Hesitating About
Deciding
I got closer to the
squirrel and it suddenly darted into the road, hesitated and
then turned around and ran back to where it had just been.
I think it felt confused about HOW to decide what to do.
I got to thinking about why
squirrels do that. A friend and I started talking about
it. He said he thinks they usually go back to the last
place where they felt safe. He thinks a part of them
instinctively WANTS to go some place new and yet another
part feels frightened about taking the risk.
I got to thinking that the
squirrel story was similar to people procrastinating. I
procrastinate wanting to avoid doing something I consider
unpleasant. But I'm ready to work on my procrastination
attitude. Maybe you are too and will find this article
helpful.
Steps To Doing
Something
In the past, when I've
procrastinated I focused on thinking about the
unpleasantness of a task. So, when I recognize I'm talking
to myself in a procrastinating way, I say, "This may be a
less favorite thing for me to do, but if I do it, I know I
will feel a sense of accomplishment. So, I'm going to find
a way to get it done."
Instead of thinking I must
dust and organize everything I organize JUST a little.
Then I divide the task into steps simple for me. I start by
telling myself what I CAN do to enjoy doing the task.
Sometimes this is challenging with clutter, but I just work
through it.
So, suppose I'm choosing to
dust a bookshelf. I see that the dust is collecting and I'd
like to clean it off. I do that sometimes when I see the
dust accumulate a lot. Here's a technique for dusting it.
1-Take off 10 red colored
books from the top shelf.
2-Tell myself something
encouraging about going at my pace. I say something like,
"It's okay that you feel comfortable taking off 10 red books
from the top shelf. You're doing great. You're doing this
because you decided to do it and it's all okay."
3-If I'm feeling a little
worried or upset, I inhale and exhale deeply and then return
to the shelf to take off the blue books or the brown colored
books. Then, I encourage myself again until all the books
are off the shelf.
4-I say to myself, "Stay
focused. Breathe through it and stay relaxed. You can get
this bookshelf dusted using your REAL time schedule and
abilities. You CAN do this. I approve of me. It's all
okay."
One step at a time I keep
going until I suddenly realize I moved forward instead of
procrastinating. When I realize I was able to do it, I
celebrate by giving myself a big hug. I'm dusting the shelf
when I'm alone. That's how I feel comfortable. I'm
learning to be my own best friend.
Maybe this will be helpful
to you when you feel faced with an unpleasant situation.
You can do it by being gentle with yourself and breathing
through it.
