Dealing with procrastination

Are you a fan of putting things off constantly?

Hi everyone! 

Last entry was about finishing what we start and I hope some of the tips were useful for you!!  (please leave your comments ) 

Today I'm going back to the point of getting started, LOL, because I must confess I have suuuch a hard time getting started on tasks I don't enjoy or find boring or I feel I don't have "enough time" to do them... so I put them off constantly.  In other words, I have become a master of procrastination!   

Ok, just as a brief reference, and as far as I've read and experienced, procrastination can be caused by many factors (that are actually traps), such as:

- Perfectionism - I think this is one of the main reasons, we feel we need for the perfect time to arrive to do something, or that if we can't do something perfectly, it's not a good idea to do it. e.g. I don't have "enough" time to organize my closet - because it may take me more than an hour - so I don't even think about getting started.

- Not knowing how to do something - And thus, not even daring to start.  

E.g. I want to do a scrapbook album of my last trip, but  I don't know how to scrspbook like a pro ( just as I've seen on Pinterest) Also, I don't have a clear idea how long it will take me, so I may fall into trap #1

- Not wanting to do smt, dreading the task - Whether it is because you find it annoying and jus't don't enjoy doing it (e.g. laundry)  or that it literally scares you ( like going to the dentist or doctor) I think this another important reason (or probably the number one)  of why we don' t get started and constantly put off things.

Having identified these possible reasons, you may be thinking that you relate to one of them, or maybe it is the combination of the three!

Now the important issue is... how do you overcome them?  How can you win the battle against procrastination?

Maybe, just like I do, you are aware that you tend to fail because you are perfectionist, or you do 't know or  jus't don't enjoy doing a certain task, and that is why you put it off on a daily basis, and you're also aware these are all traps and excuses that lead you to a vicious cycle of 

Procrastination, feeling miserable and overwhelmed.  SO WHAT DO YOU DO?

The answers may be simple:  JUST DO IT!  And what's best, do it right away  (eg follow the one/two minute rule mentioned on last entry) or set an specific time and commit yourself to doing it, etc.

Unfortunately, as simple as that sounds, it is still soo hard to put it into practice, right?  At least for me, it's still really hard)

Soooo? I think it's time to set our first challenge!! : We are going to identify one single chore we tend to procrastinate (or that we have procrastinated for a long time) and we will to just do it! (Begin by getting started and then do what it takes to finish it)

We'll be following this up on Instagram and facebook, so you can comment what that task is, and how are we doing   (hashtags: #procrastinationchallenge or #amjchallenge1)

It will be one month and a chance to encourage each other to do whatever it has been hard for us to get started on (or finish!)

Note:  If there are too much things you tend to procrastinate, for now just focus only on one or two at most; the most important, or the  ones that have been put off the longest, so you feel free from the burden.

So, what are we waiting for? Hope we don't procrastinate on this challenge and start getting our tasks -or projects- done!

Take care,

Alorsie