Wednesday 10 April 2013

Springtime Procrasta-cool

Spring is coming!
Does that opening line summarize my enthusiasm for this particular upcoming season? Technically, spring is upon us, but has yet to show its face. This coming Friday will prove my point for any doubters: Montreal is calling for 5-10 cm of snow.

Nonetheless, you can smell spring in the air and it has definitely put a little bounce back in my step. There are so many things I have put off since I graduated from post secondary last may: changing my residency, getting provincial medical coverage, finding a job that is actually in my job field, creating a realistic budget, etc etc. There is something to be said for people who fend off procrastination and get things done, and if there was one word I could use to summarize how this feels, it would be 'Success'.

A bad habit I've been working at breaking is procrastinating. Sometimes it is intentional. Sometimes it is subconscious. One way Ive discovered to detect procrastination is to evaluate how clean my bathroom or floors are. If I have chosen to clean my bathroom instead of doing a chore/assignment/task (even if I blared Beyonce and lip synched while doing it and totally loved it) , I am procrastinating. If I have picked up everything off my floors, swept and then mopped, I am procrastinating.

The thing we have to keep in mind is how glorious we will feel when that task is finally done. It is a pretty good feeling. Putting something off, ignoring it, and delaying its completion is good for no one. So, why not set your alarm for five minutes and get to it once the alarm goes off. Better yet, set up a reward system. And finally, be open and honest about why you don't want to do what you're putting it off, then make it worth it somehow. If you can, organize yourself to prevent the same situation from repeating itself again in the future.

After two weeks of practicing this philosophy, I have crossed so many important things off my to do list and I am seeing results! The best reward is knowing that I don't have to keep that task in the back of my mind and I can free up some head space for focusing on what's next.

Practice makes perfect, and I am an amateur at this. If I keep at it though, I will be the MTL Martha Stewart in no time and I will be completely happy with that.