Procrastination

The calendar only says February, so it's too soon to pronounce that I have conquered my sometimes crippling procrastination. I don't think I should ever make that announcement, in fact. Because it could always return. But for now, I'm so pleased to say that I am procrastinating much less than I used to. It hasn't vanished, but it's definitely significantly diminished.

There are three main reasons why I am procrastinating less:

1) I've changed my thinking.
This is such a simple and apparently effective trick. When a thought comes into my head about something I need to do, and my mind lazily says, "Oh, I'll do that later," I immediately say to myself, "No. Stop. Do it now. Do it right now." So I do it. And then it's done. This can be anything from taking my medicine to scheduling my rides for the next day to unloading the dishwasher. It's amazing how much calmer and more focused I am when I'm able to put the kabosh on my procrastination and accomplish what I need to. I feel better about myself. I'm taking care of stuff. Not putting off tasks and running the risk of forgetting to do something important, like making a ride or refilling a prescription.

2) I am changing up my routine.
I used to be such a creature of habit. If I did anything different, I would feel anxious, too different. But at the same time, I would balk at doing certain daily things. I was in a rut. And I think I was setting myself up to fail, so I could beat myself up for not accomplishing everything on my list. Now I like to feel good about myself. It feels wonderful to get to the end of the day and think, "I got stuff done and I didn't put anything off." I mean, there are a finite number of hours in the day, and I'm certainly not saying I always get everything done. But I have much less of a tendency to be mad at myself if it's a factor of running out of time and not because I procrastinated about doing a task. Anyway, one thing I've found that helps is to change my routine, especially in the morning. I tend to be quicker and finish faster if I switch things up a bit, vary the routine. Also, when I get home in the afternoon, I try to start right in on getting ready for the evening and the next day: preparing food, selecting my outfit, etc. If I sit down, turn on the tv, and/or look at my phone, that's it. Procrastination creeps in. Fatigue and a "don't care" attitude can wash over me, and before I know it, it's 9:30 and I haven't done a thing to get ready for the next day. I have so much more time and energy when I don't procrastinate.

3) I'm feeling very motivated this year to accomplish more, and be happier.
"Life is too precious to waste doing anything less than what makes you happy. You get to be happy." This is a quote from a recent "Grey's Anatomy" episode. Even before I heard this, I had said to someone, "It's time for me to be happy." This is a transformative year for me. I've wasted so much time being frustrated, stuck, unhappy, scared. It's time for me to be focused, motivated, happy. I need to calculate my own definition of success, and achieve it.

Design the life you want, and live it.
Do what makes you feel fulfilled.
Create your own lane, and don't look backward or sideways, only forward.

librarianintx