I’m laughing as I type this blog. You know that Stephanie and Shonna and I were really trying hard to overcome our procrastination issues this past month. Steph and I seem to be the worst at procrastination. (I don’t know what Shonna’s bad at – I’m beginning to think she’s an alien because I can’t think of any of her faults right now!) But Steph and I both made a point of typing up our blogs early, getting them queued days ahead of time, sometimes having a blog ready two weeks early.
Then, when Anti-Procrastination Month was over, Stephanie got lost in the middle of her busy life on Monday. And I woke up Thursday morning (your Wednesday afternoon) to an email from Shonna asking if I was okay because I hadn’t blogged yet. My first response – Oh, crap!!!
LOL!
I find it hilarious that Stephanie and I can only seem to keep up a front for anti-procrastination. The month apparently didn’t have any long-term effects on the way we work. Because here we are acting like we usually do – what? my blog is due today? but I have, like, four days left till – oh, wait, if yesterday was Sunday then today must be Monday and oh crap!
LOL!
I hope you don’t mind all the laughter on my end. It’s me coming to grips with the possibility that I’m just going to have to figure out a way to work with my personality quirks instead of trying to change them. I am a huge proponent of self-improvement, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes you have to stop for a minute and ask yourself how much energy you’re wasting trying to push a boulder uphill. Maybe you should see if there is another way to reach your goal.
If I’ve learned anything from the past month, it’s what I’ve thought about in the last ten minutes since Shonna emailed me: borrowing from Peter to pay Paul is not a long-term solution. I accomplished a lot last month. Many things were vitally important like finishing my taxes. But in the end, I found myself on Sunday morning realizing I had eight days to finish four projects for school, all of them 40-50% of my grade in the class. That gave me two days per project to finish them. (They were all started, but none were complete.)
So I spent the last four days finishing two of the projects – and feeling quite good about it. I rarely checked email or Facebook. My husband took over all the household tasks. I only took time to take a shower in the morning and make a peanut butter and jam sandwich at lunch, then run to class at night. I worked hard and I was so impressed with myself!
Until this morning. When I realized I was still borrowing and stealing time, juggling more things than I apparently had time for, and fighting off the effects of that lifestyle – a knock-me-down cold.
So what have I learned? See me grinning and chuckling again! I don’t know!! I did great last month only to find I started out this month already out of time! All I can tell you is – thank God I’m in the mood to laugh about it instead of whine and curse. LOL! Because I don’t know how else to get through it!
How about you? Please, someone tell me you’re the same way! LOL! I don’t want to feel alone in this. Have you tried to change and found that some parts of you simply are the way they are? Have you found ways to work around them and still achieve your goals? I wish I could get God to send me a message of some kind telling me which things aren’t going to change that I just need to work with, and which things I should take the time and energy to work at because they really will improve with effort. LOL!
While I wait for your replies, I’m going back to the homework. Four days to finish two projects. I know I can do it! So long as there is nothing else I forgot that I procrastinated about! 
Related Articles
6 users responded in this post
Every time I try to cram too much into my day I pay for it. I’m learning that there are only so many things I can do, and as a result I’ve scaled back on my expectations – oddly enough, I seem to get more accomplished that way. So my advice is, your personality and work methods are what they are. If you learn to work with them rather than against them, you’ll be more productive and feel better. And not get colds.
A big, big lesson I’ve learned is to not fill my days so full that I don’t have real down time. I’ve heard that you should leave 40-50% of your schedule free of commitment. That gives plenty of buffer for those things that take longer than expected and it also gives you real down time. I really need some stare-into-space-nothing-productive-getting-done time. When my days are too scheduled for too long, my mind goes on strike and just takes that time. Or, like the past 3 weeks, if there isn’t enough structure.
It’s all about finding that balance. And, Kitty, I don’t think we’ll ever “arrive,” but laughter makes the journey fun.
Jane and Stephanie, you guys are so right. I became an adult learning what was expected of adults during the time when we were going crazy learning how to multitask and use up every minute you had doing something productive, and even though it can get me in trouble, it’s hard to get away from those old (sometimes bad) habits. But I’m slowly learning to create a system that works for me… VERY slowly learning! LOL! Grad school is really helping me find my limits!
John Maxwell talks about playing to your strengths. I wonder what he says about the paths to productivity. There’s that old quote, “The more things change, the more things stay the same.” I wonder if the “system” is a constant state of flux led by God. What if we don’t have to have a method? And our routine is a routine of nonroutine?
Kathleen, I was thinking about Maxwell when I was writing this, trying to figure out how to use his wisdom in this issue. The one thing that works for me when I’m overwhelmed with a to-do list is to ask – what has to be done TODAY/NOW? Today, I have to write a paper. Yesterday I had to finish a paper. Tomorrow I have to finish a chapter to turn in as homework. Monday I have to pick up my brother at the airport. On these days, I have focused on the ONE thing I know I have to do next. Perhaps that’s the answer you’re talking about – a nonroutine that is nonetheless a working routine… Hmmm…
I think some people are just natural procrastinators. I know I am, and fighting it got me nowhere. When I used to set myself what other peole might consider reasonable daily word targets, I got very stressed at the fact that I rarely achieved them, or when I did what I produced was not much good. I’ve been a lot happier and actually more productive since I accepted that I am a slow writer. I may plod along now, but at least I am getting there!
Leave A Reply