Curing Procrastination

"You can't escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." - Abraham Lincoln

This quote came to me in one of the emails I get from my new favourite website SparkPeople.com Yes, I know some of you are getting sick of me and SparkPeople, but I don't care. It's a great website! And for now, a constant source of positive energy pour moi.

So as anyone who knows me knows or should know I have a long history with procrastination. Look up procrastination in the dictionary and you're liable to see my father's picture with an inset of me as the princess in training to carry on the family tradition. I'm saying, I get it honest, but I'm not blaming Dad (cuz I know J was getting ready to jump on that blame Dad bandwagon) I accept full responsibility for my own actions. I'm just saying, I didn't dig it up from under a rock in the backyard.

For me, I think my procrastination is tied up a lot with my perfectionism. If there's no time to get it done "right" I become paralyzed and unable to even begin. Like if I can't do all the laundry all the time (like in Sackville, where I did a load everyday) then I won't do any until I'm completely out of clothes and linens and there's dirty laundry piled in every nook and cranny of my bedroom. Yeah, I didn't say it wasn't weird. (ASIDE: Great news! I'm getting a washer and dryer of my very own! Laundry OCD resumes shortly!) Now with laundry, other types of housework, getting enough exercise, even eating right, this really isn't a major problem. I mean it's a problem, but it doesn't effect anyone else, only me and my house or my health. BUT when procrastination carries over into work . . . Houston, we have a problem!

So late last autumn/early winter (right after my third hard drive of 2006 arrived, bnm launched in print, etc.) I launched an attack on my procrastination. Because my workload quadrupled and I need to be on top of my game, all the time, everyday, to make a go of it. There's no more time for procrastination in my work life. It can't exist. I changed my screensaver to scroll DO IT NOW! in teal script. Because really, that's all that is required to overcome procrastination. It's very simple. Just do it! It shouldn't be that hard. Right? Well, actually, it kinda is. Some days are better than others. Some days I feel like I've got the world by the tail. Some days I feel like the world's got me by the tail. Some days I'm immobilized. Some days I get a lot done. Getting organized, staying organized, being on the top of my game with regard to work is one of the two major goals I've set out for myself to accomplish in 2007. I feel like I'm making progress, despite set-backs, despite the bad days, despite missed deadlines and disappointments. I may be only inching along like a caterpillar rather than charging ahead like a wild bull, but at least I'm moving forward. And I feel pretty good about that. I can build on this momentum.

Mood: optimistically doing it now
Drinking: water and the last cuppa Canadian Joe
Listening To: the killers
Hair: damp still from shower and starting to curl every which way