This is Optimal Living Daily episode 2268, 4 Antidotes to Procrastination by Leo Babauta of ZenHabits.net And I'm Dustin Hollick, your personal narrator, the guy reading blogs every single day of the year. There are a few shows where we narrate articles for you for free. Just search for Optimal Living Daily wherever you get your audio, and you can follow or subscribe to get new episodes every day. And with that, let's get right to our next post as we optimize your life.
4 Antidotes to Procrastination by Leo Babauta of ZenHabits.net Lately I've been procrastinating a bit more than normal, and of course it doesn't feel great. The truth is though that there are a number of good reasons for my procrastination. Number one, I've had some serious jet lag and sleep issues which means my mind is tired and just need some rest, so I'm trying to be patient and take care of myself. Number two, I've had a lot on my plate and it's been overwhelming.
Not just work stuff, though there's a lot of that, but family stuff too. So instead of holding myself to impossible standards, I have to be compassionate and allow myself to create some space to simplify, to find a path that works for me. And number three, I'm pushing myself into lots of uncertain territory this year. That brings up fears.
I've been running from those fears at times through procrastination. This is natural and I shouldn't beat myself up for it. Instead I can be compassionate and mindful and find a path forward. So if it's not such a bad thing, my procrastination, and I shouldn't beat myself up about it, problem solved, right?
Or actually there's no problem at all? Well, yes, there's actually no problem. This isn't anything to feel bad about. However, I do believe that we should find an antidote or two to our procrastination, because it usually means we're not doing the meaningful work we want to do in the world.
It's worth figuring out. So in this article, I want to offer a few antidotes to procrastination so that we can all find a path to doing the meaningful work we want to do, a path to offering our gift fully to the world. Antidote number one, self-care. The first thing to ask yourself if you're procrastinating is, am I tired?
Do I need to take care of myself? Often my procrastinating is simply because I haven't been getting good rest, or I've been doing so much that I'm tiring myself out. Maybe I went for a hard run in the morning and I'm not feeling energetic in the evening. Maybe I've been working hard on a project for a week without a mental break.
When this is the case, the answer is to get some rest. Take a nap, sleep in, disconnect and read a paper book. Go for a slow walk, not for exercise but to get a mental breather. Meditate, do some yoga.
The main ideas are to sleep, disconnect, get away from everything, and perhaps meditate. Reflect, contemplate, find stillness and quietude. Once you're refreshed, it might just mean a 20-minute nap and a short meditation. You can find mindful focus again.
Antidote number two, make a small commitment. What helped me during one point of my procrastination was to make a commitment to a friend that I would do a bunch of work at a specific time. If I didn't do that work, I'd have to suffer a consequence that we both agreed to. Needless to say, I stuck to my commitment.
I got the work done no matter what it took. Tomorrow I'm going to make a commitment to my wife to record a series of videos over two days. If I don't, no coffee for a week. When you make a sacred commitment to someone you respect, you'll elevate the action of something you want to shrink from to a vow that you want to uphold, then doing the work will be something you want to do.
Pro tip, make the action you commit to doing be fairly small that'll make it easier to get started and be able to launch into your commitment without too much trouble. Antidote number three, create the space. A big part of the problem with constant procrastination is that we are in an environment that is conducive to distraction, to doing small tasks like checking messages, answering emails, seeing how many likes you got on Facebook, etc. You might set yourself to doing the work, but then decide to just check one thing real quick, and that leads to checking another, and before you know it, a whole day has gone by.
It's hard to focus when you're in an environment like this. So the smallest first step you need to do is create the space, turn off Wi-Fi, set up an internet blocker, unplug your router, or get somewhere where there is no internet. With an environment like this, you'll be able to focus much better. This is why my best writing is often done on planes or trains, or when I use a distraction free writing tool or an internet blocker.
There isn't anything else to do but the work I've committed to doing. For other people, that might mean finding a space where you'll do nothing but the work you're going to do, a practice space for martial arts or music for example, or a reading space with no electronic devices, or a painting studio in your garage. Create the space, clear everything away, then get to it. And antidote number four, find the joy in it.
When we think of the work as something huge and difficult, stressful and overwhelming or full of fear, it's hard not to procrastinate. So switching mindset would be hugely beneficial. If you love doing it, you won't procrastinate. The trick is to find the joy in the activity.
Don't just do it like it's a chore to be gotten over with or some ordeal you need to make it through. Instead, see it as a treasured activity that you get to do, something that is a privilege to do because not everyone gets to do this kind of work. What an amazing thing it is to be alive doing this activity right now, in the miracle of existence and of this moment. What a breathtaking thing if only we don't take it for granted and fully appreciate the fleeting joyful beauty of this moment.
So in each moment, appreciate the profound power of what you're doing. Be fully immersed in it, fully mindful of the sensations of the experience, and see if there isn't the thrill of joy to be found in every motion or every breath. Your brain will start to program itself to dive into this joyful activity and you'll be awake to the world. You just listened to the post titled, Four Antidotes to Procrastination by Leo Bavada of ZenHabits.net All right, that should do it for another Friday edition of Optimal Living Daily.
Have a happy start to your weekend if you're listening in real time and I'll catch you tomorrow, where optimal life awaits.