I used to be a terrible procrastinator and felt lethargically lazy.
But, I turned it around. Now I regularly get tasks that I used to procrastinate on done.
What was the biggest thing that turned me from procrastinator to being able to get things completed?
My speech and how I saw myself.
I noticed before doing many of the things I didn’t want to do, I would say things like, “This is going to be soooo hard (insert teenage whine)”, “This is going to take sooo long!” and “I hate doing this.” I’d pile on with how lazy and unorganized I was so of course I couldn’t do it. I’d tell myself all the reasons I should do it later.
By the time I was done, I had no energy left to do the work.
It was no wonder I couldn’t get the tasks done on time.
If all that whining made me lose energy then I needed to let it go. It sounds like it’s no big deal. Does it really matter if I complain about doing stuff? But, it affected me immensely.
So I quit.
Whenever I found myself using words like hard, no time, and lazy I’d stop myself. Now this took time since this was a many years ingrained pattern.
Then I upped it and added positive phrases like, “I can handle this.” “It will feel so great to have this done.” “I enjoy caring for my family with this task.” I started feeling more like a person that completed things.
Soon instead of whining and arguing with myself, I just did the tasks. Feeling lighter and happier in the process.
Amen sister! How we talk to ourselves is the elephant in the room. Instead of automatically regurgitating the thought “I’m a procrastinator” (which is a gigantic excuse) I choose to shift to “I’m fully capable of getting things done.”
Great post – and I totally LOVE that your image has Dutch in it!! I’m 1st generation US, so anyone with Dutch heritage feels like “family”
Hi Jennifer, Glad it helped! Grandpa came in from the Netherlands. I live in Zeeland right next to Holland, MI. So I am surrounded by a lot of Dutch Heritage.
Oh yes, JT. The words we say to ourselves are so often an excuse of what we can’t. I love your phrase!