Saturday Journaling Prompt:

What is my favorite way to procrastinate?

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Is it Just Laziness?

How cozy is it to kick back after a busy day at the office? Dinner in your lap, balanced perfectly in the recliner, a chilled glass of wine dying for some companionship, soda, and snacks stockpiled for later, and your favorite TV shows all lined up like soldiers, ready and raring for duty. You’re all set up for the evening and any thoughts of finishing your homework assignment that’s already three days late, are long gone.

You’ve spent hours and weeks working on your health and safety presentation for Human Resources. You’ve done a dry run with your husband, sister, and best friend, at least seven times. Changed the original draft at least four. And practiced over and over in the basement, perfecting every detail way into the wee hours of the morning. But the night before you’re due to take the stage, you come up with a crafty excuse to stall your debut. You wonder if your manager will buy your story which raised suspicions, the last time you pulled out.

Procrastination is not as simple as just being lazy. It is far more complex and multi-layered. Often procrastination is rooted in deep fear of failure or the self-defeating need for perfectionism. Procrastinators may struggle with self-esteem and suffer from deflated self-worth. Self-control, lack of autonomy, and motivation may also be at the core of procrastination. In its simplest iteration, procrastination can stem from not knowing where and how to get started. Not having the right tools and information. Feeling overwhelmed, distractions and from the infamous ‘I’ll do it later’ syndrome.

Don’t Waste all That Potential

Procrastination is a thief of time! The longer you procrastinate, the more time you waste. And once the time is gone, you can never get it back!

Time is the most precious commodity and unlike money or material possessions that have a dollar value, time is priceless.

Procrastination is very alluring and easily justified by daily trivia and the regular distractions of life. It’s your business if you choose to spend eight hours a day binging on Downton Abbey reruns. And so what if it takes five hours to catch up with your girlfriends? Everyone needs a bit of gossip in their lives…right?!

But there’s a seductive element of procrastination that is deeply insidious. You get so caught up in how good it feels in the moment, that you never want it to end. It becomes a habit-forming behavior that leads to a permanent way of life. You fall down a rabbit hole that is very difficult to escape from and can keep you trapped for years. You look back on your life and realize, you’ve had no life. You are full of regret because you’ve missed out on so much. The biggest blow of all is that you never got a chance to realize your potential. Your gifts that could have transformed the world, stayed in the corner, gathering cobwebs. Your talents that could have served the greater good, end up serving your lower indulgences and really served no one at all.

The most powerful antidote for procrastination is purposeful ACTION! Decide at the beginning of the day, or whenever you’re in the grasp of a procrastinating moment, that you will take intentional ACTION steps towards your goal or project. When procrastination comes knocking, replace it with a small measurable ACTION step. Ask yourself, what is the best thing I could be working on, if not, why not?

Giving in to procrastination is a sure way to rob you of the meaning, purpose, and success you deserve. Most egregious of all, procrastination deprives you of the dignity that comes from working hard and personal achievement. You are the driving force of your life and are ultimately defined by the choices, good and bad that you make today.

Procrastination is easy in the short term but you pay a very hefty cost in the long-term

Here are five questions to stop procrastinating and discover the thrill of doing.

1. The costs of procrastinating in my life have been. (Make a list)
2. When I procrastinate, I am avoiding or afraid of… (Make a list)
3. How does it feel to get difficult things done? What do I say to myself once they’re complete?
4. Commit! Try asking, “ If I don’t do it now, when WILL I do it, instead?
5. How would my life be different if I stopped procrastinating, and felt the rush and satisfaction of ” JUST DO IT!”?

Ponder these questions over the week ahead. Journal around them to go deeper.

JOURNALING

Regardless of the level of stress and anxiety you experience in your life, Journaling can be a healthy and effective self-management option. It provides a safe space to express your deepest feelings and thoughts, fears and furies, and deepens your understanding of who you are at the core level. Use journaling to identify negative thought and behavioral patterns and emotional triggers and create an action plan to reduce their impact on your day-to-day life. Track your performance and progress, highs and lows, goals and achievements with daily Journaling. Be consistent, and have lots of fun.

With grace and gratitude

Michelle

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