Ten Ways I’m Going to Break the Pattern this Year

Truth be told, I’ve been avoiding this post for a few days. And yes I get the irony in that statement.

See, I have a love/hate relationship with lists. I’m super organized so I like to make them but once they’re finished, they taunt me by pointing out everything that I still haven’t done…which I hate.

But in this case it’s necessary that I make a list of goals for this year, of things that I’ve talked about and put off doing for years. I just haven’t wanted to post the list because I worry about not coming through with it and facing failure on a much more public scale. But the advantage is that once this is out there, I will feel a certain amount of responsibility (aka guilt) to actually make them happen. At least that’s the hope.

But before I reveal the list, keep in mind that we’re in a tough economy and money is tight…so I’ve put things on my list that I can afford to do. And I’m hoping that by staying realistic, I’ll have a greater chance of actually accomplishing them!

1. Go ice skating

2. Go on a road trip

3. Learn to rock climb

4. Go snow tubing

5. Visit my out-of-state friends (specifically in Pittsburgh & Nashville)

6. Sign up for dance classes

7. Go horseback riding

8. Experience new cities

9. Do more volunteer work

10. Get out of the house more

Leading Causes of Why I Put EVERYTHING Off

In trying to get to the root of my procrastination, I’ve come up with the top five reasons why I tend to put crap off:

1. Laziness – yup, I put this one at the top of my list because it’s a biggie. It’s also fairly self-explanatory.

2. Avoidance – sometimes it just seems easier to avoid things and have them eventually disappear from the To Do list.

3. Indecisiveness – I have a long list of things I want to see and do but I abhor planning them because they involve so many decisions: when to go, what time, who to invite, how to get there, what to do when we get there, etc.

4. Lack of motivation – I know plenty of people (including my boyfriend) who are able to self motivate enough to work from home. I’m hoping one day to acquire that ability through osmosis.

5. Fear – I have the normal fears of spiders and whatnot, but I also have a fear of success. This might sound crazy, but success comes with a lot of change and responsibility…both of which I tend to run away from.

What Can You Not Do in Eleven Days?

Jan. 09 – after a successful night of writing, I indulge in one of my favorite pastimes – sleeping in! After a slow start, I spend the afternoon furiously cleaning before having friends over. I barely have time to shower, let alone blog!

Jan. 10 – I sleep in again (isn’t that what weekends are for?) and then spend more time cleaning after finally taking down the Christmas tree and decorations. As a reward for all the effort, I give myself the evening off to relax before going back to work.

Jan. 11 – Monday morning arrives all too soon and before long I’m smack in the middle of another crazy day at the office. But no matter how involved I am in a task, in the back of my mind I’m stressing about the blog. So even though it’s late by the time I get home from yoga class, I tell myself it’s now or never and pull out the laptop. With the blog already set up, it takes me no time at all to log in and upload my first post.

So with thirty minutes to spare before midnight, my blog is up for all to see! And I am PROUD of myself, which feels really good. Far better than the guilt and stress I usually live with.

But it’s also accompanied by nagging thoughts on whether I can keep up the momentum, or if I’ll fall back into my normal pattern of procrastination…

What Can You Not Do in Eleven Days?

I have a confession to make. My intention was to start this blog on January 1^st, as sort of a catalyst for how I want this year to go. Instead (ironically) my first post went up on January 11^th…eleven days after my deadline.

Below is a look inside the life of a procrastinator:

Dec. 31 – I declare to the world that I will start a blog.

Jan. 01 – I put off starting the blog for one short, quick day because I’m out of town for New Year’s. That’s a legitimate excuse right…?

Jan. 02 – I arrive home ready to get writing but instead spend the rest of the day comforting my sister after her break-up.

Jan. 03 – more comforting.

Jan. 04 – I give myself the night off after a long day back at work.

Jan. 05 – I give myself the night off again after another busy day at work and spend the evening with my sister.

Jan. 06 – umm, more of the above.

Jan. 07 – sigh, ditto.

Jan. 08 – so it’s now Friday and the only thing I feel like doing after work is a whole lot of nothing. Instead, I force myself to turn on my laptop and FINALLY start the blog. And it feels amazing to start writing, which (of course) makes me mad at myself for putting this moment off for a whole week. Then my momentary high is hit with a blow after I can’t get the blogspot address that I want. PANIC ENSUES! Thankfully my boyfriend is there to talk me down and help come up with the perfect solution. Afterwards, I head to bed, exhausted after my mini-breakdown...

…stay tuned for the exciting conclusion!

Long Weekends are like Kryptonite for To-Do Lists!

Like most weekends, this past one started off with the best intentions. I spent Friday’s commute home making a To-Do list in my head of all the projects that I would have time to work on over the next three days.

But then in a blink of an eye, it was Monday night and I hadn’t started even ONE thing on my list. The weekend had flown by in a haze of sleeping in (a hobby I take very seriously), cleaning, doing errands and hanging out with friends.

And so once again, I had to admit defeat. The holiday weekend and all of its magical free time had proved too much for me. Just like Superman becomes powerless against his enemies when kryptonite is around, the long weekend had rendered me powerless against my mortal enemy – procrastination!

But Superman never gave up on his quest to rid the world of bad guys and I’m not giving up on my quest to thwart my bad habit – I will persevere!

Deadlines are my Friends

Okay, so my genius solution to making sure I don’t slack off for another year is to start this blog. I’m a person that needs to have deadlines in order to accomplish most anything and having a blog to maintain is going to set those deadlines for me. And in it, I’m going to prove to myself that I can achieve my goals - thereby killing procrastination! (more on saving the world later)

You see, Live Love Life Now ®* is not only my mantra but also the name of my business. I’ve wasted too much time stuck in a monotonous routine of work, eating and sleeping and not enough time LIVING in the NOW. And I know I’m not alone.

I’m done with procrastinating my life away, how about you?

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* By the way, you’re the first one outside of my family to know about my company. And while I’m sure that you’re nice and trustworthy and whatnot, I have taken steps to protect the name…so don’t even think about it!

Sometimes Only a Slap Will Do

Once the dust settled, I brushed myself off and vowed that I wouldn’t let procrastination stand in my way anymore. I had a long list of missed opportunities in my past but I promised myself that I wasn’t going to let history repeat itself...again.

But as the first few months passed by, procrastination slowly won out. I would spend a few days working on my dream business, followed by weeks of doing nothing. And the vicious cycle continued for months and months.

So as 2009 came to a close, I was more than a little depressed and anxious about the coming year. Most people were excited about 2010 and getting a fresh start, but I was consumed with worry that I was going to procrastinate another year away and find myself in the same position next year. Same unfulfilling job. Same puny salary. Same feeling of failure.

*SMACK*

Thanks, I needed that!

Procrastination is like a Double Barrel Shotgun

For the past few years, I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I was always envious of my friends who had that figured out at a young age. I always thought that would make life so much easier.

Not knowing has always bothered me, but I never gave it much thought when I was in my early 20’s because I felt like I had all the time in the world to figure it out. But as I got closer to turning 30, I started to wonder if I’d ever discover what I wanted to be.

But after a few years of obsessive soul searching, I eventually came to the realization that my life goal was to get back to my art and start my own business. I wanted the life that I read about in my magazines. I wanted to be that successful designer working out of a home studio, surrounded by my family, making my own schedule and finding inspiration on trips around the world.

For one split second I was ecstatic!

And then procrastination, my mortal enemy, blew away my hope with a double barrel shotgun.

[proh-kras-tuh-neyt]

pro⋅cras⋅ti⋅nate [proh-kras-tuh-neyt, pruh-] verb

1. to defer action; delay: to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.
2. to put off till another day or time; defer; delay. [i]
3. to put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
4. to postpone or delay needlessly. [ii]

Holy shit!

That was the first thought that crossed my mind when I came across the above. I couldn’t have described myself better.

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[i] procrastination. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. Retrieved January 08, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/procrastination

[ii] procrastination. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved January 08, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/procrastination