So after my blog post in which I talked about ‘living for the weekend’, a few people talked to me about finding the motivation to do so much (if you’re thinking about how doing so much doesn’t burn me out, I’ve written about that here). Being able to pack so much into one day can sure sound nauseating to some people, especially when you’re not used to that much activity. Motivation isn’t the biggest killer for me getting stuff done, it’s usually procrastination.
What is procrastination? For me it’s getting distracted from things I’ve prioritised on my list for either things that aren’t as important or things that have no worth. For example, I could clean the house instead of working on an assignment or I could keep absentmindedly opening a new tab and bringing up Facebook, scrolling for a minute and then saying ‘how did I get here?’
I’ve experienced so many forms of procrastination that I’m now pretty good at figuring out where it comes from.
Having a plan
If I don’t have a good plan, I’m more vulnerable to procrastination. If I can’t see a clear path to my end goal, a boring task looms large and I easily fall into things that take much less intellectual energy. The most simple way of overcoming this is to ask myself if I’m unsure how to proceed. If I’m not, I make a quick mental or written plan to approach the barrier and break it up into smaller tasks.
Taking breaks
Now we all know how busy I am, let’s agree on something: everyone needs a break. No person is so superhuman that they don’t need rest. We all unwind in different ways. I found that as I have got better and doing stuff, I’ve also got better at resting. Something that has taken much longer to identify is when do I need a break. A good indication that I need a break is that I’m procrastinating.
That being said, even now, I find it hard to identify when I need a break verses when I’m being super lazy. An easy way to check is to go back to seeing if I have a plan. If I have a plan in place, I then it’s more likely to be that I need a break. So I commit to a break. I go for a walk. I watch a movie (movies are less addictive than binge watching a season of something on Netflix and take less time). I have a cuppa with a friend. I do some housework. During periods of serious burnout, I sometimes lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling, I’m not going to lie.
Pushing through
Avoiding procrastination takes discipline. I had to exercise the will it takes to overcome procrastination. By the time I was in my final year of my degree it was so strong that I could will my way through a 3,000 word history essay with 12 references out of sheer stubbornness. I could produce assignments like blood from a stone. That brute force approach takes a lot of work and I found it harder if I didn’t have the first two steps (breaks and a plan) in place.
Of course, all this is easier if I actually want to do the thing.
I guess this is part of the secret of why people often say ‘do what you love’, because if you love what you do you’ll find it easier to do it. That being said, no task I do is free from the will to procrastinate. Especially if I’m doing too much. I practiced trying not to procrastinate with things I wanted to do, so that when I got to the heavy essays at uni, I was really good at pushing through. It was like a muscle that I had to exercise. The more experienced I got at pushing through, the more I could push through. After saying all of that I’m either clearly out of practice or doing too much, because I do not want to be writing a blog post right now (it’s 11.30pm on a Sunday night). What’s pushing me on is that I know if I don’t, I won’t have another chance at all this week. I guess one final tip for getting over procrastination is to give yourself a deadline and an accountability to that deadline. Sigh. I guess this is me ironically identifying that my current procrastination is that I actually need a break.
Now let’s talk about how amazing this skirt is. It’s (faux) leather. Yep. A pleated leather skirt. The way it flows is amazing and because of the type of material it is there is no show through. For such a light colour, show through is normally a given, but with this material there is literally none. I bought this skirt simply because my sister told me to. She knows I love pleated skirts and she just sort of…bossed me into it. It’s pretty magnificent and I’m glad she did. This scarf I bought when Deneale and I visited at Chanel store in Paris. It was my way of treating myself for being newly single and as a lifelong memento to remember the trip. I don’t wear it as often as it deserves. I have said that in a few recent blog posts, and that’s probably because I’m clearing out my wardrobe to make way for the things that I should be wearing and wearing often. Decluttering my life is the current vibe. Yes, I will be selling lots of my clothes. Yes, I will let you know when they all go up on eBay.
Earrings: c/o The Peach Box
Shirt: Review Australia
Coat: c/o Review Australia
Scarf: Chanel
Skirt: Bardot
Shoes: Sandler
Bike: Lekker
Photos: Goldefields Girl
Location: Ballarat
We took these photos just before I dropped my bike in for a Spring tune up and before I got my hair all freshly did. Is it any wonder I’m smiling so much. I also got to give the finger to not one, but two mouth breathers who shouted from passing cars. What a time to be alive.
I’m not in love with these photos either. I compromised on both my lens AND the light. It’s like my past self is shaking me going ‘we learned this lesson together! What are you doing to us?’ Ah well. Live and learn.
– L
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