Procrastination Prevention

We seemed to have started the year off right! We have set our goals. We have our plans, and we are ready to get them done. However, there seems to be something that keeps getting in the way. What is it that causes us to put things on the back burner, put them to the side, or procrastinate knowing these are things that we want to do, most of the time its things that we need to do? But for some reason, something holds us back. Benjamin Franklin said, "you may delay, but time will not and lost time is never found again". Unfortunately, most of the time when we procrastinate we make sense of it. We tend to put things in front of our goals and say that the other thing is now a priority. In most cases, we do what will make us happy right now, first. We may even do what takes the least amount of energy first. When ultimately, the things that we have set on our list of goals are the things that will actually make us the happiest in the end. In order for us to be successful and to ward off procrastinating, the simplest explanation or remedy is to just start! It seems that just starting is the hardest part sometimes. Regardless of what you are trying to accomplish, getting started seems to be the biggest feet.

I personally make a million goals. LOL. And many times I find myself doing something other than the things that have been on my list. I go over my list daily, I check some things off, I move things that weren't accomplished today onto my goals list for tomorrow. And then tomorrow. And then the next tomorrow. Lol. I laugh about this but the truth is for me to have to move a goal from one day to the next day to the day after that is just procrastination. Before I set the goal I had already determined when I wanted it to be done, how much time it was going to take me to do it. I already knew what I needed and how much time it was going to take to accomplish my goal. The time was already mapped out in my schedule. So why did I put it off? Why did I procrastinate!? For me personally, I believe that a lot of times its perfectionism and the rest of the time I think that I am overwhelmed by distractions. If you can relate, I believe we need to dive into this a little further. I definitely do not want to be the reason why I cannot accomplish the things that I have set before me. And just like anything else, procrastination can be combated. We can win!

Starting this blog, for instance, it's something that I have said that I've wanted to do for a long time but I didn't know where I wanted to present the blog, I didn't know who would be interested in a blog from me, I feared that no one would read the blog, no one would care about what I had to say, and so on and so on. I allowed fear to paralyze me and ultimately justify my procrastination. I knew that this blog was something that I really wanted to do. I knew that I had things that I wanted to share. Valuable information that could help others. I try to remind myself of the post I've seen several times, "She takes action!" Sometimes you have to just do it. You have to just start. You have to take action!

So let's think of what happens when we procrastinate. In most cases, the things that we have on our list do not go away. If they are not taken care of they could actually get worse. The clearest example is paying a bill. You know that the due date is coming. You have the money to pay it. Now, what do you do? Do you stop what you're doing and go ahead and pay the bill or do you put it off until the due date? When the due date comes you're busy doing something else and then, just like that, you have forgotten. Now you have a late fee! And it could negatively affect your credit score. When it comes to your relationships, let us say you need to speak to someone about a misunderstanding and you just kept putting it off. Ultimately, that relationship can be ruined because you allow bad feelings to fester. Something in our character lets us, almost encourages us to procrastinate. Something in the back of our minds keeps saying, "oh it's okay, you can do that later." That voice is a setup! Remember that concert or that play that you heard about that you really wanted to go to, you waited and waited and kept putting off purchasing the tickets and when you finally went to purchase them the event was sold out! Or you were stuck way up in the nosebleed seats. Sometimes the consequences of procrastinating will be mild. Bad seats. But sometimes consequences for procrastinating will be grand like bad credit, or a late fee, or a ruined relationship. When it comes to our health we have a tendency to do the same thing. We'll put off making a doctor's appointment for that pain that we've had. Put off making yearly checkup appointments, eye doctor, dentist, etc.. Simply because we decided to do something else instead. Next thing you know your vision is weakening, the pain has intensified, or worse. Was fear present here? Think about that...

So why is it that we procrastinate? Normally it's for a variety of reasons. Some people are anxious procrastinators and they use procrastination as a way for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing tasks. These people tend to be bad at managing their time and try to do more than they can successfully accomplish in a short amount of time. This eventually causes more stress and more anxiety just because they have set themselves up for failure. If you think you fit into this category then you could probably rearrange your schedule. Try time blocking and in between each activity you accomplish reward yourself with something delicious or fun. Get a little snack, your favorite drink, or just a few minutes of downtime while you hang out on social media. Give yourself 10 to 15 minutes between activities to regroup, recharge, and refresh.

We also have to deal with the fun procrastinators these are the people that would rather do something fun than do the things that they are required to do. I believe I fit in that category! And probably most of us, LOL. Since most of us have many things to do on our to-do list, then move the things that you are dreading down on your list. I don't like doing dishes. So when I am doing my housework I start with laundry and then my daily cleaning tasks and I finish up with my dishes. Mainly because they are right next to the Keurig and my tasty beverage is my reward. So I don't get my Starbucks Cafe Verona with the Swiss Miss milk chocolate sweetener until I have finished the dishes. And mind you I'm only unloading the dishwashing machine and I still dread it. Another common type of procrastinator is the one that thinks they have plenty of time. I used to struggle with this when I was in school. I would be given the assignment of a term paper and a deadline that was two months off. Well, there was no way I could convince myself to start right away. I would tend to panic about two to three weeks before it's due then I'll be forced to put everything else to the side so that I could cram all my research and drafts in order to complete the paper on time. Clearly I had enough time when the assignment was first given but the more time was given the more time I took. I convinced myself I worked best under pressure. But I noticed that I actually did my best when I had teachers that would give multiple deadlines. Deadlines for each task that were related to the finished paper. And I have implemented that strategy with my life now. Instead of waiting right before something is required I have set deadlines for myself for the pieces that lead up to the finished product. And if you suffer from the same issue I would suggest you do the same thing. Break up the major task into small tasks and give each task its own deadline that way you can pace yourself and not cram all of your efforts into a short amount of time. It seems that when this happens you are less productive as well as it's hard for your best to shine through. I seem to find that I relate to different types of procrastinators. smh. There is also the perfectionist procrastinator when you can't start on a task because you don't have all the pieces in place before you start when ultimately you don't even need all of the pieces in order to just get started. That's that perfectionism setting in. What's worse is when you criticize what you've done to the point that it can paralyze your progress. I plan on starting a podcast. I've been talking about it for the longest. And I haven't seemed to start because I don't have the microphone that I want. I cannot find the perfect platform to launch the podcast on. And so on and so on. I have come up with a list of reasons why it's not perfect. Of course, we have to factor in the fear of failing. Fear seems to be more present than any of the other attributes of a procrastinator. When it comes to me. I have accomplished many things that I have set out to accomplish over the years. But I always have to imagine where would I be if I did not have the fear of not producing perfect work.

Regardless, of where you stand in the land of procrastinators, you're there. So how do we get over this? Start! Just start! Start with what you have! Start with the little you have. It's enough. Set a timer for 5 minutes and work on your goals. Take a break then start again! 5 minutes will get you a long way. It doesn't matter if the goal is getting your Masters degree or if its to clean out the car. Give yourself a chance to be your best. Knock some things off your list. Force yourself beyond your fears. You are great. You'll be great at what you've planned for your self, your family and your life. But, you must start. I believe in you. I hope you do too.

As another Married Mom and Mogul, we can manage all the things together.

Check me out on Youtube and on social media, there are links below. Until next time, remember to be beautiful, because somebody's watching you!

Ms. Niki