Hello, it’s been a while since my last blog. I kept thinking, ‘I must write a blog, I will when I’ve thought of the right topic to blog about’ and proceeded to beat myself up about procrastinating. Then it occurred to me, as I was doing the dishes this morning, ‘that’s it, I can write about procrastination!’. Was I actually procrastinating about writing the blog? Or was it something else? Definitely something else. Who else puts things off then beats themselves up for not getting things done, being lazy, being unmotivated, not bothered? We are unkind to ourselves sometimes, aren’t we. Let’s explore some of the other reason’s for putting off a task.
One big reason may be that it is just not a priority, sounds simple, but really – this is just prioritisation. Or perhaps you don’t have the energy to do the task. For instance, you really want to decorate the bathroom but keep putting it off. Is it a priority? Yes (a very really one for me at the moment!). Do you have the energy to do it? If the answer is, ‘Actually no, I’m really tired and I’m so busy and, well, I could do it on a Sunday, but that’s my only day off with the kids and we tend to go for a bike ride…and…and…’ Whoa, STOP! You’re probably exhausted and, no, you don’t have the energy for it – that is OK. Your priority must then be to replenish your energy. If you can find time to do this, not only will you feel better, but you will also find that you get more done when you get back to it. Or, now here’s a thought, if it doesn’t have to be done by you specifically, who else could help?
It may be a priority, you may have the energy, it does have to be done by you, but ohhh my goodness, you just hate painting. Aha! You simply don’t want to do it. An out of flow task is something that is not part of our natural personal preferences. Something you would rather avoid than choose to do. I know that writing a blog is part of my natural preferences…painting and decorating, not so much! How can we get around this? It can be helpful to plan some time when you know you’re going to tackle a few out of flow tasks at once, but make sure you add some rewards in there, too. This could be listening to your favourite album, taking regular breaks for your favourite coffee or treat. Just don’t have all the treats and get none of the work done. I know I get way more ironing done in front of a good TV drama than without.
There are many other reasons we put off a task, such as lack of knowledge, overwhelm, analysis paralysis, perfectionism or the pain point is just not high enough! In fact, too many to cover in one blog if I’m to keep it short and sweet. If you’re interested to know more, please feel free to message me.
Here’s a challenge for you: why not write a list of all the things you’ve been putting off and explore your reasons for not starting it. I’d love to know what it is and what action you are going to take to get started (and remember, taking a break might be the action that is needed first).
Good luck, you can do it! Thanks for reading.
Lynne x