Life Skills | Mental Health | Well-being | Avoidance | Laziness | Bad Habits | Pro-active | Actionable Steps | Willpower | Mind Over Matter | Courage | Compassion | Productivity | Achievements | Sense of Accomplishment | Confidence |
Procrastination can be the pitfall of productivity or unfulfilled dreams and can wreak havoc on a life otherwise well-lived. Getting stuck in a pattern of procrastination is never fun, but with determination and a bit of helpful advice, you can end procrastination today.
You’re thinking of it, already, aren’t you? You know what it is… that one thing that you’ve been meaning to get to that you just haven’t quite found the right time for? (Or maybe multiple things…?)
You know it has to be done, needs to be done, sometimes begs to be done… You know it’s inevitably going to require your willful effort, but you just don’t__wanna__do it.
Not yet, anyway…but you’ll do it sometime, right? Of course you *won’t*.
So you come up with excuses that seem to justify your delay.
Coming Up With Excuses:
Any of these sound familiar?
“It’s not the right/best time.”
“I’m not ready.”
“I’ve got time. I’ll do it later.”
“I don’t have time for it right now. I’ll do it later.”
“It’s not that important.”
“Maybe someone else will do it.”
“I’ll get to it sometime… … …” [ends up old and gray -_-]
We all do it at times, but procrastination can be a nasty habit that contributes to laziness, lack of motivation and unnecessary subconscious stress1 from a guilty or cluttered conscience. Who wants to be nagged all day? But our own brain holds it against us and doesn’t let us forget when there’s something that needs to be done, needs to become a priority, but isn’t and is just waiting around for us to really notice and do something about it.
If you’re always feeling like something isn’t done… That’s because it isn’t. -_-
Either you’re procrastinating or you need to stop blaming yourself for being human and stop taking on more responsibilities than humanly healthy. In that case, Just_Say_No.
If it’s simply a good ol’ case of putting-it-off, I’ll go ahead and reveal the one question that helps me avoid procrastination:
“Is this going to be any easier later?” – Forever Blessed
See – I’m not one of those journals/blogs that makes you read an hour before you get to the dire piece of advice or answer (I hate that), but if you want to continue reading, you’ll get more context and advice for beating procrastination once and for all!!! (okay, no guarantee here honestly, so, don’t sue me if you still have issues in the future…please O:-)).
Most of the things I put off are due to a pattern of believing something is hard or a at least has a perceived threat of something being too hard.
“But is it, really?” Another great question to ask yourself or the friend, colleague etc. you know who may be struggling with the inevitable.
Sometimes it really is something hard.
Sometimes… It’s… just the dishes. -_-
(And hey, sometimes it really is just the dishes, like if you have a physical or mental handicap, like I did years ago during an autoimmune battle where I had to sit down in between visits to the kitchen sink. No judgment. Sometimes the seemingly smallest things can be the easiest to procrastinate.)
If it really is something hard, something that requires more mental or physical effort than usual, the one question that helps me end procrastination still works.
“Is this going to be any easier later?” Because if the task at hand is going to require the same amount of time, effort, energy, willpower and mental resolve that I currently possess, then waiting until later is pointless.” – Forever Blessed
Falling For The Trap That “It’s Too Hard”
Sometimes it might really be easier later. Some things don’t have a set timeframe for needing to get done or you need time to heal a broken leg, or need some outside resolve to happen before it makes sense for you to move forward with confidence. That’s valid. Go ahead and wait if you think that’s best. If you think it will be easier later.
But, if it’s not -if it’s something that’s gotta be done regardless, gotta be faced at some point in time and the only thing stopping you is you… Is putting it off really doing yourself any favors? If it’s going to be just as hard or difficult later, why put it off now? What are you gaining by procrastinating, by doing it later instead of now?
If you can answer that question honestly, it will be a good step toward resolving what’s holding you back from what you know needs to be done…or what you simply aspire to do with your life.
If paying the bills or taxes isn’t going to be any easier later, do it now. If asking your boss for a raise or asking a friend for help isn’t going to get any easier later – Do it now. If signing up for the gym, starting a new business or charity, writing a new article isn’t going to be easier later – Do it now!
If making a call, making a decision, planning a trip, planning that party, starting a new hobby, finishing an old project, submitting that order, or getting those mundane tasks done isn’t going to get any easier later – Do it now!
If climbing that mountain or overcoming any obstacle or roadblock that’s stopping you from reaching your goal… isn’t going to be easier to deal with later, take care of it today. Not tomorrow, not later, like literally… right now. I can only assume if you have time to read this article, you have time to take the next few minutes to come up with a solid plan for accomplishing what you’ve been putting off. 😉
So__do__it!
And then congratulate yourself. Even if the outcome was unpredictable, you did it and can rest easier knowing you did your part or gave it your best effort, but hopefully the sense of accomplishment and all that brings with it will give you more enthusiasm and motivation to keep showing up for yourself and others both presently and in the future.
And lastly, for those of you just “waiting for a sign”… Here’s your sign -_-
More tips and steps on ending procrastination to come…sometime… O:-)
Ending procrastination,
iam:ForeverBlessed
Cover: Canva, elements design
In-article Image credits:
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
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