Procrastination

Hey @Beads For me I compartmentalise everything and make lists where I can prioritise what needs to be done first. I used to get really stressed when I had so much to do and not know where to start - and would often do the easier things first and leave the more important things to last (and run out of time - which made me more stressed). Now I tackle those priorities first and routinely do so - in that way it got easier (and less stressed) overall to get everything done. I also have routines I follow - especially when I get home from work - so I can do all those 'life' things eg. eat, housework, feed the fur babies etc. Then I have a designated time set aside just for work related tasks. More often than not I go way past that time but now it is more a case of wanting to get things finished and being in a good mindset than having to do it because I have procrastinated. Routines for me are super important as is being able to compartmentalise things. This also allows me to be very mindful of what I am actually doing rather than my mind wandering to ALL I have to do. This part took a lot of practice (and I am still working on that) but it has also been invaluable in reducing my stress and anxiety and actually completing all of my work when it has needed to be done.

I also believe that 'beating ourselves up' for things we have not done is counter productive - you cannot do what you cannot do and if you have had plans to do things and not actually achieved those then there is nothing you can do about that - we cannot rewind time but only work in the here and now ...so rather than say 'I should have done x, y and z' I now say - now I will do 'x' (or y or z) ...baby steps and one task at a time.

I hope that all makes sense and is of some help - even in a small way.

...and Welcome to the forum😁

Necessity is the imperative for me. @Beads Nowadays I probably let a few things slip, as mostly things are not as urgent as they used to be.

That said I have a 2 big projects on hold as my son has to live with me til May and is not interested in helping so a good excuse for procrastination ... or maybe not ... the projects are renovating and getting my study set up ... yep where most of the paperwork is.

Not sure if it fits for you.

https://buriedtreasure.me/procrastination-the-trauma-connection/

@Beads Procrastination has been an enemy of mine for a little while too and agree it is hard! I think, for me at least, the best way is to break things down into more manageable chunks. Things don’t seem so hard that way. Look at the task and break it down into steps and then keep at it. Eventually step by step the task gets done. I wish you luck.

So many thoughts on this. So many approaches to consider.

I'm intuitively thinking of a trick I learned when I was having trouble getting myself out of bed.

The trick is simple. Before getting up and walking around, start by wiggling your fingers and toes.

I think it worked because that struggle doesn't feel like my struggle any more. But it used to be. I used to be scared to take a single step. That was so long ago. I still struggle with the idea of leaving the house, town, mindset, etc but the wigglin' system has served me well. Thanks for making me think of it. I'm wiggling my own toes right now. Circulation is a gift.

I think the wiggling way is something that can be applied to almost circle that you're trying to expand, in your life interfaces n such. They say you need to crawl before you walk, so using that logic, you also need to wiggle before you crawl. And, at the end of the day, it's all wiggling. If we were Neo in the Matrix, all the code would be wiggles.