pro·cras·ti·nate

Post Date: August 29, 2013 | Post Category: Uncategorized

pro·cras·ti·nate
v. pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing, pro·cras·ti·nates
transitive verb: to put off intentionally and habitually
intransitive verb: to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done(Merriam-Webster)

Ah yes. I can relate, can you? I have been told to blog. I have been told to blog for over 3 years.  In my head, I had blog topics floating around left and right, constant inspiration falling in my lap, and yet…I had no blog.  Today that changes.

Today, you are reading my blog, (thank God!).

I thought the perfect starting topic should be procrastination.  I know what you are thinking, “a professional organizer who procrastinates?” (Yes, my head hangeth low!) Truth of the matter is, I too fight this disease.  In the end, I always feel better when the laundry is put away, not just clean.  When my papers are filed, not just sorted.

The last step is sometimes the hardest. The gusto is gone, but the show must go on.

When working with my clients, I push them to do the hard stuff.  I encourage them to make the dreaded phone calls to handle insurance mix-ups. I tell them they will feel better in maintaining paper work instead of drowning in it. I help them part with things they no longer need, but have held onto for 20 years.

Sometimes, for myself, I need to be my own motivator, because the motivation train isn’t coming to pick me up.  If I want to blog, then I need to blog. I need to keep my life SIMPLE. I don’t have time for the mental gymnastics I put myself through. The chattering that goes on in my head is enough to keep me in therapy for years.  If I want to shut-up the chatter in my head, then I best complete the task I have been procrastinating. Bingo. I then find my Zen space.

My preferred procrastination technique is writing a list, (remember professional organizers LOVE lists). Yup, I put things on my list that I know I am not going to accomplish, but I should accomplish. I call it my “shoulda-coulda-woulda” disease.  So, I vow to you: I will only add tasks to my list that I actually need and want to do. I will add more “get pedicure” to my lists and remove things like “weed garden beds”. At the end of the day, it’s my list and no one checks it twice but me!

Phew, I made it and so did you.

The end!

What do you procrastinate? What thoughts help you overcome your procrastination?