By Janet Vargas - Owner Of This Website - 2018
Did you know that about 90% of us procrastinate in some way/ways? Yes it’s true, so don’t feel alone anymore. Busy people, sad or confused, stressed and anxious, over-committed….not just lazy people. Your health may not be the best, you may lack motivation for some reason, maybe you have an overcrowded lifestyle?
But you want to get somewhere, that’s why you’re reading this Page. You are to be commended for that because in some way, you don’t want to settle for the status quo.
I’m happily single and I can live on air when making or editing websites. I have six of them and they keep me busy. When I’m working by inspiration or a task is at hand, I can go for hours without a meal and not miss food until I take it too far – my stomach will say “feed me”....I know better as a researcher. Things can mount up, waiting for me to do them, sometimes for days. I’m a spontaneous person and have decided to take on some organizational skills.
Now I know someone who is a psychologist. We were discussing this one day. She said something and it was this_ “procrastination causes stress because we feel bad about things not done”…..I find both factors to be true when I get carried away for days sometimes, I am very committed to my websites and want nothing but the best for people. I don’t get paid for this. If you benefit in some way, that is my reward.
However, I did suspect recently there may be some addiction crept in. My insights and plans to overcome this have been confirmed by two websites. I have just added this INFO to my
Real Life Vs Technology page here.
I also suspect that Internet and Online activities is a major cause of procrastination for many people and a quick search to substantiate this would seem to validate it as factual. So do read that page as well. It could help you considerably. You should know what to look for and how to deal with it. Previously, I did not know it was me because I’m very passionate about what I do.
This is my advice to you if procrastination is a problematic area for you.
OPTION ONE
Each day when you wake in the morning, focus on one small thing that could get you active at the start of the day and do it, then see what else you can think of after that.
Avoid Social Media and Emails in the mornings, many say these quench their appetite for other things. It can actually make you lethargic and unmotivated.
Also, sleeping in, laying down or sitting a lot at the beginning of the day can affect your energy levels and put a dampener on motivation for the rest of the day. So you need to do something that requires a little exercise to get you moving, to wake up your circulation etc to energise you for the day and build on that.
Two of Three Times (throughout your day/evening) think of something that needs to be tidy and you have been building up in your mind "It will be hard" or "That will take a long time".........
get a timer or stopwatch and see how much you can get done in 15mins, with the comforting thought "I don't have to do all of it, just what I can manage"........."One step at a time, is all I need to do this." You may surprise yourself with an urge to set your timer 2 or 3 more times once you get started.
The stopwatch technique is a good way of making tasks look smaller - you may find you can rise to the occasion so much easier that way.
OPTION TWO
Start with a list when the day commences or the night previous.
Write down 10 Small Tasks for the Day
If you do 5 you are going well
If you do 7-8 you are doing exceptionally well
If you do 3 that’s good, keep it up
If you did 1 at-least you tried - aim for 2 the next day
Keep making an effort each day, even if you have a few disappointments.
OPTION THREE
Examples could be:
In the Morning
Make yourself look nice for the day
Make a different breakfast (than the day before)
Spend 10 minutes in the morning sunshine
Step up and try all three each day (after 7-10 days)
When you’ve accomplished that
At Midday or Lunch Time
Try 1 or 2 things different to break the rut
Go for a 10-15 minute walk (or exercise)
Pay someone a compliment or encouraging word
End of Each Day
Afford yourself 15-30mins relaxation or meditation,
just for that amount of time – it should refresh you
Try to have at least 10-15 mins of meaningful conversation
Or practice your listening skills – many fail to engage in these
EXTRA - IF YOU ARE KEEN
In the Evening
Try replacing one TV program with a restful activity
Cut your Internet time down by an hour and do something else you like.
If practiced often, these are little things that can make you feel better about yourself along with the small tasks you allocate on your ‘to do list’. You can have fun, seeing how you are scoring day by day and week after week. If you let down the standard,pick up quickly from where you left off. Be kind to yourself. Give yourself a cheats day occasionally, still keeping your morning routine – that is important.
If you reward yourself, make sure not to do so too early or excessively. Give yourself strict guidelines and be lenient occasionally - this program is meant to encourage, not discourage you.
You need to keep up the positive energy of doing things toward progress so the negative energy of things not done does not get to you.
You could customize some of the above lists for yourself.
Remember, the objective is to have good things (small or simple)
some that you enjoy to do and gradually let them gain momentum.
One you gain momentum, keep it going until some of those things become habit.
Don't expect perfection - be kind to yourself.
It takes time to build up muscles when we exercise, nutrition when we
adopt a healthy diet, it takes time to develop a new skill......so it takes
time to turn over a new leaf (develop healthy habits).
OPTION FOUR
Make a list of the things you have been putting off and do 1 or 2 each day or week whether big or small.
This will make you feel so good when you have accomplished them. Most of the time it is lots of small things people put off from day to day. Little by little, chip away at the ice-burg. Before you know it, you will be steps away from new habits because you have been working away at it –developing them. You should be proud of yourself.
You can also do this. Each time – every so often through the day – pick something up that is out of place (left there) and place it where it belongs. This can work wonders if things get a little crowded – you can gradually see the change in your rooms and feel good
“that’s starting to look nice!”A room can become an inviting environment you may have been avoiding.
AND
Each time you go to just put something down beside you or on a table/desk put it in the correct place saying to yourself “no I can do this now”....or...."that will not wait for later". Several small trips will use far less energy than the negative energy you feel when looking at one big mess or what you have accumulated here and there – it’s such a drag on one’s morale. It really is!
This can happen to anyone. I once knew someone who was a very successful counselor and visiting speaker. She had oversees engagements. But her house was a mess – on a regular basis –It looked devastating to a concerned visitor. I say this to encourage you.
Towards the end of the day - or during the day if you don't get carried away - do something you enjoy. It is amazing how many of us neglect to do that.
If enjoyment is an addiction for you:
There could be a small reward at the end of the day.
OR
You could see how much "Me-Time" or "Fun Time" you can cut down on each day, replacing it with progress in some way.
Be it big or small, this will make you feel ten feet tall.
START TODAY, OR WHEN YOU WAKE-UP YOUR VERY NEXT DAY. BE IN THE RACE AND GIVE YOURSELF GRACE - YOU NEED THE MENTALITY FOR BOTH. MAKE A DEFINITE DECISION “THIS IS THE WAY I AM GOING TO GO….I WILL SUCCEED AND I WILL BE FREE” THEN GO FOR IT! REMEMBER “FEELINGS ARE FICKLE” SO DON’T RELY ON THEM – THEY MAY TELL YOU TO GIVE IT UP A FEW DAYS LATER, WHATEVER – LET THIS BE ONE RESOLUTION YOU KEEP. THE BENEFITS WILL LAST YOU A LIFETIME, NOT JUST A YEAR. YES, KEEP UPMOST IN YOUR MIND “IT’S NOT WHAT I FEEL BUT WHAT I WILL BE WHEN I’M GOOD AT THIS” AND LET THAT BE ABOVE ANY URGES TO QUIT OR ALLOWING FLOPS AND MISTAKES GET YOU DOWN. BE OF GOOD CHEER – IT’S SIMPLE.
Are You One Of These?
Some people have had the “life” knocked out of them through relentless stress and some are just starting to live again after an illness or separation etc who may benefit from the advice on this page. I hope it helps you on the way to recovery.
Most people do fundamental things I have mentioned above but many of us have missed training in their upbringing these days since parents are both working and the pace of living has got faster. If you do all the things we should every day I am happy for you because they are not so much of an effort. If you are not used to them and somehow have got by for a number of years (some do) I am even happier for you because you will have satisfaction for efforts made and a new found pride that many take for granted.
And there’s this too, that so many people find it difficult to progress in life because these fundamental building bricks are not in place – whether it’s through lifestyle and neglect or other. Believe it or not, they can give you some of the confidence in your steps you may be lacking because without them, your dreams and aspirations can be like shifting sand, having no basic foundation to build your efforts on and the best of intentions can go by the wayside. You can choose daily disciplines that make for a springboard - a platform in life as it were - to take you places, even if it’s just to live a happier life and enjoy the simple things. And if you have young kids, it will certainly give them a heritage to grow up with, seeing you lead the way and encouraging them. They could well be inspired by seeing the change in you.
You don’t need information overload. What you need is a few simple principles and run with that. Do we really need all the information we seek out? Maybe we are failing to put into practice some things that meant something to us and in order to get more information (by an author or speaker) we lose track of what we already found – we could run with.
If we put those things into practice, we would not forget them so quickly. Knowledge we put into practice becomes true knowledge - we could be well on the way to our own story if we did not have such a restless appetite for information. My advice to you is don’t wait until you fully grasp something before you do it – it’s when you actually try that principle you find that you start to grasp it. And don’t try to take in too much at once, you are sure to be overwhelmed.
Keep a diary for notes and keep track of your progress.
Look for a stable score and then Aim for More
This can be exciting at the end of each evening.
Keep things simple – that’s the best way!
LIFE BEGINS TODAY