I'll do that tomorrow....
I’ll do that tomorrow…. Have you ever said that?
I know you, cause you're just like me. We all have so much stuff to do and not nearly enough time to do it. Today is busier than ever, you have home stuff and work stuff and committee stuff and kid stuff … do I need to go on?
How many times a day, do you put stuff off? Not much I know, only dozens! And the worst thing is, the more we do it, the worse it gets.
Procrastination; it steals our energy, reduces our motivation and can even increase our stress and challenge our ability to sleep. When we put stuff off, all that is undone, runs rampant in our brains at the most inconvenient times.
So… Why - do - we - do - that? It’s non productive, we feel terrible, guilty and frustrated and it stresses us out… yet, we do it anyway.
The reasons vary, depending on the person and the task, but it’s usually to do with one of these 5 things:
You don’t like doing it
You have so much to do, you can’t decide what comes first
You find it difficult to do and you’re not sure where to start
You don’t know how to do it and you fear doing it poorly
And lastly, it’s almost done, and the fun is gone, and you are ready to move onto the next item, you may have several projects all half done (If you are familiar with StrengthsFinder, and have Activator as a theme, this could be you most of the time!)
One of the things that keeps us in check is a due date. If there is one and you have put things off repeatedly, you will realize you have left it too long and panic will rear its ugly head, catapulting you out of your state of comatose. So now, you panic, but you get to work and finally get it done. And it is probably pretty good, even if it was stressful. And every time you will ask yourself, “why did I do that?” Unfortunately, it is human nature, everyone procrastinates something. But how nice is it to know you are not alone!
What about those items that don’t have a due date? Things like; eating healthy, going to the gym, spending time with parents, family or friends and one on one time with your kids or significant other. These things can take a big time back seat to the busyness of life. But they shouldn’t and we know it.
The thing is, when we actually get things done, it gives us energy to do more. And when we do the most important things first, every other completed task that day is gravy. We are happier, healthier and less stressed, and because these are the effects, you also sleep better, and have a better attitude in general. The result, we are way more fun to be around.
Thanks so much for reading!