Especially as we come out of summer, sometimes it is hard to get started. If you are like me, the recent hot weather and general holiday vibe induces lethargy.
The thing is that we do need to get moving again. Now that school is back in most cases, almost all workplaces are fully functioning again. My regular business lunches have begun and this week and next I am teaching self-hypnosis at the WEA on Saturday afternoons.
It’s time to get out my “crank handle” and wind up for the year. My first car needed a crank handle to start. It didn’t have automatic ignition and I had to put on the handbrake, make sure it was out of gear, turn it on, then jump out and use a great big handle to turn the engine over until it fired up.
The last few days I’ve been feeling a bit like I needed that wind up. I didn’t really stop for a long summer break but also I was only working part time and I certainly slowed myself right down. I’ve been establishing a new garden in the courtyard at the back of my new house and needing to spend a lot of time watering when it is hot. Some weeks I did not write a newsletter… but now the year is on its way so here we go with this one.
A summer slowdown is good and healthy however we do need to watch out for procrastination where we have an ongoing struggle around delaying issues that matter to us. We need to stop and work out why it is happening and also why we need/want to do that thing that is being delayed.
I notice the family tensions around my teenage grandson’s school projects, which all too often get delayed until the last minute while his parents become increasingly stressed. This is really typical of many work situations as well and also home maintenance projects.
The problem is not doing the work. It is starting the work. It can be a relief once you start because the guilt shame and anxiety you feel while procrastinating are usually worse than the effort needed to get the job done.
Sometimes procrastination can really be a cover for lack of confidence and this is something I can help with once we work out your why.
For normal tasks I find breaking things down into small pieces and writing them down on a “Get it Done” sheet is helpful. I cross out and tick everything as I complete it. I highlight things that need to be done before phone cut off times for other businesses so that I don’t leave them until too late in the day. The entire job can seem too daunting to start but the little steps let it happen.
Then you can reward yourself in some way.
Setting up a system for getting things done is enormously helpful. I write out my list for the next day on a worksheet, which includes listing my appointments on the left hand side so that they all fit in as well and before I turn off my computer.
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