Procrastinators Anonymous September 23, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Mindfulness, People.trackback
Sometimes the hardest step to take is the first.
We look with longing in the direction of our goals and dreams while remaining rooted where we are.
We hold ourselves back out of fear of the unknown, self-doubt, failure to prioritize, forgetting to focus on what matters, guilt, or routine and habit.
We love to procrastinate!
The only way to succeed is to START. A sure way to fail is not to even TRY.
Need some motivation? Want to avoid the time and expense of psycho-analysis? Wondering about the root cause of your pro-cras-ti-na-tion?
Check out the booklet Kathy created to motivate children to STOP making excuses . . . and START getting things done:
BEARable ~ It May Be Hard But It Is Bearable.
Kathy’s video speaks to the inner child in us . . . the one prone to throwing tantrums and stomping his/her feet in frustration at having too much to do.
Aah . . . that’s better!
What about you?
Are you a card carrying member of Procrastinators Anonymous?
Do you always have an excuse ready as to why you can’t begin?
Quote to Ponder: If we limit our choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, we disconnect ourselves from what we truly want; all that’s left is compromise. ~ Robert Fritz
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Spirit Lights The Way 
Hang-on…
I’m going to come up with a really good excuse…
any day now…
I’m gonna’ do it…
really…
🙂
It’s too h~a~r~d and I’m too t~i~r~e~d . . . and it wasn’t much of a plan anyway. 😉
Leo Babuta, on his blog Zen Habits, gave a tip that changed my working life. He said, write down the most important thing you have to do today. Then, take one step toward getting it done. Just one.
As you said, once you start, you keep going, and then you feel so great afterward!
I agree, Julie ~ momentum builds because a body in motion tends to stay in motion.
Sometimes I do Just One Thing to get started:
Other times, I tackle the most dreaded task first:
Procrastinators Anonymous? I don’t belong to that one. However, I AM a charter member of “Procrastinators TheLotOfUs”
Yours in the second post about procrastination I’ve read and responded to today.
))
Thanks, Rik. I’m not surprised. Procrastination is a common ailment with a variety of excuses masking it ~ excuses designed to obscure the reality of the “I-don’t-wanna-do-it” blues.
You know I’ve been meaning to comment on your other post from today and here I am reading this instead….
Procrastination + Distraction- Motivation = Perfect Together
Procrastinators unite… tomorrow!
I’ll gladly attend . . . next Tuesday. 😉
I used to be the world’s biggest procrastinator – until I read, ‘A job started is a job half done.’ That has helped me knuckle down, haha.
There is genius in just starting . . . it builds momentum and moves us that much closer to the FINISH line.
Did you know I am the president of Procrastinators Anonymous…I am so hoping to be demoted and even kicked out of the group entirely!
When I’ve got the “I-don-wanna” blues . . . I’m quite adept at dragging my heels. 😀
I would have read this post two days ago, but you procrastinated and didn’t get it up until today. I will definitely give due consideration to joining PA – tomorrow. . .
Perfectly put, Paula! 😀
I was going to comment on this earlier, but then…well you know what happened. Another member for PA!
If it’s not one thing . . . it’s another. 😉
I had to sit through a long slowwww meeting today…and it seems that a number of those avoidance/procrastination habits from Bearable were appealing in that situation too… fooling around with my cell phone? check …. drawing? check…. day dreaming? check….. doing nothing? check ….. grumpy minded check….it turns out that my avoidance skills are quite versatile…. 🙄 I like the name of that club…”Procrastinators TheLotOfUs” …
Yes, indeed, we are adept at distracting ourselves from situations that do not appeal. 😀
I read Kathy’s book on procrastination, and I went back tonight to read it again as the message is a good one, and fun too!
Will be catching up with your blog – there are topics that I know I will enjoy reading, as I enjoy reading and writing about spiritual and inspirational subjects. 🙂
Welcome to SLTW. Posts tend to focus on being more mindful as we maneuver through life . . . from different angles, such as happiness, decreasing stress, not holding on to anger, not getting too caught up in what “they” think, etc.
You can search by key word . . . or by subject matter. Enjoy!
I procrastinate over housework. I hate it. But I have a few little helpers now! 🙂 They procrastinate too. 😦
Aah, housework with little helpers . . . make it a game.
Set the timer for an hour, put on some music and . . . GO!
S/He who gathers the most dust wins.
FANTASTIC: Thanks for the link, Nancy!
Kathy shares lots of inspiration on her site . . . but I like her Bearable booklet the best. So relevant to so many.
I don’t have a problem with procrastination. I’m great at starting tasks but terrible at going the distance. I get things 90-95% complete and then run out of steam, interest and enthusiasm for finishing the project. What’s the word for that????
I know what you mean, Jeanne. And I’m sure there is a word for it, but I don’t know what the word might be.
I’m like that with my novels . . . I stop just short of finishing them . . . that way I don’t have to do the hard work of editing. 😀
The odd thing is I don’t think the Pilgrams or the Pioneers were procrastinators so what happened to the rest of us? I am a huge procrastinor.
The pilgrims and the pioners needed food, shelter, and clothing to survive. If they had procrastinated in planting or harvesting crops, they wouldn’t have survived. Plus, the only distractions they had were a few simple games, and the Bible.
In contrast, most of us aren’t fighting for our survival on a daily basis . . . and we have many distractions available.
But if you wait long enough maybe it will evaporate and you won’t have to do it after all. Or why doesn’t someone else do it for a change?
You’re right, Carl. Instead of dragging our heels under the assumption that IT must be done and we must be the one to do IT . . . we can cross IT off our “To Do” list entirely:
Not My Problem, mon! 😎
Aah . . . that’s better.
And once we start… we get on a roll and things get done… starting is the demon in the cage. Great post! 🙂
Well put. I agree. Starting is the biggest part of the battle . . . followed closely by dotting our “i’s” and crossing our “t’s.”
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