Procrastination - Why do today, what can wait till tomorrow?
It’s funny when we hear things like that, and we are certainly all guilty of postponing things temporarily... or indefinitely in some cases.
I used to boast that I was the "Queen of Procrastination" but I can tell you that the humour was a mask for the discontent I felt every time I thought about all of the things left undone.
Some common excuses we may use are:
I’m too tired.
I deserve a break after how hard I’ve worked. (But is this really a reward?)
I’m too busy.
I dislike that so much.
I don’t feel like it.
… and I’m sure we could all add more.
When we do only what we feel like doing, our satisfaction with ourselves and our situation is greatly diminished. Our sense of accomplishment is lacking and, as a result, we often experience many challenges. In the moment, we may not connect the dots as to why we are feeling so badly but with a little awareness, it becomes clear.
The difficulty with procrastination is that when we put off what needs to be done today, it doesn’t go away; it just needs to be addressed at a later time. The challenge is that tomorrow and every day after that already has its own to-do list. When this realization hits is when it gets painful. The repercussions of this issue can be like a snowball rolling down a mountain in winter. It gets bigger and bigger until it feels like it might run you over.
The Costs of Procrastination
There are many emotional repercussions to putting things off, especially when someone is counting on you to help. Here are a few things that come to mind:
Interpersonal conflict: If someone is counting on you, or you on someone else, it hurts a lot when you get let down.
Loss of trust: If we don’t do what is necessary repeatedly, others will lose trust in us to do what we said we would do, and our integrity gets damaged. Once trust is lost, it is very difficult to get back.
Low self-esteem: Again, letting others down really impacts us badly, and we begin to beat ourselves up with our negative self-talk.
Trouble sleeping: As humans, we don’t like to let others down, and we are our own worst enemy when that happens. Beating ourselves up inside and reliving the situation over and over again can wreak havoc with sleeping habits.
Anger: Did you ever notice that when someone gets upset with you, you also get upset with them? This can be very challenging to your relationships.
Anxiety: When that to-do list gets too big, you can start to feel overwhelmed. Anxiety can set in and before you know it, you have little motivation to do what is necessary and your stress builds.
All of this can sound overwhelming but it doesn’t have to hurt quite so much. You can do yourself a huge favour by following just a couple of very simple steps. (Remember I said simple; I did not say easy!)
Make a list of the items that are important and must be addressed. Post your list on the fridge or somewhere you can see it. (I love a good whiteboard marker and the bathroom mirror!)
Pick the most important item and get started.
Agree to give yourself just 5 minutes and do what you can in that time. (If you stay longer, shame on you! Wink, wink.)
When you have finished this item, scratch it off the list.
At this very same time, pick your next item and set a time to give it that first 5 minutes.
It isn’t rocket science; it is simply the ability to take action regardless of how you feel about it. You can use this same process to get yourself to the gym, to eat healthy, to do homework, or clean out that front closet... the opportunities to feel strong, and accomplished are endless. Just agree to that first 5 minutes of action and see where it goes from there.
Go ahead, I challenge you to take action and feel great!
When you do this, I'd love to hear about it. Hit reply or drop me a note at cathy@cathycoleman.ca.
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Your friend and no longer the "Queen of Procrastination!"