Benefits of procrastination: If you’re a procrastinator, then I’d suggest perhaps finding things you can “get good” at procrastinating with. Like, if there’s that sugar-filled treat you want to eat today, just procrastinate it! Let yourself say that you’ll eat it tomorrow! Or, that point you wanted to prove to someone, just so you could “Win” that argument, let it wait until tomorrow. Then, when tomorrow comes, procrastinate again. . .and again and again and again. In this way, you’ve leveraged something that’s a struggle into a gain! I’ve been doing this when I procrastinate editing my book. Any time I stall out editing, I start to have negative self-talk (aka blasting myself verbally and in my mind for missing a deadline).
So, I’ve decided instead of procrastinating editing my book, I’m going to procrastinate my negative self-talk! I just tell myself I can lambast myself tomorrow. For now, for today, I’m going to sit down and edit. Like I said, kind of wonky…but it can work!
On the flip side, if this sounds too ludicrous to try, then just start the activity you’ve been putting off but set a time limit – at least 15 minutes. Set a timer (doesn’t matter if you have the old-school kitchen timer-dials, or a stopwatch that beeps, or a smart device, or whatever 2020 gadget you’re using), just set it and start. You’ll be amazed at what you accomplish during those 15 minutes! I’m better at some areas than others. I’ve been working with a writing coach who’s encouraged me to schedule time for 15 minutes per day, every day for 2 weeks to work on my book because my perfectionism keeps getting in the way of making progress on it. I thank him for this tip. At first, I struggled but then I just started doing it. Now, I’m inching towards completing my first book!
What is one thing you procrastinate? Could you try doing it for just 15 minutes . . . just start for 15 minutes and see how it goes?
After you tried it, what progress did you make? How did it go?
Shay Vasudeva, MA (Psychology), MS (Kinesiology), NFPT-CPT, NASM-CPT-CES, THSA-CNT, and Tai Chi & Black Belt Karate Instructor, is also a Member of The Author’s Guild and Ambassador to the Phoenix, AZ Chapter. She is the owner and founder of ShayTheCoach and ShayTheCoachWriting, companies that help people become the best version of SELF by simplifying heady topics through the written and spoken word. She is an author, educator and international speaker in the wellness industry.
Call 480-294-9952 or e-mail [email protected] to find out more or to book Shay for a writing project or to speak with your organization.
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