how to not procrastinate

Ha, good luck.

I don’t know make a list

Put stuff on the list that is easy to do.

Start with the easy stuff, hopefully that builds some momentum and you can start doing the harder stuff.

Hopefully that momentum translates into a can-do attitude. Hopefully that can-do attitude turns into all sorts of confidence. Hopefully that confidence helps you get all your shit done.

I’m writing this blog post at night…..I was going to write this blog post in the morning.

I’m probably not the best person to ask how not to procrastinate.

Sometimes I put stuff on my calendar to do. I try to put things that I can only do at night, at night. Stuff I need to do for work, I put as a calendar event during the work day.

Some people say to give yourself made-up deadlines. When I have a deadline I’m more likely to get that done on time. But usually not until the last minute. Really it’s not so much about not procrastinating, it’s about trying to be proactive instead of reactive. Instead of reacting with anxiety and stress to a deadline that is looming and getting things done quickly and in a scramble. It’s looking way out to a deadline that is months away and chipping away on the task, little bits at a time until it’s done.

Who the hell does that?

The only thing I have found that kind of mimics that stress now for a later deadline is to think of projects that I actually want to do. Like creative approaches. Like things that I am excited about and have started to tell people about. The fear that I might have to tell someone that the thing I was so excited about last summer that I was going to have out this fall….yeah I didn’t do that. That perceived future shame can sometimes be a present moment catalyst to get started. So from there I break it down into lists. Listing out even the smallest things, like call so and so and ask a question. But again this approach relies on panic. It’s not really sustainable. It fizzles out. And that’s exactly what happens. I’ll have a flurry of activity and then I’ll feel accomplished and then something else will come up that’s flaming higher and I’ll focus on that and weeks will go by before I remember to re-look at that other thing. Usually it’s another panic moment. Cold sweat moment just before falling asleep.

So I guess the only way not to procrastinate is to live in a constant state of panic….there ya go. That should work.