Procrastination
I just don’t feel like doing ________ right now.
I’ll do it later. I’ll do THAT later, too.
I can’t weed whack along the fence because I don’t have any cord for the weed whacker.
I need to scrub the kitchen floor but I don’t have time right now.
I have to go to the post office, but I’ll do it tomorrow.
I need to exercise but I don’t want to do it right now.
I should go and visit _________ at the nursing home but I haven’t been there in ages and I’m embarrassed to visit now.
The procrastinator’s list goes on and on and on…Can it even be said that people make time for the things that are important to them? What causes procrastination? What can you do about your procrastination problem?
Perhaps it depends on your perspective. However, it likely has to do with self-discipline…making your self do what you know needs to be done when it’s so much easier to sit down and watch TV or read or just sit and drink cup after cup of coffee or smoke cigarette after cigarette. Or simply sitting and not thinking at all.
Sometimes the “to do list” looks so overwhelming that it’s simply too difficult to get started. “I’ll take care of that tomorrow,” we think, and when we get to the next today, we make excuses again, and months later we STILL haven’t completed our to do lists—we’ve probably forgotten about them—and things are piling up around our ears—literally and figuratively. We’ve formed a pattern over the years. And it’s commonly heard, “I’m older now, and I don’t have the energy that I used to have.”
So what’s a body to do? I’m glad you asked.
· Commit to making AND KEEPING an action plan.
· Make a daily to do list and keep it in sight all day.
· Follow through at the end of the day.
If a procrastination rut has a hold on you and you are ready to fight back and regain control of your life, you need to be honest with yourself (everyone knows how easy THAT is.) “I’m a procrastinator and it’s gotten out of control.”
Then you need to make a commitment to your action plan. “Before I go to bed at night or when I have breakfast in the morning I will list my priorities for the day on paper as well as the other tasks I need to do as soon as possible.”
The next step: Honor your commitment daily. Don’t blow it off. Don’t make excuses. Make your “to do” list.
Your list is lengthy? Well, carry it with you so you can mark off each item as you complete it. Small tasks, like scheduling doctor appointments, returning phone calls, sweeping the deck or patio, can be done when you have a couple of minutes between tasks that didn’t take as long as you thought, or when you are waiting for a call back.
I carry a book to read, a notebook to write in and/or my crocheting when I think I might have wait time at an appointment, etc., but especially when my husband wants to throw his line in at the lake. (I don’t like to put worms on the hook, thus I am not an angler.) But he is content doing something he enjoys, I am content doing something I enjoy and we’re satisfied to be together in the same place at the same time.
Of course, your situation is individual to you. Together time is important for relationships that encourage each other emotionally and intellectually, giving us the boost we need to find the energy we need to pick ourselves up and take on the physical challenges.
So, make your list of things you HAVE to do, things you SHOULD do, the things you can do between the others, during wait time and because these things won’t get done if you don’t do them. It’s more productive to clean out one drawer, shelf or cabinet a day than to wait until you have time to clean all of the cabinets. Which way will you be more productive?
At the end of the day, sit down with your list. Were you successful with accomplishing your tasks? Carry over the tasks you didn’t complete to the next day’s list. But remember, you made a commitment to your plan, a promise to yourself that you would follow through. Don’t let yourself down…or you’ll feel worse about yourself. (Negative self-talk is another topic for another article at SeniorLiving at BellaOnline.)
I’ll do it later. I’ll do THAT later, too.
I can’t weed whack along the fence because I don’t have any cord for the weed whacker.
I need to scrub the kitchen floor but I don’t have time right now.
I have to go to the post office, but I’ll do it tomorrow.
I need to exercise but I don’t want to do it right now.
I should go and visit _________ at the nursing home but I haven’t been there in ages and I’m embarrassed to visit now.
The procrastinator’s list goes on and on and on…Can it even be said that people make time for the things that are important to them? What causes procrastination? What can you do about your procrastination problem?
Perhaps it depends on your perspective. However, it likely has to do with self-discipline…making your self do what you know needs to be done when it’s so much easier to sit down and watch TV or read or just sit and drink cup after cup of coffee or smoke cigarette after cigarette. Or simply sitting and not thinking at all.
Sometimes the “to do list” looks so overwhelming that it’s simply too difficult to get started. “I’ll take care of that tomorrow,” we think, and when we get to the next today, we make excuses again, and months later we STILL haven’t completed our to do lists—we’ve probably forgotten about them—and things are piling up around our ears—literally and figuratively. We’ve formed a pattern over the years. And it’s commonly heard, “I’m older now, and I don’t have the energy that I used to have.”
So what’s a body to do? I’m glad you asked.
· Commit to making AND KEEPING an action plan.
· Make a daily to do list and keep it in sight all day.
· Follow through at the end of the day.
If a procrastination rut has a hold on you and you are ready to fight back and regain control of your life, you need to be honest with yourself (everyone knows how easy THAT is.) “I’m a procrastinator and it’s gotten out of control.”
Then you need to make a commitment to your action plan. “Before I go to bed at night or when I have breakfast in the morning I will list my priorities for the day on paper as well as the other tasks I need to do as soon as possible.”
The next step: Honor your commitment daily. Don’t blow it off. Don’t make excuses. Make your “to do” list.
Your list is lengthy? Well, carry it with you so you can mark off each item as you complete it. Small tasks, like scheduling doctor appointments, returning phone calls, sweeping the deck or patio, can be done when you have a couple of minutes between tasks that didn’t take as long as you thought, or when you are waiting for a call back.
I carry a book to read, a notebook to write in and/or my crocheting when I think I might have wait time at an appointment, etc., but especially when my husband wants to throw his line in at the lake. (I don’t like to put worms on the hook, thus I am not an angler.) But he is content doing something he enjoys, I am content doing something I enjoy and we’re satisfied to be together in the same place at the same time.
Of course, your situation is individual to you. Together time is important for relationships that encourage each other emotionally and intellectually, giving us the boost we need to find the energy we need to pick ourselves up and take on the physical challenges.
So, make your list of things you HAVE to do, things you SHOULD do, the things you can do between the others, during wait time and because these things won’t get done if you don’t do them. It’s more productive to clean out one drawer, shelf or cabinet a day than to wait until you have time to clean all of the cabinets. Which way will you be more productive?
At the end of the day, sit down with your list. Were you successful with accomplishing your tasks? Carry over the tasks you didn’t complete to the next day’s list. But remember, you made a commitment to your plan, a promise to yourself that you would follow through. Don’t let yourself down…or you’ll feel worse about yourself. (Negative self-talk is another topic for another article at SeniorLiving at BellaOnline.)
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