Procrastination

Topics? Ideas? Sometimes they run out. And, honestly, being stuck in a lockdown really shortens the list of ideas you have to write about and this is one of those times. Creativity isn’t always easy to come by sometimes and, in a pandemic where all live music has been put on hold and we blog a lot about music and gigs, I’m kind of running out of things to talk about. I tend to not go wild at Christmas time either as for me Christmas is a working holiday in my family as my mother works in a church and my brother works in An Post (the Irish postal service) so a Christmas post from me would be very unlikely unless it is in the few days running up to the actual holiday. So, I’ve decided to introduce you to the biggest bane of my existence as a blogger and student: Procrastination. For example, it’s currently 2am on Thursday morning, I am starting this post and it has to be edited and ready to post by 6.30pm this evening (I do love making myself panic at the last second).

I leave everything til the last minute (and I really do mean everything!!!) and, on more than one occasion, I’ve ended up stressing myself out completely to get the job done. I was even worse in college though so I’ve actually improved in recent years. Yes, I’ve tried all the usual tips and tricks to make me less likely to put something off but none of them really work quite like the unbridled panic caused by a looming deadline. Some do help a bit though so, for those wondering, some of the advice that I’ve been given is here in a well organised list (lol jk me organised, that’s a good one); so hopefully I can help you help yourself.

Done is Better Than Perfect

Remind yourself that actually having something, anything, to offer is better than having nothing at all. Even if it is the roughest of drafts, at least this way the initial idea can be improved upon and worked on. Staring at a blank page will not inspire you, it will only make the job seem more daunting. So just write/draw/scribble and something will take shape from the bits you’ve created eventually.

Do One Thing

If you have a list of things you need to do over time, do just one thing. Even if it seems like the smallest, most insignificant thing on your list, do it. You’ve just shortened your list by one item. If a task seems huge and the prospects of getting it done seems bleak, break it down into smaller parts. That 5000 word essay seems more manageable when you’re writing smaller pieces one by one. 250 words is a lot less scary than 5000. Everything can be broken down into its parts.

Sit The Hell Down

If you’re not sitting/standing in front of what needs to be done, how are you supposed to do anything. There would be so many things that could distract you. Why would you even consider doing the work when it’s “so far away”? Stephen King said it best, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” So go look at what needs to be done, use your brain to come at larger tasks from a new perspective and eventually you’ll get a start on the job and before you know it you’re done. (Thank Tadashi Hamada for that last part!)

Put Down Your Phone

Put away the distractions. Your phone may be super interesting but you won’t miss anything by putting it aside for a while on Do Not Disturb. Your messages will still be there when you get back. The gossip will still be there after you’ve finished doing your one thing on your To Do list. Going offline for a while will help you focus and the sooner you start, the sooner you finish and the sooner you can get back to being online.

Make a List (But Be Realistic)

Put together a list of things that you need done but, more importantly, don’t be ridiculous about the tasks you set yourself. So, for example, if you have to paint your bedroom your list might be something like this 1. Get paint catalogue from the DIY store. 2. Pick up tester pots. 3. Buy paint and painting equipment. 4. Clear the bed and take down curtains… and so on. None of those jobs seems intimidating on their own in comparison to Paint Bedroom sitting on your To Do list.

Also keep updating that list of yours. Don’t leave things that you know you don’t actually need to do sitting on your list for weeks or months.

Find a Work Buddy

Find a person who is going to work with you and hold you accountable for the jobs that you need to do. In college, Niamh and I worked together a lot and we made sure the other was actually working. We checked in to see how jobs were going and it was that kind of teamwork that got us both to get the work done. If no one is going to hold you accountable for the work that you are meant to do, what will encourage you to actually do the work?

Pick Something (Anything!)

So say you have your list, well then pick something. Don’t start trying to do everything all at once. Pick one job to focus on. If you try doing multiple things at a time you’re probably going to end up doing a mediocre job of everything. If you focus on a single task every time, you are giving each task the fullest of your attention meaning you will do a better job.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up For Procrastinating

It’s too late for that now. It happened and we learned from it (hopefully). Now is the time for doing, not for berating yourself. Pick a song that pumps you up (check the Spotify playlist below for some ideas) and get to work. After the job is done you can try figure out why you put the job on the long finger and work on improving your approach to the same task the next time around because you’ve done it once and you can do it again.  

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Overall, the last thing I will point out is this: What does procrastinating get you? What does it do for you? It stresses you out. It means that you probably haven’t put your best work into whatever it is that you need to be doing and it also just wastes your time. You can do it, you just need to start. Good luck.