Procrastination

I read sometime ago in Facebook that procrastination leads to heart diseases. Gasp! I am the Queen of all procrastinators. Writing these two sentences are already making my heart palpitate.

Apparently, procrastination magnifies stress, reduces performance and leads to poor health. Oh man, not good news at all. If you mull over this logically, it makes sense. When you put off doing something till the very last minute, your stress levels shoot up and that affects you badly.

So what's the solution? We first need to get rid of the negative mentality which means saying a big fat 'No' to two major debilitating thoughts such as:

1. I can't do this.

Solution: Take a deep breath. Free your mind of ANY thoughts. Take one step at a time. Write down your strategies or go over them in your head. It doesn't matter that you are doing it at a slower pace but at least you are doing it. You become more concious of it when you do it this way so there would be no room for mistake.

I applied this technique when I started driving to my classes. As you know, I hate to drive. The sheer thought of it makes my heart race. When I had no choice but to drive, I had to implement some techniques to calm my nerves and the above helped. I always map out the route in my mind before driving so I am prepared if unexpected things happen such as heavy rain or unbelievable traffic. And also I believe that I am the only driver in this world who keeps glancing at the rear and side mirrors every other minute :)

2. I don't think I can do it

Solution: Take a deep breath (again) and just do it (Nike has that right)

I had this mentality for years when it came to cooking. I just didn't think I had it in me that I can cook. I rather read a book instead of slaving at the kitchen but that thought changed when one find day, I found myself in the kitchen fixing something to eat. I was lazy to buy food from the nearby restaurant so I grilled some chicken and vegetables instead. It tasted fine and since then I have been cooking some really simple meals which are way healthier compared to food from the outside. Even hubby is shocked when he catches me watching some cook shows on the television.

Procrastination is Evil and we should do away with it. Take the first step to eradicate this nasty behaviour because remember, the journey of a thousand mile begins with a single step.

Good luck!

Entry inspired by Travis Bradberry's article on 'How to make yourself work when you're not in the mood'

Say No to this!

Image from Google