Since most of have things about ourselves we’d like to change or make better, we’re always planning new beginnings. In our heads, the tape plays, “This Monday, I’m going to start…….”
But if you’re like me, starting something over, or beginning something new, is hard to do. We get very comfortable with our bad habits, don’t we? We know we ought to ‘fix’ them, but we’re a bit wimpy when it comes to actually doing it. I have a set of hand weights I bought nearly twenty years ago—how many times have I used them? Maybe twenty. Yes, I’m that bad!
It’s called procrastination. Here’s a great quote: Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.– Victor Kiam
People will tell you to “just do it!” But how?
Here are ten things, presented by Marcia Eckerd, Ph.D. on Psychology Today. They’re not instant, she says, but at least helpful:
” 1. Create a deadline you must meet. I set up a meeting that requires me to finish a report and use panic to get me going.
2. It’s common knowledge, but it works – go on your diet or exercise routine with a friend.
3. Break the task into smaller pieces and reward yourself when you actually finish a piece. (Snickers is my reward of choice.) It helps to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
4. Work somewhere outside of home so the usual distractions aren’t there. Or make your work area as distraction-free as possible.
5. Get started even if it’s a gesture. Often, that’s the hump that’s hardest to hurdle.
6. Actually look at your to-do list. Take off anything non-essential, and set a time to start on one thing. The size of the list may scare you away.
7. Talk to yourself, although not out loud if you’re somewhere public. Repeat to yourself: “I have set a priority.” If you feel pulled to do errands or check e-mail, you have set a priority.
8. Organize the bills/papers/supplies you need to do your task. You’re less likely to wander away if you have everything together.
9. Set a time when you must sit down, and don’t allow yourself to do anything else for at least a half hour. You might start out of boredom.
10. Figure out a time to do what you need to do and stick to it. As crazy as it sounds, I lift weights before I go to bed. It’s the only consistent time I can manage.”
Oh, but Dr. Eckerd–you don’t know me!!
Translating a World on the Edge 