A loved one asked me over the weekend if I had a trick for getting people over their procrastination. I replied “If I did, I’d be rich!” I wish it were as simple as a trick, but for most of us, conquering procrastination is any thing but simple.
In my role as an organizer, I can tell you what to do, how to do it, and why you should. I can even stand next to you, and do it with you. You know what you should do to Get Things Done, what you Need to do. But YOU have to ACT. There are resources available to help, but you have to act.
Pondering the question again later, I was reminded of two words, from high school physics and college Psych courses, Inertia and Insanity:
- Inertia is “the name for the tendency of an object in motion to remain in motion, or an object at rest to remain at rest, unless acted upon by a force. This concept was quantified in Newton’s First Law of Motion” (from About.com).
- And a common definition of Insanity “is doing the same things over and over again, and expecting a different outcome.”
- Hmmm… maybe they are both In- words because I was on the In-diana toll road?
These two words were rolling around in my head as I rolled down the highway. Inertia keeps us moving if we are moving, but also keeps us stopped if we are stopped. And insanity keeps us trying (or avoiding) the same things over and over, expecting different results.
I think two parts of procrastination are
- Lack of Action, because that is our habit and we are used to it; and
- Not learning from our experience, doing things the same way all the time even with poor results.
Find Your Motivator:
When starting a project or looking at a life change, look inside, and find your motivator – improving your health? Saving or making Money? An upcoming event or life change? Desire for respect or admiration? Your Self motivation? Image? These are all great motivators – find yours and use it (there can be more than one, of course)!
Acknowledge your Hurdles:
When the inertia of procrastination sets in, be ready to ask yourself “What is holding me back?” Are you tired, hungry, bored, depressed, distracted, overwhelmed? Then ask yourself, “Will I let any of these trivial and passing annoyances de-rail my plans or my progress?” No way! So, get cracking!
Make Your Mantra:
Changing your internal soundtrack can go a long way to conquering procrastination. Once you know your motivator, be ready to remind yourself – a lot! – of what is motivating you, what you will gain from finishing your project, and how great you will feel when your project is complete. Remind yourself, too, that reaching your goal in lots of little steps is still progress. And often, little pieces are less overwhelming and more manageable than big chunks.
Finally, remember, there are two parts of the definition of Inertia. True, when we are stopped we tend to stay stopped, but once in motion, we tend to stay in motion. I found Inspiration on the Indiana tollroad, to overcome the inertia and insanity of procrastination.
Posted with permission from MJS:
I have always been a procrastinator – not sure why.
This year we are leaving for Rome on Dec. 26 for a religious choir trip. Normally, I’d be a little crazy by now worrying and trying to get ready for the holiday. It’s funny but I do not feel stressed about the Christmas holiday because we are actually concentrating on the true meaning of Christmas this year. We are having a small family get-together the week before we leave, and are doing homemade gifts like pepper jelly and cornbread. I think when you have something else to concentrate on, that one big task doesn’t seem so daunting (all that holiday shopping for junk nobody really needs). We’re going to just bring the basic clothing items we need in our suitcases and plan on carrying on our luggage. We can wash out what we need to in the sink. It’s true what they say about packing – lay everything out and take half of it and then half of that!!
Just thought I’d share my thoughts. Keeping it simple is what I should have always been doing….
this article is good, as are many of the other books resources, etc . on procrastination. What is not known, however, for many people , though, is, that, if you ADD/ADHD, procrastination is a very different ball of wax for us, and requires some different strategies . An organizer could come into a home of a person with ADD, do a wonderful job… and in a week or whatever, it would look as if no organizer had been there at all. Many , many adults are not even aware that they, in fact, have this issue, and how it is affecting their life.
Thanks for reading.
I agree with you, ADD/ADHD has its own challenges for organization. And yes, I have been in homes and made lots of good progress, but the progress is not maintained! Let us say that organizing is always a process, of trying systems and keeping the parts we like and that work for us, and trying something else if the sytems don’t work at all.
I also agree, there are adults who do not know how to recognize they may have ADD/ADHD, as the idea didn’t really exist when we were children. They are so used to struggling that they may not realize there are resources out there for them.
Thank you for your comments!