Mailbag – How to overcome procrastination?
I have received a recent email from one of our distinguished readers. This is what she wrote:
Today i do not have to research how to get rid of clutter from a closet. i have pulled everything out off the floor of this closet (more storage than anything else). i would really like to be able to use this as a regular closet rather than just storage and i am sure i will get there but right now i am dreading to go thru all of this stuff (procrastination is a better word) any ideas how to get going again?
Thanks for the question. Procrastination is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to trying to declutter your house or get yourself organized. It doesn’t stop there. It expands to many different facets of your life that make it difficult to be able to advance and really accomplish things.
Procrastination can be overcome. It is very likely that it is just a mental thing and you might just need some adjustments and motivation to be able to overcome it. Here are a few things that should help you adjust so that procrastination becomes less prevalent in your life.
- Change your mindset – Stop thinking that you have to do something, start thinking that you want to do something. The feeling of “having” to do something can put too much pressure on anyone. Replace that mindset with a I “Want” to do it. We all have an option to do or not to do. We have a choice and that option makes it something easier to manage. In the case of the closet, think of all the things that you will benefit from having a closet instead of a storage area. This can provide some motivation for you to do it.
- Find your weakness – There are many different reasons why people put off doing things. Some might be they are overwhelmed, some are because they think they can’t do it, or the most obvious is that they just don’t want to do it. There are always underlying reasons why we do or do not want to do things. Finding this underlying weakness can help you figure out the best way to overcome it. Some people won’t do something because they are afraid of failure, or because they believe the task is too big. These really aren’t as big an obstacle as your mind will have you believe. To err is human. No one is perfect and your attempt to become that will leave you practically insane.Overcome this weakness and you will find it easier to get started.
- Use Incentives – I am sure that most of you have heard the saying that you will attract more bees with honey than with vinegar. This statement holds true for ourselves as well. If you can reward yourself for doing something that you don’t really like doing but no that it is of a real benefit for you to do, you will find that you will end up enjoying it after all. We can enjoy cleaning out that closet if it means that we have more space for other things and end up with a nice decluttered home. This also means that you will feel more comfortable with having friends over that will lead you to ultimately having more “fun time” for yourself and family.
- Turn Big Projects into smaller manageable projects – If your house is currently a mess and I told you to Go Clean your house, there will likely be a negative feeling about it as you might believe that the task would be overwhelming. When we feel that we can not accomplish something most of the time we procrastinate because we don’t want to do it. If we break the task down into smaller, achievable goals you will find that it will become easier. Instead of saying clean the house, what if i were tell you to wash the dishes. You could manage that couldn’t you? Or even if I told you to vacuum the living room. Those are tasks that can easily be accomplished and should not intimidate you into putting it off. You can use this little trick on almost anything. By finishing these smaller tasks you can see the progression of your work and it should leave you feeling good that you are getting some things done.
- Setup a support group – There are many people that can help you with your tasks. If this is housework or the like, you should be able to get family to help out with chores around the house. Delegation can be great as long as it is not abused. Delegate the responsibilities that you know you will have a problem with doing or would procrastinate on. If you don’t have anyone to help do the actual tasks, let others be your cheerleaders. Ask a friend to hold you accountable for what it is that you want to do. Tell them that you want to accomplish x by y and that you want them to hold you to it. They can ask you about your progress and support you when you feel that you are not going to get it done. If you ask someone who you feel is responsible and that you respect the likelihood increases that you will be able to accomplish more.
- Manage your time – Your time is something that you can never get back, nor is it something that you could ever buy any more of. It is a resource that once spent can never be had again. So be accountable for your time. Make your effort to be more efficient in what you do, so in the long run you can have more “you” time.
The key to overcoming procrastination is to not allow yourself to keep that bad habit. Prevent yourself from putting it off. Do not allow yourself to work on it the next day, tell yourself you want to do it today, because you don’t want to do it tomorrow. Stay motivated, stay disciplined and stay focused!
Following these tips should help you to overcome procrastination.
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin” – Author Unknown
Let me know what tips you use to help overcome procrastination, I would be happy to hear from you!
Keep it Clean!
Genevieve
