Okay, to clarify that a little- I don't always procrastinate- not with everything. There are certain areas that I struggle with it more than others. I tend to procrastinate doing things I don't like doing so much like calling to schedule appointments, certain cleaning jobs, doing paperwork for my business, etc. But I also find it easy to procrastinate in some areas of things that I really enjoy doing like making things (for birthdays or the fair or something that has a deadline), writing letters and organizing messy areas in our home.
Yesterday I hit on a solution that worked really well to get some of the things I had procrastinated on done. I enjoyed it so much that I decided I would share it with you. (As it is super fun to cross something off your list that you have procrastinated on for months!)
What I did was declare yesterday "Stop Procrastinating Day" for me. I knew yesterday was a busy day as I had 6 music students scheduled besides needing to homeschool my kids and do the normal household things like cook and sweep. But I also knew that there would be bits of time here and there that I could get something done. So I decided in all those little bits of time I was going to try to do things that I had been procrastinating about.
So in the morning I wrote a list of some of the things I had thought of like: Schedule dentist appts., iron, order some supplements, etc. As the day went on and I had any extra moments I would simply do something on my list and I was amazed at how fast I was able to work my way through it and how really not hard all those things I had been putting off were. I also decided that when I noticed something that needed done (like a dirty toilet that needed some cleaning) I would not put it off for later- I would do it right now if at all possible.
So after yesterday I have dentist, orthodontic and chiropractor appointments made, a cleaner house, odds and ends of chores done, the ironing done, I sat down and did some things with the kids that we had been wanting to get done and I feel very happy and satisfied! In fact I think I want to do another stop procrastinating day today! I have an office that has been needing to be cleaned and some mending that needs to be done.
Here are some tips if you want to have a "Stop Procrastinating Day" sometime:
- Write a list of the things you can think of that you have been putting off. Have fun doing them and checking them off the list.
- If you see something that day that needs done- do it now if at all possible.
- If you have a project that is really big and you don't have time to do it all then either 1. Get started on it- like in the case of a cluttered room that really needs cleaning or 2. Schedule it on your calendar so that you will be sure to get it done later- like in the case of painting your house.
I often find I can more done on my busy days than days when I have nothing scheduled and should be able to do so much more! I think it goes along with that old saying: "If you want something done, ask a busy woman." We build up momentum and things just sail through things we've spend too much time thinking about doing rather than doing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea Abbi.
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