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Push Off Flaws, Be Less Productive: How To Stop Making Excuses
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Excuse-making
It's a defense mechanism you use in the battle between your positive self-identity and the common challenges of everyday life.
This habit comes down to an inherent need to protect your ego.
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The self-serving bias
It encourages you to claim your successes and to deflect your failures.
When something good happens, you take the credit, but when something bad happens, you blame it on something out of your control.
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Common types of excuses
- Lies: This is one of the worst types of excuses—a straight-up lie.
- Self-handicapping excuses: Such as “I don’t have the skills to do that”, or “That’s not my job.”
- Blame-shifting excuses: Instead of putting the blame on your lack of abilities, you accuse external factors for your missteps or lack of performance.
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Hold yourself accountable
- Figure out exactly why you are making them.
- Build better brain habits. Excuse-making is a subconscious process, and breaking a habit requires conscious effort.
- Set realistic expectations so you can structure your time and energy to complete tasks without feeling the need to make excuses.
- Track your progress.
- Don’t be afraid to fail.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
Defining excuses
Excuses are rationalizations we make to ourselves about people, events, and circumstances.
They are invented reasons we create to defend our behavior, to postpone taking action or simpl...
The Fear Trap
We make excuses for the following key reasons:
- Fear of Failure
- Fear of Embarrassment
- Fear of Success
- Fear of Change
- Fear of Uncertainty
- Fear of Responsibility
- Fear of Making Mistakes
- Perceived lack of confidence or resources
'There’s just not enough time'
It suggests the wrong priorities or time management problems. It could also indicate laziness or procrastination.
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Excuses
People use excuses to rationalize their actions regarding their circumstances, their actions toward other people, and regarding certain events. It is also one of the primary reasons why people are ...
Stop comparing
When you are comparing yourself to others, you are probably only seeing part of the whole picture.
If you are making an excuse not to try something new, because you are comparing yourself to others who are experts in the field, remember that they were also inexperienced at some stage.
Stop fearing the unknown
The unknown can be scary, but it may not be a negative thing. Many good things can come from taking a step into the unknown.
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Ask "Is This True?"
An excuse is often masking the real, but hidden reason you're avoiding doing something.
If you catch yourself making an excuse, ask yourself if it is true, to discover what lies behind the ex...
Reflect On Your Excuses
At the end of each day, take a few minutes to look back on the excuses made that day, and try to figure out why you made them.
Look for better ways to approach them.
Find People To Call You Out
Surround yourself with people who will hold you responsible for your excuses.
Find someone who will check in on you each day to ensure you met your goals.