Procrastination..... Are You In?

The frog in our pond

I do not know if any of you are like me, but I have a tendency to procrastinate, perfect example, this post. If you are, we are in good company then. Sometimes, procrastination can be a good thing and sometimes it is a very bad thing. These are some tips and tricks I have found to be useful and helping me. Lets dig in.

When can procrastination be a good thing, maybe you want on that train? I think instead of saying procrastination here, think more of the idea of things just not coming together well. You are well intentioned, trying to make something work, give it your best and it is not happening and sometimes, you are just procrastinating. Then, pow. It hits you like brick, it was actually a good thing you were not able to follow through with your plans. I know this has happened for me, I keep trying, telling myself to just do it, and in the end I am great full it did not turn out. This is not most of the time though, the rarity. More often than not, I am just not getting my crap together and doing what I need to do. This is when procrastination becomes a bad thing.

We can procrastinate for many different reasons:
We are scared.
Do not know what steps to take next.
The task ahead of us, is too large and overwhelming us.
No good reason, we just do not do what we need to.
Among many others, I am sure you are inserting yours right know.

I know for myself and many of the clients, I become exhausted when I procrastinate. I make the task bigger than what it really is. I run over it and over it in my head and get know where, other than not doing what I need to even longer. Then I am more tired, it ways me down, it is bigger, I think you get the idea.

Here are some steps I have taken and my clients and used with great success.

• I tell myself, suck it up princess, no one else is going to do it for you. Buck up and go do it, get over it. For me, this does work really well. Sometimes, I think I might be afraid of myself, tactic works.
• I heard it put this way one day, eat your frog first thing in the morning. I cannot remember where, I think it is a book...? But the idea is, if you had to eat a frog everyday, if you do it first thing, then it does not wear you down, tax you, you have ample energy to do everything you need or want to do for the day. By doing that thing you hate first, it is over with first thing and the rest of your day is energized, you have accomplished a great task and everything else is much easier. Eat your frog. I have heard frogs legs are suppose to be good?
• Figure out why you are procrastinating, is it fear, not knowing what to do next, in a funct? Once you have figured this out, you can begin taking steps forward to fix the problem.
• If you are facing a large task, chunk it down into small, bite sizes actions that are manageable. When it is too large, we do not know where to begin and can become lost in the enormity of the project. Instead of the whole picture, take a pixel instead. 
• Take a first step. By taking the first step, we get the ball rolling, this helps to clear things up in our minds. We have a path to begin to go down. It does not matter as much at this point if this is the right path or not, you have to start somewhere. You might not know what is right until you begin. The point is, you started.

A few ideas. What have you found works for you in dealing with your procrastination?
Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
God bless,
Jenn