“Procrastination is the act of delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute, or past their deadline.”
It’s time to bring procrastination to the table. Procrastination is something I do, you do, and probably everyone has done at some point in their life. 2022 is the year for me so far when it comes to getting things done that I delayed for a long time — and I am learning this the hard way… I now find it more important to write about this topic because I want to encourage you to start doing the tasks you have been putting away for a long time.
Most of us have the habit of putting away things we know we should do because they don’t give us much joy. They remain on our to-do list, and we justify ourselves: “Yes, I will start it when the right time comes.” But that time may never come. Or, when it finally does, you have no option anymore — whether you start or not, you HAVE TO start, sometimes in much more difficult circumstances.
There are two types of people. There are people who have no list of to-dos and flow through life like a river, dealing with tasks as they come and mostly focusing only on the necessary ones. Then there are people who have plans in life and tasks to achieve those plans, who get things done in a much more organised way. It takes an enormous effort to belong to the second group: doing the everyday tasks from your to-do list that ordinary people might never get done.
“To live the life only 5% live, have the courage to dream the dreams, run the habits, and model the behaviours only 5% do.”
– Robin Sharma
Even if you belong to the second type of person, like me, it is not enough to put things into your calendar. You must execute them! This is when procrastination comes into the picture. To achieve your dreams, you must take certain steps that are uncomfortable and therefore easier to skip or delay. It is an ongoing battle with our discipline. Please allow me to share my most recent story, because I feel it is a good example.
How procrastination can make life harder
Almost 3 years ago, we purchased a piece of land with a house as a refurbishment project, with the intention of making it our Base to return to after long journeys. Back at that time, life was “normal” — pre-Covid, pre-war in Ukraine — including “normal” prices.
We started to replace the roof, but the first attempt failed because we ran into some cowboy builders. After this experience, it took us 7 months to start everything all over again. Then Covid hit us, and we focused our energy more on travelling and sorting out our tax residency.
I remember asking my wife beside a pool in South America: next year, I do not want to continue the refurbishment. I just want to relax, enjoy life and forget about the building project for a little while.
I knew — we knew — it was a project that had to be completed. However, we decided to postpone it for a year. We did complete some small tasks in the meantime, but, to be honest, we shouldn’t have postponed the whole project.
We had set a date in our calendar last summer: March 2022, when we would start this refurbishment with full power. Then, a week before we planned to start the project, the war started in Ukraine… Fear and disappointment filled us.
What should we do now? Was it the right time to start a refurbishment? Should we postpone it again? We asked ourselves 100s of times: why didn’t we get more tasks done when the circumstances were ideal?
The price of delaying your goals
Now, we have to get things right, and that takes an enormous effort. We gave ourselves 4 months in an environment where there was a shortage of building materials, while both material costs and craftsmanship prices were sky-high.
We decided to do it anyway!
But wouldn’t it have been easier to do this project when the economic environment was kind of ideal? We now have to deal with the consequences of our procrastination.
Remember this: procrastination may bring you new barriers on the journey towards your goal. You must keep this in mind. We were paying the price for delaying the project and having fun the previous year.
Laziness can cost you money. A lot!
Discipline means doing it anyway
You have to be determined. Put things into your calendar that you know have to be implemented as an important part of your goal. Then execute them without delay.
Even when you are tired, reach into your spare resources, if you have any, and get that task done. You need discipline — daily, strong discipline — to do it.
Personally, I have used Google Calendar on my phone for years. You can put a reminder in your calendar for a certain day and time to remind you to implement a task. Or you can create an event if it is a longer task that takes hours or days. It is a very powerful and simple tool.
For example, a week ago I put a reminder in my calendar for tonight to write this post. The idea for this post was born a week ago, but I knew I was a busy guy nowadays. So I allowed myself to schedule the writing of this post for an evening when I would have no distractions.
It came with sacrifices. A new friend invited me to an event tonight, but I decided I must write this post now, or it would have to wait another week until I found time for it again!
And there is no time for excuses.
“The things that get scheduled are the things that get done.”
– Robin Sharma
Don’t overload your calendar
When putting to-dos into your calendar, it is important to be realistic. Do not overload yourself and ruin your motivation by adding too many entries, then failing to accomplish them because you simply have no time or energy.
Usually, I have 1-3 entries in my Calendar for a day, with a maximum of 5.
When you fail to complete a task, accept that and simply schedule it for the next closest available date when you know you can complete it. Don’t make the mistake of postponing it day after day.
If you can, commit to completing it on the first attempt. When you postpone your task for the 3rd time, say: “That’s enough. I do it NOW and not later!”
Think about the consequences. What issues can repeatedly postponing this task cause you? Can you afford it?
Small wins keep you moving
Why be so “organised”? Because procrastination will prevent you from reaching your goals. You will remain stuck where you are. Learn from my mistake above, and learn from your own mistakes in the past!
Lastly, it causes me a deep feeling of satisfaction to mark my tasks “Complete” by the end of the evening. For a strong mindset, you need small successes every day.
Getting things done in the scheduled time does not just help you reach your goal sooner. It also gives you those daily wins you need to keep going strong.
Create a new habit by being more organised, more disciplined and more focused. Be a Hero of your Life!
What are you procrastinating on?
Now I want to turn this from my story into a conversation.
What is the one thing you have been postponing that you already know you need to do? It could be something big, like a renovation or a career decision, or something ridiculously small that has been sitting on your to-do list for months.
Write it in the comments. Then tell me what your first step will be. Sometimes putting it into words — and making yourself accountable to other people — is the first step towards actually getting it done.
If this post made you think about something you have been avoiding, share it with someone who might need the same push. And if you want to follow my journey of turning ideas, mistakes and life experiences into action, stay connected with Hunthentic.
