I'm a very specific type of procrastinator: I'm a starter, not a finisher. In racing terms, I have a powerful start, my stamina starts to fade at about the halfway mark, and my finishing kick is nonexistent. Don't believe me? How about the 2 cross-stitch patterns I've been working on for somewhere between 5-8 years. Or the half finished photo album from our trip to Asia in 2002. For a more recent example, how about the can of paint that is still sitting on my stairs (after agonizing over what colour of white to pick, no less).
I've decided I need help. I'm too cheap to get a therapist and going to the library to get a book would just give me more excuses to procrastinate. So I'm turning to you, my loyal readers. What I'm going to do is share a list of projects with you right here on this blog. I will commit to some timelines and if I don't meet them, you have my permission to do something really horrible to me (but not too horrible, okay?). Ready? Here we go ...
Project #1: paint the spindles on the stairs
Project #2: paint two walls in the living room (part of a "quick and easy" living room refresh project I dreamed up a few months ago that is, not surprisingly, still only half way done)
Project #3: finish spring preparations in front and back yards (tidy up gardens, sweep back patio, get summer furniture ready)
Deadline: two weeks today
Wish me luck. On my mark, get set, go!
PS. For those who have been reading along for a while, you'll be amused to know that I'm annoyed about light bulbs again - there are 4 different ones out in our house right now.
So have you done these?
ReplyDeleteI read a thing recently about a technique to battling procrastination (it's a serious disease) that involves going really hard at the thing you're avoiding for 5 minutes. Surely 5 minutes is doable. It's the idea that it's going to be done in 5 minutes that gets you started. And then, after 5, you can stop. Or just keep going.
Tricks.