by David Parker
Allow yourself to experience the feeling of willingly going without television without first looking at the program listings. To the best of my knowledge, no one ever died or became ill from leaving their television off.
Think of all the things that you could engage in if you gave up television for one night.
Have your J.O.T. list at the ready so you can refer to it to see what tasks you’ve written down that need “do”-ing.
Become accustomed to working in silence and see how much more you get accomplished.
Getting along without television isn’t easy, but that doesn’t mean you can never watch it again; it just means that you need to learn to be a bit more precious with your free time. Take me for example—while conquering television’s former hold on my life, I wrote down a few observations in my feelings journal. Here are a few of them:
“How did I get so much done last night? No TV—none. Without the television on, time slows down.”
“Doing without television is making peace with myself.”
“After I worked at my tasks yesterday morning, I thought that the reason I had gotten things done might have been because I worked in the morning, but it wasn’t. It was because the television wasn’t on.”
“Now that Sunday night is over, am I bothered that I missed television? No. Why? I’m not concerned with what I’m not aware of. You can’t miss what you never had.”
“Two nights without any television whatsoever. It’s amazing what you can get done without the television set vying for your attention.”
One neat solution to aimless channel surfing that may work for you is to cut off your cable or satellite provider and go back to receiving your channels the old fashioned way, off the air. With fewer channels at your beck and call, you may find channel surfing less tempting. Some cable and satellite providers offer their customers the opportunity to temporarily disconnect their service by going on “vacation” status. This is an excellent way to experiment with living without so many television channels.
Wipeout!—Surfing the Internet
Similar to the way television can lure you into aimless channel surfing, the Internet has the same ability to gobble up the free time that we can often better employ by being productive. In fact, the two are so similar in nature, that I could practically reproduce the previous section right here, merely substituting the word “Internet,” where “Television” would have appeared.
Instead of doing that, I’ll simply suggest that if surfing the Internet has been monopolizing your free time, then you may wish to begin monitoring how you spend that time. If your time on the Internet has gotten out of hand, then ask yourself the following:
Do you turn on your computer the moment you come home from work and then immediately plunge into checking your e-mail?
Do you spend more time communicating with friends online than you do self-communicating by assessing your own needs and seeing that they’re taken care of first?
Do you get lost in Internet chat rooms, or on social networking sites?
Once again, as with aimless television channel surfing, the habit of aimlessly surfing the Internet comes down to the decisions that we make about how we will spend our free time. While it can be tremendously difficult to pull yourself away from your computer, the best way to deal with this foe to personal productivity is to avoid getting onto the Internet without first having taken care of a few pressing tasks. Once you’ve taken care of your responsibilities, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy yourself.
Alcohol and Recreational Drugs
While my understanding of habitual procrastination, its causes, and some of its cures runs deep within my life, I would be out of my scope if I attempted to give advice to readers whom I did not know, on how to deal with alcohol or substance abuse. However, there are some facts that most of us can agree on.
First, the misuse of alcohol or recreational drugs can lead to a person losing his or her motivation: this is especially true when it comes to the use of marijuana. When a person uses drugs in order to surround him or herself in the warm glow of inebriation, he or she usually feels free of responsibility and persons who regularly drink or do drugs run the risk of being lulled into a false sense of security. If the person partakes in this activity on a regular basis, he or she may lose sight of the importance of keeping on top of his or her tasks.
This can lead to habitual procrastination caused by substance abuse, with the sufferer falling into a cycle of procrastination fed by the alcohol or drugs involved, but presenting the same problems as habitual procrastination—feelings of depression, hopelessness, and helplessness. If you are struggling with the abuse of alcohol, or if your use of drugs has turned from a recreational activity to a daily one, then seek help. Find a professional treatment center, or contact your local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous. Their telephone numbers should be listed in your local White Pages directory.
Since an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, here’s a short summary of preventative measures to help you avoid stumbling on the road to productivity:
Work at Developing Your Positive Self-Talk:
Do you find that you talk nicer to the people around you, than you talk to yourself?
Since many habitual procrastinators routinely put themselves down, if you want to stop procrastinating, you may not only need to start acting in new ways but you may also need to stop thinking in old ways. Give yourself a break and treat yourself with the kindness that you deserve.
Learn to reframe your tasks and difficult situations.
Have you ever seen an old painting that was then set in a different frame? If so, you likely saw details in the picture that you had not previously noticed. However, the painting didn’t change—only the frame did. In the same way, how we look at something is just as important as what we choose to look at. If a task seems horrendous, try to reframe it. For example: If a tax payment deadline has you down, think of how you’d like your tax money spent, and consider that by getting your return filed, you’re helping that part of the system that you like to make this a better place. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to get your gears in motion. Keep that in mind and give re-framing a try if you find yourself suck in the mud.
Try not to jump too far ahead of yourself.
In the past, I saw the road ahead of me as a path consisting of tasks, obstacles, obligations, and other barriers that all vied for my free time. Today, I now know that no matter what may lay head of me, I can only deal with one task at a time; so, I’ve learned to change my perspective. I only write down what I need to “do,” and then I concentrate on just that one task, until it’s been completed. And while I’m at work on that task, I try not to burden my mind with other concerns, because I’ve found the more I concentrate on a task, the quicker it generally goes, with less chance of making an error along the way of completing it.
Learn to laugh at troublesome situations.
Sometimes, when I feel under pressure, if I feel like saying to myself, “How did I get into this situation?”, I counter that thought by comically saying to myself, “Poor old Dave!” I’ve found that if I look for the absurd in a situation, it helps me snap out of self-centeredness and self-pity, and it puts me back in the larger world. Try it yourself.
Develop a positive attitude by catching yourself when you’re being a pessimist.
Habitual procrastinators are often habitual pessimists too. Avoid the habit of expecting and predicting the worst in every situation you find yourself in. If you need to, sit down with pen and paper and draw a simple chart with two columns. In the left column, write down all the negatives that you’re facing, like “I don’t want to do this,” and then in the right column, write down some positive aspects of the situation. Force yourself to think differently, even if you can only find one positive attribute, such as “I’ll sure be glad when I’ve finished this task.” Then, concentrate on that positive attribute and finish the task.
Try not t
o compare yourself to others.
This is especially apt when it comes to your colleagues in the workplace. Avoid making self-statements like, “I can’t do ________ as fast as (he) or (she) can.” We all have our own special talents, so avoid putting yourself down by being unnecessarily hard on yourself. Lastly, try not to “Compare and Despair.”
Fight Panic Attacks With These Suggestions:
Calm yourself down by recalling a way that’s worked for you in the past.
Go as far back in your mind as you need to, and find a situation where you pleasantly surprised yourself in how you dealt with a challenging task. If you can’t come up with anything, then pretend that you’re conducting a job interview with a mirror image of yourself as the applicant, and ask that mirror image to tell you about such a time. Then sit back and listen to yourself.
Stop panic by engaging in positive self-talk.
Engage in sensible self-talk by reminding yourself that you don’t need to do everything at once. Retake control of your attitude by forcing yourself to look at individual tasks rather than at a messy apartment or a cluttered e-mail Inbox. Then tell yourself: “All I need to do right now is to deal with just one item.”
One morning I awoke to the familiar cavalcade of regret and worry that made up my panic attacks, but then I reminded myself of the housework that I had done the previous night. The memory of my productivity pierced the fog and haze of that morning’s attack like the beacon from a lighthouse. My panic attack then began fading, all because I put the memory of my previous day’s productivity to practical use.
If your life feels like it’s out of control.
Sometimes, it’s more important to get just one task done, if only to disprove your irrational belief that you’re an incapable person. So get something done, because that first completed task will be like a small snowball that when rolled around and around, eventually creates a tremendous snowball. In the same exact way, after you’ve handled a bunch of tasks, you’ll soon feel pride in your newfound abilities!
Tell yourself, “I’m O.K. I’m not in danger.”
Going through a panic attack is like being in a building where a loud fire alarm has gone off, but after the firefighters show up, they discover the alarm is faulty. Unfortunately, they can’t shut it off, so it continues to loudly shriek—despite the fact that there’s no real danger.
If you’re approaching a task that you truly dislike, remind yourself that although you may not feel comfortable being in that particular situation, that you’re O.K., and aren’t in real danger. Continue telling yourself that and write it down if you need to. Then break your task down into a smaller component, write it on your J.O.T. list, and then act upon it.
When Depression Feels Immobilizing, Fight Back at It with These Rules:
Depression Fighting Rule No. 1: Do not stay in bed!
Before going to sleep, set your alarm for a reasonable amount of time, and when it goes off, get out of bed, and then make your bed. If you want to have something for your J.O.T. list, put “make my bed immediately after getting up,” as your first task to complete tomorrow—then “do” it, and draw a line through that first task of the day. You’ll feel better for it. Not sure? Don’t just take my word for it. Try it yourself and see what happens.
Depression Fighting Rule No. 2: Do not crawl back into bed!
Once you’re out of bed, stay out of it. If you are strong enough and only if you can safely do this, pull your mattress and box spring out of your bed’s frame, and stand them against a wall. Then do the same with the frame. Afterwards, you can put those tasks down on your J.O.T. list and immediately strike a line through them. Warning: This may cause you to feel invigorated.
Depression Fighting Rule No. 3: There’s no better time to clean than when you’re feeling depressed.
If you’re suffering from a difficult bout of depression, know that this is an awesome time to clean. Dust a little, mop a little, organize some files, or alphabetize your collection of 12-inch disco re-mixes. Whatever it is, just keep on the move. Remember: “Move a muscle, change a thought!” All the while, don’t forget to jot down everything that you’re about to take action upon on your J.O.T. list.
Depression Fighting Rule No. 4: Exercise!
As long as it’s approved by your doctor, fight depression the natural way, with exercise. It doesn’t need to be much, as long as you get your heart pumping blood to your brain. Push-ups are great at helping you fight depression because you can feel both your weight and gravity against your muscles. You only need to do a few of them and you will feel better!
Depression Fighting Rule No. 5: Know whom to call.
If you’re really feeling down, don’t be afraid to admit to someone else that you need help. Consult a psychiatrist or a trained therapist. Write down the telephone number of a crisis hotline, such as The Samaritans, and don’t feel ashamed to call them. They’re there to listen to you.
General Suggestions:
Sometimes I need to re-start my day.
We all have days when we seem to have gotten up on the wrong side of bed, days when nothing seems to go right. Luckily for us, we can always re-start our day whenever we want to.
In order to do this, all you really need to do is to put the earlier part of the day behind you and to make a promise with yourself either to enjoy the rest of the day or to make it productive. Don’t forget the first Golden Rule of Overcoming Procrastination: “Always keep the promises that you make with yourself.”
Of course, the best way to make the rest of the day enjoyable is to be productive, because then you’ll have nothing to regret. Plus, you’ll feel the warm glow that comes from accomplished tasks. So keep that promise, and enjoy the rest of your day.
Today’s sacrifice equals tomorrow’s success.
The concept of sacrifice is one that many habitual procrastinators and non-procrastinators alike tend not to consider.
While the concept of sacrifice may have been lost to a great degree in today’s “me, me, me” society, you can use it to your benefit, especially when you face tasks that are challenging, complicated, boring, or unpleasant. Here’s how it works: if you can’t bring yourself to face the task for your own reasons, then consider doing the task for someone else’s benefit. For example, let’s say that you hate filing your tax return. What are some valid reasons for making the sacrifice of dealing with this annual ritual?
For example: Think for a moment of all the Internal Revenue Service workers who depend on receiving and processing your tax forms in order to earn a living. When you file your taxes, you’re helping someone at the processing center to earn wages, and that’s a very good reason for making the sacrifice of the time and energy that you spend in filing out your return.
Finally, perhaps the best reason for making a sacrifice is to experience the positive feeling that you’ll receive from taking care of yourself. All that sitting down and tallying up of figures, the filling in of those governmental forms with their check boxes and signature lines; they all turn out to be worth “do”-ing after all!
For persons like ourselves, it’s not only the best reason for accomplishing any task, but it’s especially true when it pertains to a task that we particularly dislike. Remember: “Every task has a silver lining.”
The greater the task, the greater the benefit.
As procrastinators, we’re quick to think that the greater the task, the greater the cost. We developed that way of thinking because we felt we had too much at stake to lose. We fear that dealing with tasks means losing our free time, and so, our independence.
However, as you grow into a true non-procrastinator, you’ll notice that you not only regain your free time, but you’ll also restore your perspective, your patience, and your self-esteem; which combined—take the form of an overall feeling of well being.
Soon you’ll find that the more you “do,” the more you’re capable of, and as we “do,” we build up our internal reservoir of strength, which makes us even
stronger.
Setbacks and The J.O.T. Method™
The J.O.T. Method™ is only a means to an end. We want to end our procrastinating ways, and The J.O.T. Method™ helps us to achieve that overall goal. However, just as nobody’s perfect, no one method of anything can be perfect either. If you’ve experienced any difficulties in adjusting to The J.O.T. Method™, go over the following points. They may be the help that you’ve been looking for:
Feel good about yourself while you’re becoming acclimated to The J.O.T. Method™.
As you may have already read, habitual procrastinators aren’t just people who have grown accustomed to not “do”-ing, they’re also people who share many behavioral characteristics and traits. Two traits that come up repeatedly are frustration and impatience.
These two traits cause us to feel flustered and drained of energy whenever we feel challenged, and this can hamper the process of changing from a procrastinator into a “do”-er. However, remember that there is an antidote to frustration and impatience you can employ to propel yourself forward in overcoming the thief of time that is procrastination: that antidote is willingness, because you must willingly give yourself permission to deal with your tasks.
You’ve waged battle against personal responsibility for such a long time, you’re probably wondering if the war is really over. What’s more, you’ve fought for so long that you’re probably much better at fighting your tasks than you are at making peace with them. That’s why willingness is so crucially necessary if one is to truly win the war you’ve been waging against yourself.
