Procrastination Station- We all allow our trains to stop there. How long do we allow our trains to stay here before the wheels rust and it bogs us down and takes us over? Every day that we stay in this place things are added to us and our load gets heavier and heavier. We all know that our dreams are where the tracks lead. It’s time to crank up that engine and leave this station in the dust! Every foot forward is a foot forward! Choo Choo! Time to Go!
We all have those things that we put off and put off. We say we will do it tomorrow, and tomorrow never comes. One day turns a week, a week becomes a month and before you know it, it has been 6 years and you still have not tackled it. And really given up.
Procrastination is poison.
Every time we procrastinate we are literally drinking a shot of poison. If we would only just do the “thing”, we would remove the shame, guilt, stress, aggravation, disappointment and self-loathing we are poisoning ourselves with.
When we do the things we have been putting off for ages an instant weight is lifted off of our shoulders, we are immediately proud of ourselves and usually think of how silly we are that we didn’t do this sooner.
Just as when seeing the “thing” we need to do bogs us down, it is actually ruining our self-esteem, and depressing us. Loads of our self-worth comes from the things we do or don’t do. The clutter in our lives really takes a toll on it as well. Guess what happens when we tackle it? Suddenly, every time we see the finished project we are uplifted, we feel proud, we stand a little taller, smile a little brighter. Which one do you think is better for your morale? We both know the answer to that!
Procrastination is one of the BIGGEST self-sabotagers we have as humans. It is literally a weight that we carry around. It physically drags us down, steals our energy, overwhelms us and literally makes us more tired by putting it off than it would to actually tackle the thing. We all know those people who work so hard at not working that it’s more work than doing the work itself… Is that us? Are we “that guy”?
Sure cleaning out the garage would take 2 hours of sweat! But the pride felt afterward will last for months and is so worth it. Every time we pull our car in or actually use the garage for what it’s meant for we are filled with pride and the amazing feeling of accomplishment!
What are some procrastinations in your life? Identify them! Start a to-do list. I know for me personally I procrastinate my workouts on my days off, thinking I’ll do a better workout than my usual rushed version on work days. And usually, I get busy procrastinating, cleaning the house, working on my computer, watching a show over breakfast that ends up being a whole season… oops… What if I stuck to a routine on my days off? I would surely get much more done. Sometimes we use procrastination to do busy work, or get things done what we have needed to do for a long time. We use other procrastinations to procrastinate the actual thing we should be doing! I know, that was a confusing sentence… For example, We use company coming in to do a much needed deep clean on the house. What if our house was always deep cleaned, and we could use the time before company comes in to do the extra things to make their stay more comfortable? Like writing them a letter to sneak into their bag before they leave or sit on their pillow telling them how grateful you are for them? Or use the time to plan some amazing adventures ahead of time instead of sitting around going what shall we do? Or… another example, When we have a paper or project due, and suddenly we need to eat everything in the house before we sit down and write or study… guilty!! ( ツ ) /
Starting today, let’s start our never-ending to-do list. Let’s set a schedule to give time for these to-dos to become “to-dones”- There is something SOOOO rewarding about checking or crossing things off of the list. The reason it will be a forever list is so that we can always look back at all the things we have accomplished and remember how much better those things were after they were done. To remember how freeing it felt to knock it off the list. And also to be a constant reminder of us to be proud of ourselves!
Not all things we procrastinate are work,
we procrastinate fun too!
Don’t forget to add fun to this to-do list! It’s just as bad to procrastinate the good things as the bad. Maybe even worse! Schedule in some fun- lunch with friends, Take your computer to a new place to work- for me, I love to take my mac to the lake and sit on the bench and work on my book. Go play basketball with your family or some friends. Maybe some tennis- I have to bring the dog, as I tend to hit “home runs” every time! haha! Maybe I’ll start a new sport, baseball with tennis rackets in the yard. That seems to be more my style. Either way, let’s schedule in time for unlimited Laughter. That is what we need the most!
Add a date with friends once a month to the list — get together over good food and good company!
Add creative kids time — Give your kids 1-2 hours creative time WITH you every week. (Without gadgets & TV). See what you can paint, see what you can cook together, see how bad or good you are at new sports together. Take a photography or pottery class together. Just discover and explore new things together! It’s so much fun!
We never know what secret talents and gifts
we have hidden inside until we explore all the possibilities!
Add time with your beloved. And unbreakable date night. Take a cooking or dancing class together, start a side business together. Find FUN ways to spend time together, things that teach us to work together in things. It may be the biggest blessing on your marriage ever. Stick with it and work out the kinks, we all have them. Learn to use each of our strengths to work together instead of butting heads. Learning new things is fun. Plus its better than sitting on the couch not speaking for hours!
Don’t forget to add your dreams and desires and goals to the list as well! Your purposes are waiting to be fulfilled, and once our burdens are lifted we can start to see and make time for the “want to’s” not just the “have to’s”… and that my dear is where Happiness begins! Add them to the list! This is YOUR LIFE LIST! It is not a burden, it is a gift!
We all know that procrastination is bad for morale,
and life in general, why do we do it?
Maybe we just need to change the story in our head that we are telling ourselves that is talking us out of doing what we need to do. We have to take care of business. Now rather than later.
Change your Mindset, Change your world.
Instead of thinking of the dread of cleaning out your closet. Go through and think of all the people you can bless with the shirt or shoes you have not worn in years. Be thankful that you have been blessed with so much that you have the chance to bless others with it!
Go through your closet looking at things with a Joy meter. If this shirt doesn’t bring you joy, It’s meant for someone else. It will bring someone else Joy. Let it go! If that someday dress that you bought five years ago for when you loose weight burdens your heart, let it go. If it brings you hope, then put it out where you can see it and try it on every day to keep you on track. Make it bring you joy, or ALLOW it to bring someone else joy!
Same with your garage, If you have not used the bicycle in 5 years, Give it to someone who could really use it. Maybe someone can’t afford a car yet and needs something to help them get to work, or maybe go find a homeless person who needs it and gives it to them. Maybe, you have baby clothes in the attic and your child is now taller than you… Donate them to a teen mom who is doing the best she can to even buy diapers, wouldn’t hurt to throw some money and extra diapers in there for her either. Her struggle is bigger than most of us will ever know.
Why put off tomorrow what you can get done today?
You never know what tomorrow holds!
Commit to starting. That, after all, is the hardest part. Make a commitment today that you will spend 10 minutes a day on your procrastination list! You will feel so much better for it. Daily. Your demeanor will change, you will feel more freedom with every check mark you make on that list and that in itself will better I promise!
I personally am going to not get on social media or turn on the mac or the TV- UNTIL my workout is done. Even on my days off, I am going to use my breakfast time to read, write or do something uplifting, instead of mind numbing uselessness. I will save the tv show (season) for after my “chores are done.” It’s much better to enjoy something without the “guilt” of what I should be doing, isn’t it? YES!
What are you Procrastinating about?
Call that family member that you have not spoke to in years.
Call that long lost friend from 3rd Grade.
Go to the Doctor and have that spot checked.
We have to stop procrastinating through our life. There is so much fun to be had, so many talents and gifts to find and so much clutter in our lives to remove. If it’s clutter to you, it will be a blessing to others.
10 minutes a day is all it takes to completely shift your life,
With each burden you tackle, the weight is lifted off.
With each self-sabotaging habit, you remove, self-confidence is built.
With each relationship you mend, or rebuild, Love grows in your heart.
The rewards are endless! Start today. Starting really is the hardest part. Don’t put anything else off to burden your heart, bog down your mind, and add weight to your shoulders! Take charge and knock that list out like a boss! You don’t even have to bribe yourself (although I’m not above it!) The reward you get from knocking out things that were burdening you is beyond payment enough! You will see! Share your conquers with us in the comments below! Can’t wait to see how much happier you are when your burdens are gone.
Be Set Free from burdens and pain. Don’t allow your train at the procrastination station anymore. It no longer serves you! You have dreams to follow, purposes to fulfill and happiness to find. It all begins with knocking off the rust and kicking that to-do lists butt! Make yourself proud! You deserve it!
Inspired? Let us know! What thoughts did this bring up for you?