So it is January 1st, 2023. And here I am. Again. Sitting on a couch with my laptop open whilst looking at this empty canvas of a blog post on New Years Day. And yes, I am feeling reminiscent of the year that has just come and gone. Yup. Another year has drifted by, taking me even closer to my next trip around the sun. But really, that happens every year, doesn't it? I know there are those out there in my age group that often lament about feeling old. Just like there are those in their forties that dread getting closer to their fifties and feeling old. Just like when they lamented in their thirties about hitting forty. And feeling old.
But don't you worry. This isn't a post about aging or feeling old. It's more about how to help open yourself up to bigger possibilities. To show you how we have become limited in our view of what surrounds us, drives what we are passionate about. These are things that take us out of our comfort zone and help us grow as human beings. And to also not contact the landlord about a broken toilet handle during holiday hours because this is not an emergency. Yup. This actually happened.
Anyone that has spent any time with me has heard how I view the process of how we communicate with other humans using the options we have at our disposal. And because of what technology has done to how we convey ourselves, it also bleeds into darker narratives of our current status. Nobody ever looks at where they have come from to see where they are going. In our twenties you were more concerned about the party and dating. The thirties arrive suddenly along with more responsibilities and expectations. And then your forties creep up and very subtly grow into your fifties.
Procrastination! It is now January 1st, 2024. Thats right! The previous paragraphs were written exactly a year ago. And how did that happen you ask? I blame the voice in my head that kept on telling me "You can work on this tomorrow." And "Go ahead. Take a nap first." Blah, blah, blah.
This part of the post adds on to what I was saying before the time jump. Procrastination totally limits us in ways that are definitely connected to placing limitations on ourselves. So, what causes some of us to procrastinate you ask? I did some digging into this topic. And when I say "digging" I actually mean I "Googled" it. And no, I don't feel I have become an expert in this area just because I read a website. But to be truly open to self-care and growth, you have to do the work on both fronts.
Most of us think that procrastination is a bougie term for laziness. And granted, a nap sure does seem to be a great reason to put something on the back burner. There are some interesting psychological triggers in the mix that I had never even put through my thought process.
We all procrastinate from time to time. You would be selling yourself short if you said you didn't. And the general result is that some tasks you have given yourself to do became a "not completed" task. And once the dust settles from that you start to feel bad for putting it off because you really did want to get it done.
Let's take losing weight as an example. Our decision to lose weight is done with pure and honest intention. The process is simple. We see ourselves in the mirror and notice that our shape isn't what we want it to be. Maybe we also recognize we are feeling sluggish and out of breath. We exclaim we want to lose weight. We give ourselves the pep talk. We are going to exercise and change our eating habits. We even tell our honest intentions to our family, partners, friends, and our dogs. But what happens to our honest intentions that make us not achieve that what we set out to accomplish?
According to my research, and when I say research, I really mean "Google hits," we procrastinate for the following reasons: lack of energy, perfectionism, fear of failure, lack of motivation, overwhelmed, decision fatigue, fear of criticism, avoidance, and chocolate. It was actually a longer list and chocolate actually wasn't on it. I chose the more apparent reasons. And the more I read into this list of causes, the more I felt it was actually more of a list of excuses. Why didn't I exercise to lose weight? Because I was too tired. Why didn't I quit smoking? I was too overwhelmed because it was too hard. Why didn't I finish writing my blog post from last year? Because I was too busy taking a nap. Sound familiar?
Now having said all that, there are exceptions when someone is dealing with a mental illness. I don't want to minimalize that. But for the people that are just going through the motions, how can we recognize that we are in that "excuse" mode? And how can we overcome it? For me, I noticed I used the word "because" a lot. It seems to me that word is a popular precursor to anything I give an excuse for. So being an aware person, I have decided that when the word "because" appears in my process, I will just stop. Nip it in the bud. Thats the first step.
The next step towards getting over procrastination is to recognize that you need some planning. Over the last year, I realized that I have stopped my process planning. Its why this blog post was never finished until a year later. Have you ever gone grocery shopping without a list? Did you remember everything you needed? Let me guess, you got all the things you didn't want, and didn't get anything you needed. And you also spent more money in the process. With planning, like a grocery list, it becomes imperative that you the need to write down everything you need to accomplish your honest intention. The grocery list helps you with your plan. Like a blueprint. Another example. 99% of us can't make a budget only in our head and follow it. You really need to write it down. Make your goals concrete by writing your lists and steps of process. Focus on working on your results. It makes them more real. It also gives you a checklist to map your success or make changes if you aren't getting the desired results. And it allows you to visualize yourself being successful more than if you kept it in our head. Keeping it in your head only allows your brain to talk you out of it. Plus with all the information we are bombarded with, things tend to get a bit jumbled and distorted. And believe me, my brain talks to me a lot.
Last year, I had the honour of playing the role of Bill Sikes in the musical Oliver. It was my first dive into musical theatre in 36 years. When I look back at that experience, I can honestly say that I really grew as an artist in that the preparation and rehearsing were great examples of how to avoid procrastination. I had all my cast mates relying on me to do my part. And I relied on them to do theirs. The producers themselves made it easy because they had processes in place that showcased their vision. They had lists and diagrams of choreography. They scheduled promo pictures, radio and TV interviews, costume fittings, along with several music and scene rehearsals. And all within a 2 1/2-month span. Wow is not the word when it comes to organizing something of this magnitude. I did it again this past December playing the role of Sergei in Matilda. And again, it was a crunch of time. We performed Matilda in front of 1000+ people each performance. And all because of what was organized around us.
How do you think they did that? Could any sort of procrastination be a part of the structure of these productions? We for sure know the answer to that. Absolutely not!
So here we are at the end of the post. And what have I learned from all of this? Well, first off, homemade buttermilk pancakes are amazing! Mimosas are sneaky. And last but not least, I am going to have one kick ass 2024! Write down your goals. Work on the steps to attain them. And avoid using the word "because" when justifying why you backburnered your success. Its all up to you!
Happy new year! May your 2024 be full of joy, abundance, and mimosas!
