At one time or
another we all procrastinate. If anyone tells you they never procrastinate,
I would challenge their honesty, because we all do it. And then, we tend to feel guilty about it or
even worse, we mentally beat ourselves up. You may
feel that you are just being lazy, but let me tell you, that is not the case at
all. If you do any of this I want you to stop it right now! It is time to realign our thinking about why
it is we find ourselves procrastinating about certain things.
For one thing
procrastination is actually a good thing.
One of the main reasons we tend to procrastinate is simply that there
are other things going on that are more pressing so we are making those things
a priority over others. Prioritizing
important matters is a good thing.
We often procrastinate
because we are afraid or uncertain. The
task at hand may seem overwhelming or scary, especially if you don’t know quite
how to go about tackling it. This is the
time to take a step back and reevaluate the situation. Put some thought into it, do some research,
maybe even ask someone for their perspective or even their help.
Procrastination
is actually very useful. It helps keep
us from charging into a situation and reeking unnecessary havoc. It allows us the time to make wise decisions
about what we truly need to do. By understanding
this we are now able to approach these things with a much clearer idea of how to
take on a project or even a much needed conversation with someone.
We need to be
kind to others, but we also need to be kind to ourselves. So if there is something you’ve been procrastinating
about I want you to stop the guilt and negativity immediately. Take a step back and a deep cleansing breath
and set some new eyes on the situation. Gain some clarity on why it is you’ve been
procrastinating. Then you can take a
positive approach forward to the resolve situation and get it done.
What are some
things you find you’ve been procrastinating about and not getting done? Are you now able to see why? Knowing why do you now think it is possible
to take care of it?
My son-in-law didn't believe me when I told him that there were many times that when I delayed acting on something that it actually turned out to my benefit. Examples: I delay some project and someone comes along who wants to do it (and not because I was late) or I delay a call on something and the issue resolves itself and I don't need to make the call. It's happen a lot to me. Of course, I think procrastination that gets to the point where it affects work or personal relationships then requires some serious thinking. I grew up being taught you should always be doing something so being "busy" was a virtue, so not doing something was considered lazy. I've been trying to unlearn that and understand that not acting isn't always being lazy but about making choices appropriate for me!
ReplyDeleteI do think what we often called procrastination is our subconscious needing time to think about it. I can't rell you how many times I delayed acting on something only to finally realize I didn't need to act at all!
One area I do procrastinate is making dr appointment for my mom. It's stupid I know. But I finally figured out why. My mother is not a pleasant person at all and taking her out is always an ordeal. So I dread it. So I put it off until I mentally feel ready for it!
~margaret
Agreed. In a world full of instant gratification I think we are wise to take our time in most cases.
DeleteYou make such good points! I've procrastinated on several projects, only to think of better ways of doing them. Or deciding that I didn't want or need to do them at all!
ReplyDeleteRight?!
DeleteTwo things I tend to procrastinate on are phone calls and technical tasks. I don't like making phone calls to take care of things like insurance or bills. I don't like negotiating or having to fix issues with companies. The technical stuff I linger on are things that I don't really know how to do, but I need to learn. I'm not a technical person, so it takes me a long time.
ReplyDeleteWith both of these things, time wasted is the biggest factor. I hate to waste time, so I dread things that feel like I'm wasting my time.
I'm the same way with phone calls and wasting my time. LOL.
DeleteAgree with Debbie..Phone calls, taking care of problem appliances, talking to insurance companies to change matters,etc. Yuck!! I guess I think, it will go away. But,, it doesn't. Lol
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone! :)
Delete