I bet you're thinking that I've finally flipped, right?
Thought so.
How can procrastination possibly be a good thing, I bet you're wondering.
Well...it can...but only if you use it in the right way.
If you're like me - I bet that you suffer from the odd dose of not really wanting to get started.
Then that builds as time moves on...and you find yourself hours (or even days) later still fretting about getting around to actually do what you already SHOULD have done!
It's not a great feeling, is it?
That dull ache in your brain constantly reminding you that you should be doing something you can't quite get around to.
Ever wonder why that actually is?
I have...especially over the last few weeks where I have been procrastinating on things that I think that I should be doing - yet aren't.
Now...many teachers of self-improvment (myself included) can give you tips on how to overcome what can be a very nasty habit.
I've probably written about at least ten different ways you can try to overcome it (my favorite way of doing it is just START!).
Yet - it's not very often that we look at the reasons WHY you are procrastinating rather than the fact that you are.
So...as I like a challenge I decided to look at why I myself never quite get around to doing some things - yet others I can stay motivated to do, and focused on, for hours on end.
Why do YOU think that is?
Well...in my opinion - your procrastination habit is directly related to three things:
1. Whether you like what you need to do
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I bet you've had that 'Monday Morning Feeling' too, right?
One of the landscapers who was working on my garden recently told me that it isn't until he wakes up on a Thursday morning that his Monday morning feeling goes away!
How can you live your life like that?
Even though he seems to like his job - he still tells himself that he doesn't really!
Most people don't necessarily enjoy what they do - and, of course, that translates into constant procrastination!
2. Whether what you need to do is part of a bigger picture
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Even if you don't enjoy what you do generally - if you know that the time and effort you are putting in now is an investment towards a fulfilling and rewarding future - then it's a lot easier to get started.
Most people just live from paycheck to paycheck and NEVER have a goal that really inspires them.
If you know that working overtime is going to mean that you can go on the vacation of your dreams in six months time - then isn't it easy to be motivated enough to offer to do it in the first place?
Also - if your job enables you to do what you really love all weekend, every weekend - then its so much easier to push yourself when you need to if it translates into a better experience or a new toy to play with come Saturday and Sunday.
3. Whether you can get an immediate reward from doing it
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For some people - doing stuff today that pays for a vacation in six months time is not enough to motivate them.
It can be very difficult to STAY motivated when you cannot see immediate results from what you are going to do.
Sure - there are those people who just 'go through the motions' because they know that their paycheck is due every month, but, if YOU are like me - you want to make MORE of your life, don't you?
The degree to which you will procrastinate on any particular task is directly linked to these three reasons - and how tolerant you are of how much effort you can put into something before you see a reward.
Now that you know WHY you procrastinate - is that going to STOP you from doing so in the future?
Maybe.
Knowing why isn't going to help you next week when the task you need to do is still waiting there - eating up your brain-time, is it?
But...perhaps that's a GOOD thing!
Why?
Well...if the task that needs doing isn't being done because of one or more of those three reasons above - then SHOULD you be attempting to do it anyway?
Surely - if you need to do something that:
- You don't like
- Doesn't inspire you
- Doesn't at least make you feel good for doing it
Then don't YOU think that perhaps you should be trying to do MORE of the things that :
- You do like
- Inspires you
- Makes you feel great
Wouldn't you agree?
Sure...I know that you're thinking that we all need to work and do stuff that we don't like because we have to survive.
Yet - I would argue that it doesn't HAVE to be that way!
Sure, you might not (currently) be in a position to do what you really love to do...but I bet that there is at least something about what you currently do that you DO like, does inspire you (maybe a little?), and does make you feel like you achieve something from doing it.
And...if there isn't - then perhaps you should try to at least think about doing something for yourself outside of your current working hours that DOES accomplish all of those things.
At least then you WILL have something to do that will PROVE to you that procrastination isn't a habit that you 'always' have.
So...why do I believe procrastination is a good thing for you?
Well...the key to a rewarding life - financially, mentally, and emotionally is being able to spend MOST of your waking hours actually 'working' and 'playing' at the things that challenge and inspire you.
Believe me - if something REALLY inspires you - then you will NEVER procrastinate where it is concerned - even when you aren't getting paid for it (a bit like why I am able to write this article really).
Procrastination is an excellent barometer of whether what you are going to do is RIGHT for who you really want to be.
So - when do we get started?
Posted by vurnumg
