Procrastination… most of us struggle with it. We KNOW what we SHOULD be doing, but want to do what we WANT to do rather than what we OUGHT to do! Is this reflective of your struggles in life too, or am I the only one who struggles with this?!
"I’ll do that later… right now I want to do…" "I’m just not in the mood… maybe tomorrow…" "I’ll just do this and then I’ll get to…." For me, procrastination usually happens when it’s something someone else is requiring of me, especially if I have something I’d much rather be doing at the moment. I used to struggle horrifically with procrastination, but have gotten much, much better in the last 7 or 8 years. How? Necessity! I just couldn’t be a licensed artist and not get things done on time as promised!
Working in the licensing industry, the first thing I had to tame was my natural artist’s inclination to put off until next week things that I should be doing today! I really began to hate the feeling of pressure and stress that I had once "used" to get myself motivated. I liked how much work I accomplished under the gun, so I artificially created that adrenaline rush by delaying until the last possible moment to get started. What I didn’t realize is the toll it was taking on my body, soul and spirit. Yes, I would get a great deal of work done, but then I would collapse for days afterwards and my moods would plunge along with my energy level. I realized that either my career had to change or I was going to have to change the way I approached my career.
How did I learn to counteract my natural tendency? Here’ a few of my tips (and tricks) that I use to control my impulses and get more work done with less stress.
- If I’m procrastinating about a certain task, I stop to ask myself a few questions. "Why am I reluctant to do this task? Why am I emotionally balking at getting started? Is there something that I’m fearing or disliking about it?" Once I tune into my emotions, I can often figure out and then overcome my emotional reluctance which frequently frees me up on a creative level to begin the task.
- I find that for me, procrastination is often a symptom of being overwhelmed. When a task feels too large and overwhelming I don’t know where to begin and how best to tackle it. If I take time to stop and think a project/task through on paper, it helps me to break it down into "doable" segments. When I have a large task broken up into smaller segments, I can accomplish one segment at a time and the large task will eventually get done in the process. It’s the old adage, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!"
- In my life, procrastination can be also be a symptom of perfectionism. If I’m afraid I can’t do the task perfectly, I don’t want to start "failing." When I get bogged down in perfectionism, I stifle my creativity and lose the joy that comes from the process. Creativity is a meandering path, not a straight walk. By starting my task sooner rather than at the last minute, I allow myself time for exploration and happy accidents or mistakes along the way. These unexpected difficulties often produce the best creativity in the long run. Too often when I would wait until the last moment I ran out of time and had to settle for less than I could have achieved had I allowed more time for the process. I’ve learned that perfection isn’t usually achievable, so I aim for excellence.
- Forget about the finish line… just get started. Inertia is usually my biggest stumbling block. I just can’t seem to pick up my feet and go into my studio, or turn off HGTV and get to work cleaning the house! I’ve learned to "trick" myself using a timer when I get bogged down I’m not able to get working on a task. I tell the little girl inside my grown up body, "I’m going to set a timer and your’e only going to have to work fifteen minutes on this project. When the timer goes off you can stop." My little girl is fooled by this tactic and gets started more easily. However, the grown woman inside of me loves momentum, so once she gets rolling she doesn’t want to stop until it’s finished. Learning how YOU tick, can help you to find little tricks that will work for your life as I’ve found this one that works for me.
- Record your accomplishments on your daytimer, not just your unending list of tasks! When I’m particularly struggling with procrastination, I will put my list aside and start writing down a list of what I accomplish. For some reason it’s a little more exciting for me to see what I’ve gotten done rather than what I still have left to do!
- Reward yourself along the way. Don’t make all of your hard tasks come first before you get to do something you want to do, mix them up. Make your favorite project a reward for getting 2 or 3 other tasks done. Mix easy and hard tasks, just be careful you don’t put your hard tasks always at the bottom of the list!
- Finally, stop to pat yourself on the back. I find that I tend to discount what I’ve already accomplished and don’t even stop for a moment to think, "You did a good job on that AJ" Inside my head I hear a critical taskmaster who is absolutely unsatisfyable. She always want more, demands more and is never satisfied with my efforts. I’ve had to learn to silence her voice and tell myself the truth about what I’ve gotten done. It isn’t "bragging" to stop and admire what you’ve finished, it’s a necessary part of emotional health.
If you have any tricks, tips or helpful ideas on overcoming procrastination (or have a question about it) please post to the comments. If there’s interest I’ll post some more on the subject at a later date.
THE PROVERB OF THE DAY: Proverbs 19:6,8 Lots of people flock around a generous person, everyone’s a friend to the philanthropist. Grow a wise heart — you’ll do yourself a favor, keep a clear head — you’ll find a good life." The Message Bible
Audrey Jeanne Roberts
I’m procrastinating now. LOL
My biggest problem with cleaning/organizing is that the more I do sometimes the less it looks like I have done so I just quit.
I agree with Cheryl.
I found a great website to help with household chores: http://www.flylady.net
I printed My Control Journal & I am ready to start (any day now). If I could just get past the procrastination part. LOL
There is a special area for kids too!
I needed this. I’m going to print it and keep it where I can see it.
An old friend will die without me having seen her or talked to her for years… because I procrastinated in contacting her once I found her online journal page. Before I could contact her, she went into the hospital for the last time.
I wish I had seen this earlier, but it is not too late for me to contact other old friends. Having this to look at will help.
Thank you.
I procrastinate about most things that are routine. (cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc.) Give me a project to do and I’m off and running. I have recently found that if I do things for 15 minutes I can get a lot more done than I dreamed. This 15 minute stuff is what gets me thru my routine days. If I’m cooking breakfast for my DH, I’m also rinsing dishes to put in the dishwasher or washing a big pot or cleaning off the stove or whatever. This multi-tasking for 15 or so minutes is the best thing I’ve ever done as far as trying to overcome my procrastination.
I agree with Cheryl too, around here if I work outside the inside looks neglected or vice versa! One thing I did was get longer phone cords so when someone calls who will not let you go, you can do certain tasks, like in the kitchen I can do the dishes while talking or wipe down cupboards, something I normally wouldn’t do.
I’ve been on the flylady website too and it is amazing what you can get done in 15 minutes.
I have all the same problems you do AJ with procrastination: perfectionism, inertia, the task is tooooo big! You’ve hit them all perfectly!
All I can say is that I identified with so much of this~ LOL
I too have to trick myself into “Work” Now the funny thing is that I love to play on my computer but the minute I started selling my kits it suddenly became “work”. I find myself getting distracted by the internet… “I’m just going to do some research first” I tell myself and before I know it it’s way to late to actually get any work done.
Thank you for your tips. I have about 5 kits in progress right now and I’m finding it hard to finish any of them. Sigh! My biggest problem is that sometimes that creative “gene” doesn’t kick in until I’m exhausted… and I think as artists we all know how hard it is to force creativity. LOL
((hugs) Mechelle (I’m so glad you stopped by on your way to procrastinating on the internet 🙂 I can easily do that at the Daisie MB too! I find that if I “reward” myself for finishing a kit with something I get to do just for myself or just for play, I get my work done more quickly so that I have plenty of time to “play.” As my husband always tells me, “You must reward the inner child once in a while or she won’t let you succeed.” Hugs, aj)
AJ, I meant to answer this earlier, but………………………………….. LOL! It is funny that so many of your tips, especially the 15 minute one, are exactly what FlyLady is. Alas, I am a FlyLady drop out. 🙁 I meant to keep up with it, but……………………………..!
Boy does this hit home. If it’s a challenge/something new I’m right on it but once I’ve mastered that I’m done. I’ve been putting off doing some fire dept. book work just because I have to do it. lol So I’ve been at it for 2 days now and it’s finished and I feel so good that’s it’s done for now. I love the flylady 15 min. but have gotten away from that too. Darn! Now if I stayed off the Daisie MB first thing in the morning when I have that first cup of coffee I’d accomplish more around here. But you know – first things first! LOL
Thanks for this information. I do procrastinate, but the biggest one in the family is my husband. He is the worse of the all. I am going to share your tips with him and hopefully he will get something out of them.
It took him over a year to even start on remodeling the kitchen and another year to finish it. It is his choice to do the work on these remodeling projects.
Great topic!!!You must have been following me around because it sure sounds a lot like me lol! i was going to post last night but I put it off til tonight. Seriously tho,that’s some great tips.i will have to try to use them.They really make a lot of sense.
Wow!
I was talking about this subject just yesterday =( to all people…my Boss!
Not in a wrong way…but glad that I’m not the only one that struggles w/this.
Great tips!
Thanks millions 😉
It is such a good feeling when you get something done that you have been putting off. I hate it when everything is a mess (like it has been around my house for the last few weeks).
Someone very close to me told me yesterday that it’s not that I don’t have the time to do the things I should, it’s that I don’t take the time to do the things I should.
Everytime I started saying to myself, “I’ll do that later,” I stopped and remembered those words and made myself do the things that needed to be done. Now that it’s later in the evening, it’s amazing to be able to relax. The dishes are done, the laundry is done, the vacuuming is done and I can actually walk through part of the basement that has been cluttered for months.
I stopped starting new tasks about an hour before dinner so that I would not be so tired.
My plan is to start the day by reading this blog entry and start all over again tomorrow so that I don’t fool myself into thinking I’m completely done. (What a great and transparent post Patty! Congratulations on one day down to forming a lifelong habit 🙂 PS I cleaned my bedroom yesterday, it felt soooooo good! Hugs, AJ)
It’s day 3… so far so good. I almost forgot to check back here. As soon as I realized that I wasn’t staying on track, I came back here to read. It’s never too late to start a good habit!
woo hoo day 4… on a roll here…lol (I am sooooo proud of you girl! Way to go! You’re challenging me to keep on task too (can’t have you beat me 🙂 ) Hugs, aj)