As the setting sun was burning off the atmosphere I found myself thinking that yet another day has raced by. I don’t know if it’s because I’m older, but it seems like life is passing me by faster than it ever did. Another day gone… and whatever’s undone must remain that way until tomorrow.
I’ve been by the beside of the dying and I’ve heard the surviving family members reassure the person about to leave this world that unfinished projects are going to get done.
Why do we procrastinate so, I wonder?
I’m a guilty party, by the way. In the back of my mind are all these halfway jobs that I stated but for one reason or another have not yet accomplished. I am ashamed to say that a while back I started painting my house and it took me 7 years to get it done. One of my friends finished the job for me (my wife begged him to).
But I am not a total failure when it comes to starting and finishing. It took my 5 years to write and publish my first book, Hecklers In Your Crowd: Silencing The Voices That Hold You Back, but it’s done!
I want to challenge you to get things done…whatever those things are. The wise man did say,
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT
There’s the answer! There’s time for every one of our activities. The key is scheduling chunks of time during our week to finish what we start.
Have you ever tried to do something that had this overwhelming vibe about it?
I would go absolutely bonkers if I had to do one of those (above). But one of my best buddies loves to put them together. He works on the project at his dining room table at various times of the week until its all done. Actually, the Millennium Falcon seems like child-play compare to some of the pieces he has worked on.
Patience is a given…as well as focus. We need both in order to finish strong!
Then there’s the element of setting goal date. A goal date is like a target you are shooting towards.
That’s my wife (above picture) shooting a zombie with a western style revolver…I cannot think of anything hotter. We were also putting some serious bullet holes in the scary clown next to the zombie. Targets give us a certain direction to aim at. They make us sharper and better. And if you miss the target, which I once did and as a result hit and broke the clamp holding the drawing, you reload and try again.
When I was writing my book I would set a target date for finishing. And when, for whatever reason, I missed my target, I would set another a new target date until it got done. Make sure you give yourself a realistic time to finish, though. Then, work towards that.
Force yourself to do something about your project even when you don’t feel like it. Please allow me to go back to my book story just one more time. There were days when I didn’t feel like writing but I’d force myself to type something… and ideas would then start flowing. There were other days when a big part of the 2 or 3 hours I had set to work on it were wasted on doing something else and I only had 45 minutes to add to the manuscript. Even those short minutes proved productive.
One more thing, the project you’re working on may require a certain degree of sacrifice: time, resources, or missing out of doing something else. Are you willing to pay the price? Always keep in mind that nothing worth it comes easy. So, go ahead and finish strong! And, if you want to take a peek at what my book is all about please go to www.hecklersinyourcrowd.com.
Thanks for reading! Please feel free to share with me about one of the projects you’re working on finishing.
Jorge, surely you know that procrastination is a fine art! One that doesn’t just appear overnight. A true master hones their skill over many years of putting off projects and jobs. Their verbal talents are a thing to witness; i.e. “I don’t feel like doing that right now”, or “I’ll do it tomorrow” Or one of my favorites: “Don’t worry, I’ll get to it in a few days”.
Sadly, LOL!, I speak from experience. I feel like I’m at a “procrastinator’s anonymous” meeting: Hi, everyone my name is Jim and I procrastinate!”
Actually, it’s not something I’m really proud of, and I am trying to motivate myself to get started on projects in a more timely manner.
Your blog really hit home for me. I really do need to focus, motivate myself, and set a realistic goal to accomplish what needs to be done.
I will say this though, WHEN I do finally start a project, I usually see it through to the end, so maybe there’s some positive out of my procrastination-ism! LOL!
I’m glad I’m not alone at the PMA’s (Procrastinators Anonymous Meeting). When’s the next meeting?