8 Steps to Overcoming Procrastination

I am a procrastinator.  

Yes, one of those annoying friends who always waits until the last minute to do something.

I finish projects at the last minute.

I delay leaving until there is literally not enough time to get to my destination on time.

I think there’s always  more time in an hour than there really is.

I wait to make supper until supper should be on the table (unless of course, I use my handy crock pot, but then, I have to cook it on high because I waited so long to get it in).

I even procrastinated to write this blog post.

I am ANNOYING.  🙂  at least to some people.  I even annoy myself sometimes.

 

What is the definition of procrastination?

The Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says it is A putting off to a future time; delay

 

 

 So, why is it that I continue to procrastinate and put things off to the future?

There are many reasons.  I’m too busy.  I’m too overwhelmed.  I’m too lazy.  I’m too distracted.  I’m too tired.  I’m too forgetful.  I’m too……(fill in the blank).  Yes, procrastinators love to make excuses.

The truth is, everyone most likely procrastinates every now and then.  It’s human nature.  Especially if you’re not looking forward to doing something.  But….some of us allow procrastination to take over our lives a little more than we should.  Are you one who does?  If not, consider yourself lucky.

How can we overcome this little problem we call procrastination?

1.  Ask yourself, “What do you want to accomplish in life?”  – I know, I know.  If you’re a procrastinator, you don’t want to write it down. You want to deal with it mentally and never really deal with it, until of course you have to.  Do you have mental goals?  Goals to have so much money in the bank by next year?  or a goal to have well educated children who love the Lord?  or maybe even a goal to get your home organized?  Write out your top 10 goals.  When you’re done, narrow it down a little more until you’ve reached 3-4 goals  that you can focus on.

2.  Ignore the goals that aren’t priority 5 or above.  – It doesn’t mean you have to ignore them forever.  Just don’t make them your focus right now.  You can always change your focus later on down the road.

3.  Plan Your Schedule – Think about what you need to do that month, that week and that day to help you accomplish those goals.  Each evening, write down the 10 most important things for you to accomplish the next day.  When morning comes, begin by working on the hard things first and then move through the easier things.  You’ll be amazed at how accomplished you’ll feel!

4.  Rest!!   – Remember, we’re only human,, so if you mess up and don’t get a goal accomplished, it’s OK.  You can move it to another day.  If you need rest in order to be productive, get it!  There’s nothing fun about a tired mommy procrastinator.  She procrastinates even more when she’s tired!

5.  Just Do it, Already! – If you notice something that can be done easily in seconds, or even a few minutes, just do that task!  In the past, I’ve been known to be walking through the house when I notice a piece of trash that someone should have thrown away.  Instead of picking it up right then, when I saw it, I mentally tell myself that we really need to pick the trash off the floor.  I don’t actually plan to do it at any specific time.  If I would instead just pick it up right when I saw it, especially since I was already walking towards the room with the trash can in it, I would save myself a lot of trouble.  Better yet, if I could train  my children to do the same….I’d be that much better!

6.  Remind Yourself – A procrastinator is naturally forgetful.  You must take notes, keep lists, set alarms, do whatever it takes to get yourself to remember to do something.  My 10 year old daughter has epilepsy and she has to take medicine 3 times a day.  I never have a problem remembering her before bed meds, because it’s naturally part of our bed routine.  The one I have the most trouble with is the mid day dose.  After many missed doses and a few seizures happening because of it, I set myself up with the calendar in Google.  I scheduled the mid day dose every day and it emails me every day and tells me to give her the medication.  On most days, we no longer forget!  The same goes for anything you’re wanting to accomplish.   Figure out a way to remind yourself.  Set your cell phone calendar alarm or send yourself an email.  Just remind yourself and you’re a lot less likely to put it on the back burner.

7.  Break down your to do list into smaller tasks – Say you’d like to have an organized kitchen…but wow, that sounds sooo overwhelming.  Make a list of what you would need to do in order to organize your kitchen.  My examples would be, clean out your refrigerator, organize pantry, organize spices, go through pots & pans, go through storage containers, etc.  If you have a detailed list of what all is entailed in your bigger project, it’s not nearly as overwhelming.

8.  Pull in Back up –  Ask a friend or family member over to help you accomplish something.  Strength comes in numbers!  I’m lucky to have a great friend who will trade work with me.  She comes over to help me to do a project and then I go to her house to do the same.  We both love it, because we can spend time together talking and catching up, yet we’re still getting something done!

 

Are you a procrastinator?  Would these steps help to keep you on track?  What am I leaving out?