"I have so much to do and so little time to procrastinate it."
A funny line because there's a truth to this for each of us at times. But looking at this line had me reflecting back on how I fixed some of my worst procrastinating behaviors. There is nothing quite as mentally exhausting as running from responsibilities and having your list of to-dos and must-dos grow longer by the end of each night. These are the things that keep us awake and have us stressing about all the other things that piled up on top of the things we were already worried about. Here are some of the things I have done in the last 10 years to avoid some of those stresses.
1) Write things down. Having a list of exactly what is required of you, even broken down into more manageable tasks, will help you decide when to tackle the task and it will ease your mind for sleeping purposes because you will not have to try and remember. And you will - your brain will try and hold onto that task and all the thoughts you have had about it. Write it down and give your brain a good night's sleep.
2) Decide when to accomplish it. If you like to get things done well ahead of schedule, schedule that big task for when you would like to have it done by and just take care of it. No sense having it hanging over your head for days if you are a person that likes to be on top of things.
On the other hand, if you like to work against deadlines, schedule that big task for just before it is due. If you have actually planned to accomplish the task the day before, just write it on the list for that day and see what happens. If things go all awry you will either plan more time for projects of this type next time or know what this kind of project actually needs to be accomplished. If things go perfectly and you felt a drive to get it done that day because of a deadline, you will feel accomplished because you actually completed the task when you told yourself you wanted to. I'm telling you, it is a big deal and you will love that feeling.
3) If sickness or weather or unexpected circumstances change your plans for you, just go with it. There are times we procrastinate due to things not being in our control. Instead of stressing about what you cannot get to, focus on flipping around days and tasks and deciding what you can do. If it is pouring rain and you cannot get to your yard work, do something inside that has been at the top of your focus list. If sickness takes your family out for a week, rejoice that you can watch a show in one sitting or read a book or take a nap instead of running carpool and packing lunches. Everyone will be well enough again soon and you'll be back to crazy-ville all too soon with them. When plans get messed with, find something great about the new circumstances and sometimes you'll find that some of those tasks dropped off your horizon.
4) If you tend to procrastinate everything, all the time, try getting the worst stuff done first. The biggest or most horrible tasks tend to get done in the morning for me. Getting those out of the way helps lighten my day and my mind. Bathrooms - do it in the morning (even before kids wake up). Writing or reading - do in the morning. Although I love both of these tasks, once kids need me there is zero to no chance that I have time for the things I want to do until the time of the day that I am mentally wiped out. Hard to give your best when your best is all used up. Try scheduling the biggest or hardest tasks first and discover what happens to the rest of your day - and your mind - by not having that one big thing looming over you all day.
All of us procrastinate at times. Try something new and flip your day so that the hardest things to get to happen first. You will find that you naturally can get to more just by not having the mental block of that one big task hanging over your head. Actually make a plan for when to accomplish that task that seems to "get you every time" and discover what a difference it makes in your perspective and on your day.
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