J is for Just Do It!

Following on from yesterday's post with the links to the articles on procrastination, I thought the Nike catchphrase was quite appropriate for today although as a confirmed faffer, actually getting stuff done is my biggest weakness!

I've been lucky enough over the years to have tried quite a few adventurous things. But then I'm not afraid of heights or have a fear of flying or drowning or anything like that so when it came to jumping off the top of a mountain or stepping over the edge of a 8 storey building, I did , in fact, just do it. It was the same with learning to scuba dive - I just did it with only one or two false starts on the whole breathing underwater thing.

However, achieving anything sensible on my to-do list seems to be beyond me most days. I had a meeting with my boss yesterday to organise my work for the next two weeks whilst she is on vacation. I mentioned the article about procrastination as part of the conversation and she agreed with me. I compared her to the Panic Monster which made her smile too but I was really pleased when she said she doesn't mind nagging me because she knows that when I do eventually do the job she's nagging me about, I'll do it really well!

I have to change though - it's stressful to have a list of things I want to do and to not be checking any of them off. They nag at me, driving the frustration ever deeper until at last, I throw something together in an attempt to check it off my list. I know in my heart, that I've not given it my best though so that then niggles at me.

Talking to my Dad today about this too and he said that he knows exactly what I mean. He has his own shiny distractions when he's trying to get stuff done but he's developed a self reward system over the years which helps him focus long enough to achieve things. It was quite an eye-opener for me to hear that he has similar problems. He's always been so active - involved in community stuff, sports clubs and even small scale local politics - but as he said to me, those were his distractions, his pleasures that helped him avoid digging the garden or decorating the house.

So when I get to work on Monday, I will print 'Just Do It' in a large font on a big piece of paper and stick it to the wall above my monitor at home. I also have to sit down and look hard at my to-do list - how much of it is really necessary and how much is important. Once I've pruned it, I'll pick one item and break it down further into manageable steps and that will be my new to-do list but with dates and schedules and deadlines built in. Just maybe, getting more organised will help!

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