A few months ago I was doing GREAT! I had consistency and was showing up in ALL the places, our home was running pretty smoothly and homeschool was moving along at a nice pace. I had routines that were working great for all of us and I was on top of the world. Until I wasn’t. In a week I lost all that momentum and am still working through this episode of procrastination.
So here is the thing, sometimes I think we get good at doing all the things and then we throw a wrench in it just because we are making positive progress. I don’t mean to say we throw ourselves under the bus but yet that is kind of what happens, like all of a sudden we want the chaos and struggle that we had before back. Weird I know but if you know then you know and you are following me, right? This is why I’m sharing this with you because procrastination is a form of self-sabotage and we can learn to move past it with some easy, time-tested skills that we all possess already.
Here are a few things that I am using to get back on track when life happens or I just let go of the reigns for a bit:
1) Give yourself grace and know that you are not alone in having this happen. This is the story for so many others and when you show yourself grace, you give yourself permission to move on.
2) Write down everything you have running through your head that you “think” you need/want to do. You will find that some things are more important than others, which leads to my next point.
3) Go through your “brain drop list” of things to get done and see what is most important. Be honest with yourself on this because some things while important aren’t where your focus needs to be right now.
4) Once you have a list of your most important tasks, categorize them by 1) easiest/fastest to complete, 2) has a deadline, and 3) what will have the biggest impact on your end goal.
5) Start knocking them off your list in an order that makes sense to you. I start with the easiest/fastest to complete because checking them off my list clears my mind and gives me momentum to keep moving forward on my list.
Bonus tip: If you have a close friend that you talk to about all the things, ask them to hold space for you in getting your things done. Set up accountability with them so that you have someone cheering you on, but also someone who will call you out when you are slipping off course. I have a few great friends who have shown me grace through this period but who have also pointed out where I am still making accomplishments even when I don’t see them.
You can get moving again and when you do it will feel great! I believe in you.
I wonder why we do that to ourselves, the self-sabotage. Is it an adrenaline addiction? When I finally got myself out of a combative relationship, I found the lack of conflict strange. I wonder if a similar thing happens when we don't have our "rush around in a panic" experiences anymore.