My son used to make up elaborate schemes to get out of work. He got out of homework when he was about 9 by telling the teacher how overworked he was at home. He told him we make him set up computers and do about 3 hours of chores a night. The teacher felt so sorry for him he let him get away with not turning in homework.

Until the parent-teacher conference and we told him it was more like 30 minutes of chores not 3 hours. Let’s say he was doing a lot more chores than usual during the Christmas break.

Getting out of work is like that. More often than not, we end up doing more work.

Your taxes need to get done and trying to get out of them only leads to more work through an audit.

Deciding to do dishes some other time because you don’t feel like doing the work after dinner only makes the dishes harder.

You wishfully think if you shuffle around that project, it will get done on its own.

We have it in our head that work is bad. It’s not fun, it’s tiring, it’s *grumble, grumble, grumble*. We dig our heels in about how unfair it is that we have to do it. The world is punishing us by making us do it.

Is it really?

Your work is to give people what they need. Work allows you to be useful and provide value to someone else.

We need to look at work differently to release the procrastination habit. We need to believe that work is as good a way to spend our time as relaxing.

When you look on your life, what makes you feel good? For many of us, it’s when we overcame a challenge or made a difference. When we helped someone.

How do you feel after procrastinating or trying to get out of work? Guilty? Low energy?

You can use that brain power you are using to get out of work, to make the work more fulfilling or more fun. Think about the bigger picture of the the organized home that you can invite people to before you clean. Notice how you are helping yourself and others. Work is a privilege and a service to others. Work is how we achieve our goals whether it’s a decluttered house or running a 5K.

Most of us want the results – the clean house, the good income, the excellent blood pressure. Yet, we run away from the work thinking it will be too hard. Will it? Are you up for the challenge of changing how you see work?

 

Photo by Janet Ramsden