I really do believe that if there’s one talent that could win me a place in the Guinness Book of World Records it’s my ability to procrastinate. I think I could watch more cute cat videos and viral proposal videos than the rest of the world. You game? However, my high procrastination ability paired with the fact I work for myself, and at home, alone, is not the best combination. Some days I’m on fire, ticking off my to-do list at lightning speed, running errands and whipping up dinner before collapsing into bed and giving myself a pat on the back. Other days I get sidetracked watching some guy propose to his girlfriend with the help of their newborn baby (awwwww!) and before you know it I’m watching a video about a cat and a rabbit who are BFF’s (even more awwww!). Plates pile up, my to-do list sits un-ticked and the day passes with no pat on the back.
Recently though I’ve tried to reassess my working process and mindset and it’s all thanks to Jess Lively’s podcasts. She has some great guests on there (including yours truly very soon!) who are all kick-ass and have some very interesting perspectives on all aspects of life. I’ve listened to a fair few now and have picked up on some interesting notions that I think could help me kick my procrastinating tendencies to the curb and have some of my most productive days yet. Cute cat videos be gone!
The Fringe Hours. This idea came up in Episode #74 How To Get the Most Out of Your ‘Fringe Hours’ with Jessica Turner. Fringe hours are the times of the day that usually get wasted; like when you’re commuting and just spend the hour browsing Instagram or in the evening when you’re watching TV that really doesn’t interest you but you can’t be bothered to reach for the remote (been there, done that!). Jessica suggests utilising that time into doing something that you enjoy. For me I’ve been trying to spend some time in the evening reading which is something that I haven’t done daily for years and I’ve been trying to get up 30 minutes earlier in the morning to give me a bit more time in my day.
Saying No. Now this isn’t necessarily to do with procrasinating per se, but more to do with the fact that basically every single person on the planet hates saying no which leads to crammed diaries that make us feel a bit nauseous when we look at them. In Episode #71 Turn Your Day Around & How To Say No with Alexandra Frazen, Jess and Alexandra discuss the best way to say no so that the other person doesn’t think you’re an arse – though they put it in a nicer way than that.
Taking Time For You. This is something that comes up in literally every single episode that I’ve listened too, but it’s discussed most in the two podcasts that I’ve mentioned above. If you’re not taking the time to water your personal relationships and yourself then you’re never going to be at your most productive because you’re weak and you need some love juice to keep running. This is something that I’m really trying to work on. I’ve stopped thinking that I must rush my workouts in the morning because I haven’t got enough time, have prioritised them higher and have been arranging things in my social calendar left, right and centre. Mark and I are practically having someone round for dinner most nights this week. YAY – LOVE JUICE!
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