Procrastination is so easy! “I’ll do it tomorrow.” “Oh, her birthday is Tuesday, so I’ll pick something up before the party.” “I’ve been late on my Verizon bill before, so I can just do a payment plan. They will understand.” What we don’t realize is as we are floating in the comfortable clouds of procrastination, we are not at all firmly planted to the ground, in the moment, where tasks can be completed. There is a significant difference between “pre-planning” and “future tripping,” Pre-planning is lining up specific tasks to complete, in order, to help obtain goals, remember significant events, or to allow us to complete all tasks that we committed to finishing. Future tripping is jumping in that little time machine and traveling to some far off place where we pretend to foretell the future.
It can be extremely frustrating falling out of your time machine and to land into the pits of procrastination. Once you’re behind, justification as to why you are behind is the stamp of approval that supports procrastination. If any of you are reading this and hoping for a positive resolution on how to climb out of the procrastination pit, this article is for you! Action is required in learning to tackle each task at hand. First, you must identify why you get behind and what was your reasoning behind the procrastination? Often times, the emotional part of your brain can rudely interrupt the logical part, and the mind-maze begins! Secondly, prioritize. Prioritize by making lists. Making lists (whether it is on paper, iPhone, computer, etc.) has been proven to increase productivity in people’s lives, which has led to positive self-esteem! Notice how your self-esteem takes a hit every time you put something off that you know deep down needs to be completed right away? Divide and conquer in a way that best suits your type of thinking. Human beings can only complete so much in one day- so, do your “have to dos” first! Deciding how many hours a day certain tasks will take will help prioritize your days in a way where you wont feel completely stressed to the max. “Do the next right thing” is a cliché for a reason.
It has been proven to assist people in being productive each day in their lives. As a result of being productive consistently, you will get to experience the true essence of the present moment and it will begin to become a daily habit!
