For as long as I can remember, I've been a very good procrastinator. And not entirely without reason: I found fairly early on that I did better school work, for example, when the deadline was looming. If I tried to start a big assignment way in advance, the work tended to be wandering and lackluster, whereas if I did it at the last minute, the work tended to be much more focused. I think part of the reason for that is that all the time invested into procrastinating wasn't actually filled with nothing—some parts of my brain were thinking over the work to be done, devising a context, angles, and perspectives, etc. If I tried to work before all that under-my-conscious-awareness stuff was completed, I got dreck.
Somewhere along the way, however, I discovered that procrastination could be a handy tool for avoiding things I needed to address, but for whatever reason didn't want to. And it seems that that use has overtaken its beneficial effects for me. And—you seven regular readers can see what's coming, I know—that, coupled with my ongoing time-management challenges, means that I'm not nearly as efficient as I want to be—or as I need to be to see to everything that's important to me.
Yesterday afternoon, I realized that I've been using procrastination in part to limit my self-improvement. Why? Well, outside of being a reptile of very small brain, fear of change, fear of success, I think. I'm familiar—and mostly comfortable—with who I am right now; but if I change, even if it's an improvement, there could be negative consequences ... or I might find I've reached the top, and there's nowhere to go but down (unlikely, but that's a nice story many of us tell ourselves to keep from working toward our dreams).
I took some small steps toward reducing that habit yesterday; and they paid off. This morning, I've devised a very general plan that ought to help me sidestep the sharp edge of my procrastination, and thereby increase both my productivity and my well-being. It's a simple plan that I call Six Small Steps
. I aim to accomplish something substantive in each of these areas every day:
1]. One current project
2]. One long-range project
3]. Household maintenance/upkeep
4]. Improving my health
5]. Contemplative pursuits
6]. Sharing with someone I care about
Some of these are more straightforward than others; but one of the nice things about them is that each offers a wide range of possibilities for fulfillment. And that in turn means that I will almost certainly be able to identify more than one check-off for some of them each day. Possibilities on tap for today, for example:
1]. Salon writing; send in overdue LFS membership
2]. evaluating CMS tools; ordering some supplies for truffle making
3]. dishes; ironing; vacuuming
4]. exercise; better nutrition
5]. I already reveled in a gorgeous red and purple sunrise
6]. MAL and I shared a laugh over an article this morning, and his beautiful smile flooded my being with happiness; if I'm sufficiently productive today I'll be able to go with him to The Big City this evening, which is always a pleasant jaunt
There are many more possibilities, of course. But just thinking about accomplishing something in each area has me itching to get doing, which is a good thing. And I'm not going to let it pass! So, catch you later; I've a terrific day waiting to be made.
I Put the "Pro" in Procrastinate; Now I'm Trying to Put it in Productive
AndersM says:
Nice way to break down problems/challenges into smaller pieces. Too often we let things overwhelm us from the start. We always hear that life is a journey, but too many people want to be at the destination now, already, no time in between. I find that when I break down tasks into lists, they tend to get done far more easily than looking at the big picture. If I think about having to fill in 6 pages of content for a newsletter, I procrastinate and never get it done. If I break things down into distinct components, and work on one component per day, I end up with all the pages done in a week or less.
Time management is all about breaking down the things you need to get done in simple, manageable steps. Then you organize these and work through them one at a time.
Now, if only I followed my own advice every time... :)
Ian Scott says:
"And not entirely without reason: I found fairly early on that I did better school work, for example, when the deadline was looming. If I tried to start a big assignment way in advance, the work tended to be wandering and lackluster, whereas if I did it at the last minute, the work tended to be much more focused."
I couldn't have said it better myself, about myself!
Alex says:
I am going to agree with my Dad on his comment.
I also have been trying to work toward some "self-improvement", and what better time than at the begining of a brand new year.
Shaun Saunders says:
Hey Sunni,
That's a great list and approach to getting things done (I think I might use it too).
On a different note, had a computer crash just prior to X-mas and lost all my emails & addresses....- when you get a moment (step ? on the list) could you send me a quick email?
Sunni says:
Thanks for all the comments, gents. One of my problems with large blocks of content, Anders, is that I get excited while I'm planning it, and then when I sit down to write, it seems the ideas flee into the woods or something. It's most annoying.
Ian and Alex, I've a feeling we'll get on famously if we ever meet up. Alex, I hope this is a year of Big Things for you!
Shaun, my intellectual property is your intellectual property (heh). Sorry to hear about the crash. Email is on its way. Hope you've had a nice summer!