The dictionary defines procrastination as “to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.”
Now everyone has procrastinated at some point or delayed taking action in a certain situation, but when procrastination becomes a real issue, it can seriously affect your performance and, in turn, all areas of your life.
Perhaps you miss opportunities because you delay taking action– or you receive late notices because you don’t pay your bills on time. Maybe you delay starting a work project until the deadline is immediate. Or you leave your gift shopping until the last minute.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Before we can look at a technique to change this behavior, it’s important to consider just a few reasons why you may procrastinate.
First, you may decide that tomorrow seems like a better day to get started– or if you can’t give something a lot of time (like the whole day), there’s no sense in getting started.
This is really a stalling response because you don’t feel like doing the activity.
People who might be termed “feel good” types—where feeling good or enjoying something is most important to them—are often procrastinators. They are looking for instant good feelings rather than a delayed gratification that comes from doing the task and not feeling good now at this moment– but feeling good later when the task is completed.
The trouble is that if you delay doing the task, if you’re a feel-good type, you probably won’t feel any more like doing it tomorrow than you did today.
Second, many procrastinators tell themselves that they work better under pressure. These people are often perfectionists. Did you know that perfectionism and procrastination go hand in hand?
You see, by waiting, you may be giving yourself permission to limit the amount of time you have to work on something and, therefore, giving yourself the excuse of accepting the end result based on not having enough time to make it perfect! You get yourself off the “it has to be perfect” hook. And you may even get a rush out of the last-minute push while settling for whatever the end product becomes.
And there’s still another type of procrastinator: Some people avoid doing the task because they are what I call “decision-impaired”—and by that I mean that they have difficulty making a decision because they’re concerned about making the wrong decision. Of course, they forget that not deciding or delaying too long can create a decision.
So, to end the procrastination game, you have to understand that you’re probably getting some kind of pay-off from that behavior, like those we’ve mentioned, or you would be unlikely to continue to procrastinate.
You see, if you’re trying to change a behavior, but you ultimately (consciously or subconsciously) gain more from staying the same than from changing, you will find it more difficult to change that behavior. So you have to decide what the pay-off is.
Once you realize that the pay-off, such as feeling good, settling for less than a perfect result, or avoiding making a decision, doesn’t really benefit you ultimately, you can change what you’re doing.
Here are just a few tips:
First– just get started. Take a step. Don’t get hung up on how. Don’t look at the clock and decide that you don’t have enough time. Break your task into manageable steps and, seriously, just get started.
Second—if you’re a feel-good type who avoids getting started, you have to realize that when you tell yourself that you’ll feel more like doing your task later, that you’re lying to yourself. You’re actually going to feel really good when you complete the task. That’s the real feel-good time. So remain focused, willing, and committed to your goal.
And some people plan a reward that they will receive after the completion of the task which motivates them to keep going.
Above all, focus on taking action and keep yourself moving. You can change your motivation and the quality of your daily life!
Often, we suffer because we have roamed so far from our true core that we don’t know who we are. We haven’t looked into our own vulnerable hearts. What do you need? What does your heart wish to tell you?
We may run from our inner awareness because we feel that if we actually gave attention to our hearts, we would be overwhelmed.
Our perceptions are what make our life sacred or monstrous. These perceptions create our point of view about who we are, who other people are, and about life itself. We engage in our life dramas every day and are partnered with other cast members to share life’s lessons. Our issues and fears cause us to protect our real needs and even to negotiate away our power.
We may respond to life by making adjustments that cause us to cut off essential parts of ourselves to stay present with people and situations. We may deny our emotions because we’re afraid our partner will leave us. We may do work that does not inspire us because it keeps us feeling secure.
We decide how we think the world is and create a list of judgments about ourselves and others. The items on our list feel very real even though we don’t always check out the validity of them. We assume that we have to accept something because “that’s the way it is or it has always been that way.”
Here’s the key: Your freedom lies in challenging your beliefs, in removing any mask that keeps you from being your real “you,” and in waking up from the trance you have been living in.
Most people have at some point had a dream of flying. The more creative you are, the more likely you are to have flying dreams.
Flying dreams are considered “spiritual” and are seen as symbolic of several possibilities. They may indicate:
your relationship to your ambition in the world—your spirit is soaring high;
that you are trying to gain psychological freedom from everyday life;
that you can triumph over obstacles.
A dream in which you fly would suggest that whatever the circumstances are in your life, that you are seeking to reach for greater heights. You can assess the dream by looking at basic factors: How high are you flying? How are you feeling about this experience?
Dreams are magical, and analyzing them is a fascinating process. When you dream, you are to some extent finding answers to problems that have carried over into sleep from your waking life. Using on-line resources for dream interpretation or a good dream dictionary can provide you with insight into the meaning of the dreams, and hence, the meaning of your life!
Sound is vibration, and we are vibration. Whether prayer, music, song, or chants—”sacred” sound can be an amazing healing force that has been considered a direct link to the divine. The ancient mystery schools taught students to use sound as a creative force that had the potential to heal not only the body, but also the mind and spirit.
Everything in the Universe (including us) is vibration. Every cell in the body is a sound resonator and has the capability of responding to any other sound outside of the body. Every organ will also respond to particular sound vibrations. The human body is a bio-electrical system in which the energy is created in varying frequencies through muscular actions. Therefore, it can be altered, strengthened, or balanced through the use of sound. It has been shown that steady, directed rhythms restore the body’s rhythms when they are out of balance.
Only you can determine what sounds evoke a sense of “sacredness” in your life. These sounds are those that evoke powerful calming or healing feelings. Here are a few suggestions:
If you have a heart connection to certain songs from your past, listen to them to evoke and heal emotions.
If you find certain songs energizing, play them while you are working either at home or in your office.
To quiet you at the end of the day, consider listening to soft instrumental music that has a calming effect.
Try singing as a way of healing and uplifting your spirit as well as opening your throat chakra.
Some of my favorite CDs and musicians are Enya, Merlin’s Magic, A Woman’s Heart, Garden of the Gods, to name a few. There are numerous other wonderful options, including the music of crystal bowls, chanting, and so on.
Remember that your children and even animals also respond and benefit from the vibration of sacred sounds.
The dictionary defines procrastination as “to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.”