Leslie Josel - An Expert Guide to Getting Stuff Done

If youre reading this book, Im thinking its because someone else might have suggested it to you. Why do I think that? Because every day, five times a day, as an academic/life coach for teens, Im speaking to parents about their concerns regarding your procrastination. And these discussions are fraught with emotion, anxiety and confusion. So if Im having these conversations with your parents, Im assuming you are too.

My goal in writing this book is to help you understand why you procrastinate, and provide support, guidance and real advice so you can develop and implement strategies to manage it.

And in doing so, Ive included A LOT of information. So before you dive in, I want to remind you of a few things: The book is meant as a guide, one to pick up again and again, whether to learn a new set of skills or just as a refresher. Some of the strategies will hit home immediately, and others you will dismiss outright. Some of the methods are meant for high schoolers, others for college students. To get the most out of this book, go through it at your own pace, on your own time and in your own way.

Just to be clear, the book isnt preachy or bossy or filled with endless statistics and research that you wont read or care much about. I offer no judgment or absolutes. No one-size-fits-all solutions. Just straight-up, user-friendly tips.

So now that Ive given you some pointers for how to get the most out of this book, heres what I DONT want you to do:

1. DONT stress out. Since Ive written a book with tons of strategies and suggestions, some of you will feel as if you have to do all of them... at the same time. That could not be further from the truth. The goal here is NOT to have you do everything at once, think you are not doing enough or, worse, doing everything wrong.
2. DONT try to absorb everything at once and immediately implement every single strategy discussed here. After reading through the book (or going back to peruse the table of contents), start with one area or aspect of your life that youd most like to work on and focus on implementing the tools in that chapter. Remember, the goal is to try a little at a time and keep it manageable.
3. DONT think these solutions are intended as a quick fix. This process takes effort and patience. If you see that a tool is working, great! And if its not, no worries. Move on. If all you do is develop one specific strategy that helps you manage your procrastination, you should consider that a victory since that one, newly developed skill could make all the difference in the world and will most likely facilitate the learning of another.
4. DONT think you need to be on a schedule. When it comes to developing skills to manage your procrastination tendencies, there is no clock or calendar. I cant tell you how long it will be until you see progress. For some, a particular strategy may bring fast results. For others, it may take months before you will effectively use one of these techniques. There are simply too many variables at play. But as Ive seen in my work, you tend to have an innate sense of whether something will work and how long it will take for you to grab on.

Dont get discouraged. Trust yourself. Keep working at it and try different approaches until you find what does work. Go slow. Keep throwing things against the wall and see what sticks. Developing the skills necessary to manage procrastination is truly a work in progress. Lets get started.

Visit howtodoitnowbook.com to download the forms and charts youll find in this book, as well as other useful tools.

Any opportunity to do something is also an opportunity not to do it.

Eli Josel

Lets get something out of the way right away. Everyone procrastinates. All the kids are doing it! So take some comfort in the fact that youre not alone.

One 2014 study found that a whopping 80 to 95 percent of college students procrastinated on a regular basis, particularly when completing assignments and coursework. And their high school counterparts? Not that far behind. Researchand there is a lotshows that all this procrastinating makes you feel stressed and anxious and negatively impacts your grades.

So with all that said, why the heck do you do it? Why is it so difficult to activate or stay motivated when the consequences youre suffering are so negative?

As an academic/life coach for teens and college students for the past fifteen years, not a day goes by where I am not coaching, emailing or working with a student on overcoming their procrastination.

Here are a few insights Ive gained along the way:

For some of you, the act of getting started is just too difficult and overwhelming. What you want to accomplish feels too big or vague.

For others, its the lack of structure or immediacy. Without a schedule or deadline, you just cant muster enough energy to start... or finish.