Do you procrastinate? You put off paying your bills.
You put off making phone calls to deal with a billing question or to schedule an appointment.
Maybe you put off opening your mail.
Instead of doing the laundry, you buy more underwear so you can go another week.
Why? We think that somehow by procrastinating, we're enjoying ourselves more.
We think that "I can't deal with that now" will result in some time in the future when we can deal with it better.
Sometimes it's because there's no real hurry to deal with the thing.
Other times it's because we know it'll be unpleasant, and we'd rather enjoy ourselves now.
We can't deal with the dread.
Still other times, it's something we actually want to accomplish, but something (fear?) is in the way, so we don't take action.
We may have gotten into the habit, learning early on that we are better motivated by a deadline.
The problem is that not all tasks we procrastinate come with a deadline (except maybe taxes).
But even then, the results of putting it off could be disastrous.
The result? As you know, the pile gets bigger.
Maybe the bills become overdue.
Now you owe late fees on top of it.
Maybe the taxes couldn't make it into the mail in time, or the server crashed at midnight as you were trying to file.
Now the laundry can't fit in the hamper.
Now it controls you.
You feel worse instead of better.
It's like failing to treat an infected wound.
The task or problem grows.
So does our feeling of dread about doing it.
Now, the effort required is monumental.
What do you do? Make a different choice.
Every single time.
Make a commitment to yourself to feel better.
But start with just one thing and pay attention to how it feels to deal with it.
Schedule time to deal with the dread pile, and then stick to it.
Regularly.
I schedule an hour or two, one day a week, every week, that is dedicated to ugly piles of stuff in my home that represent tasks I don't want to do.
Sometimes it's making appointments.
Sometimes it's dealing with bills.
Sometimes it's organizing papers, sifting through, and throwing out clutter.
Plan a celebration afterward.
Enjoy having that thing gone.
If keeping a list helps, cross of the list, toss the paper, light it on fire, whatever feels good.
Rinse.
Repeat.
Until it becomes habit.
How do you fight the urge to procrastinate?Or do you feel it works for you in some way?