I’ve been putting something off but now is the time to take action!…That something is to write about procrastination.
Well, since there is no time like the present, writing about procrastination is something I really shouldn’t put off any longer!
There are many reasons why we put things off, but all result in a huge negative energy build-up in body and mind.
Just knowing that we have something ‘hanging over us’ is a terrible burden and one that creates a self- reinforcing cycle. The more we put off, the more guilty we feel, the less we feel like doing things so the more we put off.
There are many strategies to help you break out of this destructive behaviour. One of the most powerful is the idea of ‘worst first .’
Every day, when you make your to-do list put a big asterisk beside the thing that you have been putting off the longest. Chances are that it is your least favourite activity or something you know you ought to do but are dreading, perhaps that difficult conversation you have been putting off for the right moment to come around but rarely does. Now put this ‘worst’ item right on top of the list
Whatever else you have to do today, that ‘worst first’ item is now your number one priority. You MUST strike it off your list this morning.
You’ll get three benefits (at least):
- You have broken the cycle. Instead of sitting and laughing at you, poisoning your subconscious, that item can now only make you feel good: you’ve beaten it!
- The next item on your to-do list can only seem easier – your day is getting better and better.
- When you wake up tomorrow morning, enjoy the new- found feeling that there is nothing nearly so bad on your internal dread list.
And if you really cannot bring yourself to do “worst first” then try the “I’ll give it 5 minutes” approach. If you make a start on something you are as likely as not to find that it is not as bad as you imagined it would be….. and so will keep going and complete it. But even if you do find it is as bad as you thought then you can stop after 5 minutes having at least kept your promise!
