Procrastination can be the death of any well intentioned endeavor. It can sap us of all of our life and creativity and prey on us until we feel we have nothing left to give. You ever notice how you heavy a task on the To Do list can become just by the mere act of putting it off until tomorrow? Think about it, every day that you don’t do it, it just sits on your mind and literally weighs you down. Every day when you rise and every day as you settle in for the night, you get that nagging feeling that you have yet again forgotten (either intentionally or unintentionally) to do something that was important for you to do. Day in and day out, “it” is just hanging out there in your brain waiting for you to cross it off that subconscious to do list.
I know you know what I mean. It really does get to you after a while doesn’t it? It’s like a weight has been lifted once you finally cross it off of the list. It hit me right between the eyes the other night when my husband and I settled in to do the annual report for his business. Now mind you, this little exercise took all of 5 minutes via a web interface and all they wanted was a fee. But I spent the better part of February and March with this task hanging over my head with a May 1st deadline and when I finally sat down to do it, all it took was a mere 5 minutes. What a colossal waste of energy, right? Just think how the dread of doing the task was far worse than actually doing it!
So goes it with any successful weight loss plan. It is much more daunting to think about it and put it off then it is to actually get going and do it. First you have to get up off the couch or where ever it is that you hang out, and do it. Nike definitely had it right on this one ladies. It’s going to take a steady process to lose the weight and it will come off when you put forth the effort and do the right things. But first you have to GET STARTED!
That is sometimes the hardest part of all. I don’t know about you but once I see the weight start falling off, I get excited and usually that is motivation enough to keep me going. Sure there are ups and downs and sometimes false starts but again you still have to START!
So what should you do to beat procrastination you ask?
1. Set your GOAL.
Be true (and realistic) to yourself about what you want to accomplish. This is the first step toward reaching that goal.
2. Research.
Determine a path to reach that goal by finding others that have blazed the same trail before you. You can always get help from others who have demonstrated that they know how to achieve what you seek.
3. Be TRUE to yourself.
When you promise your children that you are going to do something, you usually follow through don’t you? We all know those kids will never let you forget something that you told them you would do. They will remind you day and night and night and day. Well, expect and deliver the same integrity and honor to yourself that you would to your children. You said it and you meant it, right?
4. FOCUS.
This says it all. Set your mind to it and focus on it as if your life depended on it. If your goal is to lose weight then surround yourself with people and things that embody that same theme. Read health newsletters and magazines, watch specials about health and fitness on television, watch exercise shows or walk in the park early one Saturday morning and see how many people are out there working out. The list is endless. The point is to FOCUS on your GOAL.
So think about it, what is keeping you from getting started? Don’t put off ’til tomorrow what you can start today!
Until next time,
MMM