Wednesday 23 December 2015

Start by Doing!

It has been longer than expected since my last post. Actually, who am I kidding? I've just been procrastinating. Which is ironic, and I will explain why as you keep reading.

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop about procrastination. Not how to be better at procrastinating, but to "break the patterns" of procrastination, which I think is helpful to anyone. I believe we all procrastinate at some point and at some level. In my case, I  procrastinate at the highest level! Procrastination is a funny thing - we are all aware that we're doing it, and know that we are better off if we didn't, but why do we still do it?

Some of my takeaways from this talk include:

  1. Procrastination and laziness are different things. Procrastinators tend to defer a task, and do something else instead, where as people who are being lazy just don't want to do anything at all. So, we aren't lazy people!
  2. We have trained our minds to see rewards through avoidance. For example, I feel pain or frustration when I do this specific task, but if I put it off now, i feel instant relief. Relief is my reward. 
  3. Do not blame yourself if you've procrastinated. Be aware and understand why you are procrastinating, and look for a solution to help youself. Identifying the problem and taking necessary steps to solve it is helpful; placing blame is not. 
  4. Rather than finishing a task, we should be focused on starting. By starting, we are doing something at the very minimum. Shift your perspective.
  5. Microtask! Break a large, seemingly overwhelming project into small, manageable tasks that you can't fail at.
Much like the teachings from this workshop, I will start by doing. Even if I can't completely rid myself of my procrastinating habits, I will start by at least tackling the smallest of tasks. I will start my healthier lifestyle by cutting my bowl of rice at dinner in half. I will start my workouts by getting myself to the gym. I will start my Christmas wrapping by bringing out the wrapping paper... I will start my work by actually working and not blogging.... oh crap. 

I guess I wasn't very successful afterall because I decided to blog rather than work. Back to work!

What will you do to stop procrastinating and start doing? 

1 comment:

  1. Out and A Blog!

    When was this work shop and how come I wasn't invited?! You and I both know that I am notorious for procrastination as well. I love what you've learnt from it and I definitely can relate to all of them especially about the " relief being my reward". I need to change my perception and way of thinking.

    Well, it's better to get one thing done then none at all right? ;)

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