Procrastination: It's Exhausting
It’s funny because it’s true! We think about doing a task for far longer than it usually takes to accomplish. We know this, but we keep mentally dredging through the project rather than getting up and physically doing it. Much like this long overdue post! It’s such a strange phenomenon. I enjoy writing, I love my business, and yet.
There’s a lot of deep and heavy psychology as to why we procrastinate. Authoritarian parenting style can be to blame. The need to use avoidance coping mechanisms or self-regulation might be the culprit. I think I’ll use the rebellion theory as my excuse. Psychology aside, when it comes to organizing, I’ll boil it down to a simple yuck factor. It takes work.
Most of us are painfully aware there’s a difference between the everyday and the someday of organizing. Like twins, these two kinds of days stem from the same source but have different demands. And boy, does Someday try and hog the attention! I avoid Someday by focusing on Everyday, knowing full well Someday is still yanking at my shirt. A room’s dead zone I’ve tuned out, the closet I can shut the door on, the pile of papers that get shuffled from one box to another in hopes of looking orderly.
These Someday projects stare me down as I tend to Everyday’s dishes, emails, errands, you name it. Anything to dodge the emotional hassle of Someday.
Kevin Kruse suggests in his Forbes Magazine article The Truth Behind Why We Procrastinate to look to our future self to anticipate how we might feel if given the chance to accomplish a task sooner than later.
“If you’re tempted to procrastinate, find a way to visualize your future self. Focus on the pain that results from putting things off, contrasted with the relief of having completed your task. If you can do this successfully, your future self will thank you.”
(https://www.forbes.com/…/the-truth-behind-why-we-procrast…/…)
Over the years, Someday and I have slowly become friends. With deliberate action and a strong desire for change, we’ve become closer than I ever dreamed we could be! I discovered that when I push through the yuckiness of procrastination and invite Someday into my home, I evolve and flourish. A resulting transformation may seem obvious, yet this wonderful benefit of organizing often went unheeded by yours truly. I’ve learned there is great satisfaction in grappling with those shunned projects and a palpable relief in not having Someday continually tapping the back of my head (GHAAA!! STOP IT ALREADY!!!).
The daily joy and calm that comes from a decluttered home is sometimes a hard-won battle. However, when you put excuses aside, steel yourself for action, and most importantly, have a cheerleader to laugh through the process with you, tangible benefits happen in no time at all. And you can finally (finally!) kiss Someday goodbye.
