procrastination is, hands down, our favorite form of self-sabotage. - Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby
Today, I got smacked in the face by procrastination. Recognize these thoughts?
"It's not the right time"
"I don't know where to start"
"I'm not sure if this is the right decision"
and so on...
Well, because I procrastinated I have to adjust my plan, which was completely unneccesary. It feels like I have to keep up with yesterday, while I want to be busy with today and tomorrow. My instant gratification monkey was behind the wheel. Thanks Tim Urban, you made me procrastinate a little more by watching your (funny!) youtube video on this subject ;)
BUT..
Instead of sitting around and feeling bad about and for myself, I decided to write this post and this might help others to start on the things they are procrastinating on.
Tell others what you are dealing with. They might even have an idea or they will offer you to help.
Take the first step. Martin Luther King Jr. already said it: "You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step". It doesn't matter what it is (e.g. starting a blog, financial issues), but you instantly have this weird feeling of relief (even though you are just starting). It's because you are taking charge!
Be nice to yourself. Yes, you procrastinated. But what good will it do if you keep blaming yourself that you didn't start sooner? Self-forgiveness can reduce future procrastination, according to this article.
Write down your ultimate goal. Visualize your goal, write it down or make a beautiful art piece out of it (e.g. a vision board). Put it somewhere in your home where you can see it everyday, which reminds you (un)consiously about your goal and how it makes you feel when you'll achieve it.
Set short-term goals. When your ultimate goal is to have a successful blog which provides you with enough income to quit your job, where do you start? Set yourself short-term goals like: I will write a blogpost every day or by the end of the month, I want to earn 50USD. Make it tangible.
Say "no" to things that won't help achieve your goal. When there's no goal, it's hard to know where you can say no to (always makes me feel a little guilty). But when you have a clear vision of your goal, it makes it so much easier to say no.
Take care of yourself before taking care of anyone else. It might seem selfish, but you'd do more harm than good ;) Good luck and show me those vision boards! Can't wait to see what everyone else is procrastinating on (hmmm... I wonder why that is..).