In my previous post, I discuss about being aware of your self doubt and how you can use that to overcome its paralyzing effects on your productivity and success. What are some practical ways to apply this in your daily activities?

There are steps you can take to prove that you have it in you to be productive, and it really boils down to changing your habits. For example, how much time do you spend flitting around online?

Do you surf the ‘net, binge watch Netflix shows, or even get lost scrolling through your busy Facebook news feed? Chances are, you might tell yourself the lie that you have no time to build a business.

Even if you don’t flit around and your day is truly packed with your regular offline job, family activities, and more – is there anything else you could do to sneak in some work time?

One habit you can implement is to get used to working at about the same time every day. Or, if your schedule varies, then commit to spending a certain amount of time per day, such as two hours a day – or even 30 minutes initially if you’re stretched too thin.

Take baby steps. If all you can start out with is 15 minutes, or writing half a page or learning something for 10 minutes – the seize that opportunity! There’s no need to go from stalled to suddenly the most productive person on the planet in mere seconds.

Make it a point to celebrate every single success that you experience. That means smiling and giving yourself a little pat on the back when you do work every day straight during the week.

Or an “atta boy” (or girl) when you take time to learn something and then implement it – no matter how crude or newbie-ish it may be. Give yourself props for what you do accomplish.

You have to learn how to replace all of the negative self talk that stems from self doubt with positive kudos for each small step you take in being more productive with your business.

That’s the thing … no one else is going to cheer you on the same way. Just as nobody else would admonish you as you do to yourself. As an online entrepreneur, nobody will have your back or tell you what a good job you did.

Only you can do that. And if you fail to show up and at least try – you won’t be able to truthfully tell yourself you did a good job. The truth will be that you allowed fear and hesitation to ruin your productivity.

Spend More Time Working Than on Studying Self Doubt

Are you an info junkie? You might be the kind of person who appears to be all set on learning how to change – but you never actually follow through with the commitment to change.

Sometimes, people get addicted to finding out why they do the things they do. They feel something must be wrong, so they invest time and money to uncover it. And when the answers are revealed, they go search out more answers.

You might be addicted to studying time management tips, for example. This is all due to the fact that your mind continues to rule and feed you the lie that you don’t have time to work on your business

So as you keep saying it, you keep reading time management tips. That makes you feel better – because you’re working on it. But reading about something and implementing change are two very different things.

Yes, your mindset has to change, but then you have to set aside the research and learning and actually start digging in to see if those tips you read about actually work. That means no more books.

Turn off the YouTube and the Ted Talks and quit asking people how to change and just do it. Just try. See if one of those tips you read about will help. If not, try something else. But limit your time spent absorbing self help if you catch yourself never doing anything with the information.

For work at home entrepreneurs, the very best antidote to a defeated mind is to work. It helps develop a sense of pride in you and your accomplishments. It generates no guilt – unlike procrastination.

You’ll also gain invaluable insight into what works best for you – and what doesn’t – because you gain experience in your business. You can confidently say what you feel comfortable with because at least you’ve given each method a try.

Self doubt is like a poison that keeps you from getting up out of bed each day. You have to become aware of what’s going on, separate the lies from the truths and then work around it like it’s the plague.

Start by checking in with yourself each day – or even several times a day if necessary. Get strong to combat your feeble mindset and in time, you’ll be soaring to new heights and laugh at how easily controlled you were by something that wasn’t even real.

Don’t feel like you’re alone in this journey. Most marketers suffer from self doubt, even when they’re successful. They might wonder if their big JV launch will go off without a hitch.

Every time they level up, there are fears and doubts to contend with – but they end up going forward anyway, and this is why they see such huge success. The future is whatever you want to make of it – not what your tricky mind says it has to be.

Take charge of your mindset and break out of the cycle of self-imposed stagnation.