In my struggles with procrastination, I’ve tried inner appeals to duty and responsibility, organizational systems, you name it. I’ve gotten better over the years but it’s still hard. Then, some months ago, I had an insight that seems to be helping.
I was in a hurry to leave, and grabbed my sneakers out of the closet. I often pull my sneakers off without untying them, a minor but real act of procrastination that means that the next time I wear them, I have to undo the double knots before I can put them on my feet. But this time I found the laces untied and ready to go. It was as if someone had left me a small, thoughtful present. That someone was myself.
When I took my shoes off later that day, I remembered that feeling. I wanted to give a gift to my future self. I’d give her sneakers that were ready to wear. So instead of saving my current self a few seconds by pulling the shoes off still tied, I untied them.
I’ve been remembering this and building it up to more significant acts of just-do-it-now, for lack of a better antonym for procrastination. I dislike the task of putting my clothes away each evening, but my future self is grateful not to have a pile to sort through after ten days. I have a goal of finishing the first draft of three sections of a writing project before the end of the weekend (i.e., tonight); last night, even though I was disinclined to work on it, I did a chunk rather than leave it all for today. The feeling of having received a gift that eases my way is a better motivator than duty or any other I’ve tried.
Have you struggled with procrastinating? What has helped you?
5 comments
Comments feed for this article
August 21, 2016 at 8:29 am
Joy
I’ll get around to answering this later…
LikeLike
August 21, 2016 at 12:53 pm
K.L. Allendoerfer
This is a wonderful idea!
LikeLike
January 23, 2017 at 5:54 am
Raising Faith
This is a great reframe- thanks.
Sometimes I think procrastination (my own) is fundamentally about scarcity (a fear that is probably false) and limit (a finitude that is probably true). If I really take time to be faithful to what I start today, I will know, for sure, what I do and do not have time for. In some ways, I’m afraid to know the answer.
LikeLike
February 12, 2018 at 8:49 pm
The struggle against procrastination, continued | Sermons in Stones
[…] friend Dan Schatz teased me about my tiny little strike against procrastination, but darn it, it works. I have stuck with it and gradually added two other habits. One is taking […]
LikeLike
August 1, 2019 at 10:30 pm
Inbox Zero therapy | Sermons in Stones
[…] not exactly news, but it’s such an ingrained habit that I hardly notice it in action. But as I’ve written before, I’m trying to train myself into better habits, and slowly, they seem to be replacing […]
LikeLike