“A thousand-mile
journey begins with a first step”
(Lao-Tzu)
Procrastination – putting
things off, dragging one’s feet, unnecessarily postponing what can and needs to
be done today – is a pervasive phenomenon. Over 70 percent of college students,
for example, identify themselves as procrastinators. The temptation to put
things off is understandable, but the price we pay for procrastinating is high
– studies show that procrastinators have higher levels of stress, a weaker
immune system, poorer sleep, and unsurprisingly, given all of that, lower
levels of happiness.
Fortunately, the research
into procrastination has also identified practical ways that can help overcome
the tendency to procrastinate. The single most important technique is called “the five-minute take-off.” It consists,
simply, of starting to do the thing you have been putting off, no matter how
little you feel like doing it. Procrastinators often believe that to do
something one has to truly want to do it – to be in the right mood, to feel
inspired. This is not the case. Usually,
to get the job done, it is enough to begin doing it – the initial action
kick-starts the process and often brings about more action.
So, for example, if you
have difficulty getting yourself to exercise, just make the choice to put on
your running shoes and start running: more often than not, the action will
reinforce itself. If you have a project that needs to be done, don’t wait for
that “right moment.” Choose to act, now!
This approach can serve you well on a larger scale too: Commit to your vision,
your dream, don’t procrastinate. Find ways to start moving forward the life you
want to be living right now.
Don’t procrastinate,
Just do it!
Lord, Give
Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)
References:
1. Choose the Life You Want: 101 Ways to Create You Own Road to Happiness
by Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD (New York: The Experiment, 2012) Buy this book!
2. Overcoming Procrastination: Or How to Think and Act Rationally in Spite
of Life’s Inevitable Hassles by A. Ellis and W.J. Knaus (New York: Signet,
1979)
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