Beat Procrastination!

Don’t Think About It, Do Something About It! | Caregivers Journey

Ah the devil of procrastination. One of my own worst enemies! I find I procrastinate more in my personal life than I do in the affairs of those I take care of. The trickle down effect however does eventually effect those I take care of in addition to making me grouchy and nervous if I’m putting something off. I can analyze and wonder about why I procrastinate but that just helps me procrastinate! It’s nice to know why and how something makes me avoid taking action, but in the long run the reason is usually about being afraid of the outcome or a resentment about doing something I consider a waste of my time or energy. Taking action and moving forward is my cure for procrastination. I say this like it’s easy. It’s not. I have to use various tricks to get me going, but once I do get going I feel so much better. Here’s a few things that help me.

1. Eat the frog first. Mark Twain was right. If you have to do something awful like eat a frog do it immediately! Get it over with. Everything else tastes and feels great! So I try and pick the one thing a day that fills me with dread and sits in my stomach like a lead ballon and then do it first thing in the morning. Yuk. Now that’s done.

2. Make a list. Make a list of anything else you are putting off. List them in order of importance. Seeing this list gives me a reality check and makes me focus on those things that are stressing me out becuase they are not getting done.

3. Break it down. Take the first thing on that list and write down easy small steps you can take to accomplish that task. Breaking the task down into steps makes it easier to swallow and follow through on.

4. Just do it! Take those steps one a a time until the task is done.

5. Bribe yourself. The bribe I use is that if I complete one task or work for an hour I can go get a decaf cafe latte! My bribes usually consist of food or drink rewards!!

6. Repeat! Repeat the above process for at least 3 of the things on that list. That way you’ve eaten a frog and gotten 3 more creepy things done!

7. Reward yourself. Go take a walk, a yoga class, watch an episode of Pit Bulls and Parolees (my personal fave) eat lunch, dinner, make a phone call with a friend. What ever floats your boat.

The bottom line is that any of these activities will feel all the more sweet and you can really enjoy them because you don’t have that nagging guilt about what you aren’t doing. Procrastination haunts all of us but we can beat it down with a stick and a few simple actions. Good luck and enjoy that reward when you’ve moved beyond your procrastination and into the relief of action!