Getting Better at Procrastination

I've yet to meet a person who doesn't procrastinate. It happens to the best of us, no matter how hard we try to avoid it.

We've got deadlines, so many tasks, people dependent on us, and instead of doing what we need to, we find other, unnecessary things to attend to cause we don't want to do what we have to.

I just recently found myself cleaning my daughter's shoes instead of sitting down and completing a tedious task I'd been avoiding.

It happened. I've got no excuse. But I also used that time to reflect on the task I was avoiding, and I came back better prepared to attack it once the shoes were clean. Really clean :)

When we procrastinate, we don't usually turn to another major task or something we've been delaying. We turn to an activity that's comfortable, easy, and simply fills our time. Watching Netflix, browsing YouTube, flipping through our phone, cleaning shoes, or washing the dishes, which is also some kind of therapy for me.

The thing is, that means we can give in to the procrastinating activity, yet we can also use that time to benefit: reflect, think, prepare, rehearse, and organize our thoughts to make the real task much more approachable. We can use the time to break the task down, outline our needs, paint the big picture, and get ourselves ready, even mentally.

This doesn't just make us feel like we're making some headway. It reduces the negative feelings we pile on ourselves because of the procrastination. Heck, we're taking a little time to better prepare ourselves. We're actually helping ourselves out. Aren't we?

Right, we're kind of lying to ourselves, but it is better than beating ourselves up, burning precious time, and coming out with nothing to show for it.

This way, at least we've made a few tiny steps toward the task we're about to take on.

So until you figure out a way to avoid procrastination, at least you can find a way to be better at it.