True Story; Procrastination Kills Dreams

I admit it; I am a procrastinator. I will put off the most simple tasks until the last possible second, for no apparent reason. I don't get it! Everyday I tell myself; "I'm going to do this, that, this and that." And 9 times out of ten, I just don't do it. Especially when it comes to work stuff. Don't leave me a voicemail (business or personal) because it'll sit in my mailbox for days (at least. And that's if you're lucky) before I listen to it. It'll probably a few more days (if you're lucky) for me to do or follow up on whatever it was you called me about. I've never understood this about myself. Any given task usually doesn't take much time and is usually within my ability to complete. I just. don't. do it.

It complicates my life, being a procrastinator. Usually; I create objections in my head and negative scenarios about the task at hand, or, I just find something more to my liking to do. I used to tell myself that I work best under pressure and that my procrastinating was intentional and strategic. Yeah, right. It's lazy and it's the habit of the sluggard. 

That being said; I am no longer giving myself any tasks at all. I am simply doing what I know needs to be done when it needs to be done. And EUREKA! No anxiety. By answering a voice mail as soon as it comes it; it shows a sense of urgency that my customers appreciate. And I've noticed that by doing this; if they were upset when they left the voice mail; my quick response and remedy for their problem usually satisfies them. 

What amazes me about myself is that when it comes to spending money or having fun; there was no procrastinating involved, ever. 

I, like most Black folk, suffer from the need to be gratified instantly. If I decide I want to purchase something; I'd like it ASAP, please and thank you. What's strange, even to me, is that when it comes to making money (i.e. answering my voice mails which are almost always customer requests for more products), I drag my feet. 

I once read or heard somewhere that "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." Since I know what I know about myself; my new plan is simply to do the opposite of what feels natural to me. If I feel like popping on the TV and plopping down in front of it to watch a rerun that I've already seen 3 times; I walk away and do something that involves motion. 

Instead of leaving my dishes to turn into a petri dish during the week, saving them to be washed on Saturday, I wash them nightly. What an awesome feeling it is to wake up to a clean kitchen. The biggest changes we can make start with small steps so I'm starting small.