something dangerous. And in thatrespect it is very useful. But when it gets the upperhand and prevents us from doing anything at all - thatis the time to take action.How do we quieten that annoying little voice?It is all a matter of behavioral training. Like with adog. Be firm, and provide the right rewards and prettysoon it will be helping you rather than hindering.Here are some tips that really work:1. You have to become aware of the demon before you canlearn to tame it. As you go through your day, observethe times that you put something off - no matter howsmall. In time, you will recognize the signs. At thisstage, don't try to change your behavior, just becomeaware of it.2. Start to consciously use the demon for positivepurposes. So, when you are about to start, or are inthe middle of something, and the voice keeps tellingyou to do something else, pause for a second and say tothe demon 'I will stop, but only when I have finished,and then I will give myself a reward.' Promise yourselfsome small token of your own appreciation - a cup ofcoffee, a candy bar, a phone call with your best friend- anything that will make you feel good. But onlyreward yourself for completing the task.3. Once you get into the habit of making the demonwait, you can move on to the next stage: making itworry less. You procrastinate because the demon fearsfailure. All the 'unlesses and untils' are put up toprevent you from failing by not even starting. When youbecome aware that you are putting off something, stopand get a sheet of paper. Write down a full descriptionof the action you want to take. Then, under it, writedown all the bad things that can happen if you takethat action. Then, under each bad thing, let yourlogical mind answer them.For example, when I was dithering over whether tolaunch BizE-zine, I wrote down the following header:'I want to launch an email newsletter dealing withpractical matters pertaining to business, internetmarket and personal development. It will be publishedweekly to opted-in subscribers.'Under it, here are some of the 'demon-thoughts' Ilisted - and my conscious rebuttals:1. I will have to build a web site. And why is that a problem? I have worked in marketing, both online and off, written more copy and designed more ads than I care to remember. No, it wont be a problem - it will be fun.2. I don't have any subscribers. Do you think any of the thousands of e-zines out there started out with huge subscriber lists? Of course not! So you'll start small - doesn't mean you have to stay small. After all, you do understand marketing, don't you.3. People might think I'm crazy? I am, so they won't be surprised, will they.4. Or I might look like a fool. What is worse - to look a fool to other people for trying to do something, or to look a fool to yourself for not. In any case, if people don't like what I write they can always unsubscribe.5. Will it cost me a lot of money? The Internet is still the closest thing to a free lunch. Sure I might have to spend a little, but only as much as I want, when I want. It certainly isn't going to be a significant drain on resources. Besides, I can afford it.6. Will it take up too much time? This is the unknowable. So how about this. I will schedule in a set number of hours each week that I know I can devote to it. Then I can review it as time goes on.You can see from my own small example, that it is onlyby understanding all the obstacles that your demon isdreaming up that you can get past them. Of course, someof the obstacles may be real. Your demon may be trulytrying to protect you from something that you hadn'tconsciously seen. This method will help you find thatreal problem and perhaps even deal with it.The voice inside our minds is not so much an evilmonster trying to stop us from acting at all, rather itis a benign old watchdog who is scared of its ownshadow.Even an old dog can learn new tricks.