Don't Procrastinate. Relax Now! My first two weeks without procrastination.

When I decided to go a month without procrastinating, I failed to take into account one critical factor: I have a Type A Personality. As such, I tend to be unapologetically goal driven. I spent the first couple of days avoiding TV and leisure, deciding instead to do more practical things such as laundry or meal prep, tasks which are generally considered good ideas, but rarely bring me joy. By the third day, I had to give myself permission to sit down and relax. It was honestly the best thing I could have done with my time, otherwise my sanity levels may have plummeted (although, I knew going in that down time was not procrastination, this important piece of knowledge somehow got lost in my goal-driven mindset).
 

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Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is sit and be still. 

Before beginning my month-long experiment, I thought a lot about what I might take away from the experience. A cleaner, more organized house. Five pounds lost. Several more chapters written/edited. An appreciation for how much stuff I could get done if I stopped thinking about doing it and just did it. The list goes on. One of the more surprising things I found is my need for mindfulness. I find myself often checking in with how I'm feeling, what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it. For example, now when I watch TV, I ask myself am I doing this because my mental resources are spent, or because I am avoiding doing an unpleasant task. Even more surprising to me (although probably no one else) is the amount of stuff that didn't get done. Not because I was procrastinating on doing it, but because I just didn't have the time to do it right away. It's validating to learn that I wasn't being unproductive, but rather just had too much to do. I sure this gem shocks very few people. For many people, this seems to be the new American lifestyle.

But, at the risk of being preachy, let me say this to everyone reading (myself included): give yourself a break. If you’re hard on yourself for not getting more done because you decided reading a book or watching TV was more pleasant, honor that taking time for yourself might be exactly what you needed and was the best thing for you to do with your time. Besides, who cares if you get loads of stuff done, if you’re miserable doing it all?

Don’t procrastinate. Relax now.

The Start of My Month Without Procrastination

“Procrastination is not the problem. It is the solution...” declared Ellen Degeneres at her 2003 Her and Now show. Her point was not that we should do nothing, but rather that we often are over-stressed, over-worked, and under-enjoying life. Ultimately, I agree with her. I find I often forget to stop and enjoy the moment.

This may seem an odd way to start a blog post about my month-long, no-procrastination experiment, but let me back up a little bit and explain. When I say a month of no procrastination, I do not mean my month- long slog to fill every waking moment with things to do. That would end with me as a puddle on my bedroom floor, frazzled into uselessness because I was so overwhelmed. There are always things that one could be doing. Instead, I mean to pursue each of my life goals without excuse or hesitation.

I want to know if I can have it all: good health and weight loss, an active social life, a strong marriage, a budding writing career, a great job in social work, and a clean house, to boot.

Can we have it all, or does something have to give?

I'll keep you updated.