Want to really beat procrastination this time …?

Read this fascinating piece on what procrastination really is and maybe, just maybe you’ll have a more productive 2011 . . .

Procrastination

Happy New Year!

(28) What I learned about mulling

In almost direct contrast to last week’s blog about breaking habits and fashioning a ‘just do it’ mentality. I am nurturing another, very useful, little habit of mulling.

I have always been a loud cheerleader for mulling in general. As a teacher, particularly of arts-based subjects, I believe mulling is a very strong creational tool. Put in all the ingredients for creativity and then let it simmer for a while (whilst you go and do something else and let the unconscious mind do all the astonishingly clever work). But more recently I have been putting mulling to work in another field: rational thought.

Actions I wouldn’t think twice about I now – er – think twice about. Pausing to think before dashing off an e-mail reply, or pressing 5 to speak to someone who’s left a voicemail. Pausing to evaluate before purchasing on impulse. Pausing to really think through new ideas and see all angles before launching them on unsuspecting friends and family.

It has actually saved me quite a bit of cash, stopped me from uttering a few inflammatory remarks, prevented me from getting into things I then wish to get out of and most certainly has introduced me to the idea of ‘thinking things through’. Which may sound strange to anyone who knows my creative background – surely I am practised at thinking things through? Ah but I am applying my mulling to my rational, not creative life. In my normal life I like to think through things out loud and with another person. I used to think hearing what I am thinking allows me to understand it better so therefore I can move on. But now (at advanced age) I have begun to really utilise the space of mulling to think through every day scenarios, not just wild projects.

So for the things I usually procrastinate over I now get to it, and the things I usually rashly jump into I now pause to mull for a while. And it took me how long to figure this out . . .

(27) What I learned about habits

I have a strange relationship with habits. I really don’t tend to have too many damaging ones. Don’t smoke or drink (or anything really) to excess. I can control my spending because I have very little to spend. I enjoy a few ‘good’ habits: as you know I love to run and dance and laugh a lot. Those three things cannot be too bad eh? So I’m sitting here thinking, smugly, that I haven’t any bad habits to eradicate, in fact I pride myself in the fact that I have a habit of breaking any bad habits that I do get into eg: slumping in front of the TV of an evening, cooking the same meals week after week, keeping a sweetie stash etc etc.

But then the other morning I realised I actually have loads of hidden bad habits – ones I didn’t even register as being damaging. I was awake but it was about half an hour before I had to get up. Usually I’d spend the next half an hour trying to not look at the clock to see if I had to get up yet, I’d wait and I’d wait then I’d look out of the corner of my eye to see how near to eight o’ clock it was. Eight o’ clock in our house signals the very latest time to get up and fit in dressing, breakfast, packed lunch and walk to school for my daughter. Not helped by the chilly mornings awaiting the emergence from a cozy bed, leaving it to that absolute last minute was the norm.

And I realised it did nothing for me. I spent half an hour wasting time not looking at the clock and knowing that the time was drawing on. Of course I could have been up and about, got dressed at leisure, daughter, packed lunch etc etc. No fuss. Another example: I have some things I want to put on to eBay but haven’t gotten around to taking the photos yet because the things are stored in the shed. In probably about six minutes flat I could unlock the shed, bring the things into the house, one click of the camera each and back into the shed. Probably takes more energy to think about doing it than actually doing it.

So I’ve started another dangerous little game called ‘If I think it –  I have to do it’  and I mean right there and then. Now that kinda thinking has got me into lots of trouble in the past (does everyone know my wedding story?) but I’m only applying it to things that I know I have had rattling around in my head for a while. In fact it actually took a full eight minutes to photograph the stuff from the shed. It also only took three minutes to rake out the fireplace and lay another fire ready to light – really useful to have handy when cold and tired. I also found myself having to get up when I thought about it at half seven one morning and then being so super ready for school it meant that me and my daughter could play a board game during breakfast (beats reading the cereal packet).

I’m no superhero or even remotely smug about this recent burst of productivity. But this new habit of ‘just do it’ is making me laugh and it’s actually getting things done.

Procrastination buster

Procrastination Buster 

We can spend hours, days, weeks putting off stuff. Stuff that really should be done: tax returns, visiting the dentist, awkward conversations, homework, washing up etc. I became quite the expert at allowing myself time to get around to a task instead of tacking it the first time it is due.

Now I have some better techniques to get me going . . .

Click the link above. Now. Don’t put it off (hee hee).