Your Procrastination Clutter Demons:
If Not Now, When?
By: Janet L. Hall
"If I am not for myself, who is for me?
If I am only for myself, what am I?
And if not now, when? ---Hillel
Procrastination is generally described as "You Know
What To Do,
But Don't Do It." Procrastination is non-action!
Here's my personal example of knowing what to do but not
doing
it:
There was a BIG cluttered corner in my rec room. You see
back in
February when I was told I would need wrist surgery, I
couldn't
stop myself from cleaning out stuff. It was like I had
to use my
hands NOW. So I went from cabinets to drawers, room to
room,
collecting items I no longer needed, wanted, or used.
I had very good intentions. I decided I would be ready
to throw
a yard sale before any one else in my area did. I got
boxes from
the store, packed up the stuff and "temporarily" stored
them in
the spare bedroom, which is not used as a bedroom. Then
the rain
came, and it rained some more, every weekend!
March and April came and went, and then guests came from
New York. I had to clear out the stuff in the spare room
to
make room for them and an air mattress . So downstairs
all the
boxes of stuff went, getting stuffed into a corner of my
rec. room.
In August my daughter decided she could use some of the
stuff and
the rest I decided to take to the local auction house,
four miles
away. Into my Jeep all the boxes went. NOW I had to take
action
or my dog wouldn't be able to get in my Jeep and go to
the beach
with me for walks.
See I knew what to do but wasn't taking any serious
action
other than moving the stuff around. I had been
procrastinating
for almost six months now on those boxes!
Here is an example of one of my recent clients, "Peter".
Peter
and I were sorting through and organizing all of the
papers,
drawers, and shelves in his office when he discovered a
chain
letter he had stuck into his Bible back in 1989. He was
fearful/superstitious to do anything with the chain
letter,
that's why he had kept the letter; however, said I
could. So I
confidently ripped up the letter, still in the envelope,
tossed
it and moved on. Peter knew what action to take;
however, he
allowed his fear to put him into procrastination mode.
On another note, if I had no clue on how to have a yard
sale, or
how to get rid of my stuff, I would NOT be
procrastinating, I
would be thinking. Or if Peter hadn't given into his
superstition, he could have walked through his fear and
taken
action.
If you don't know what to do, you are not
procrastinating. You
are thinking or wondering about the "What do I do?" or
the "I
don't know how's."
If you do not have the skills, knowledge, or know what
actions
you need to take, you will remain "frozen" until you
decide to
find out or learn the skills, knowledge, or actions you
should
take.
I've been reading the book, Do One Thing Different, by
Bill
O'Hanlon, in which he tells about a Tibet ceremony, Room
of 1,000
Demons. It's an interesting ceremony and the two hints
of how to
pass through and get out of the room are 1) What you see
is an
illusion so don't buy into it, and 2) no matter what,
keep your
feet moving so you can eventually get to the other side,
find the
door, and come out.
Many did not make it out of the Room of 1,000 Demons
because once
they entered the room they forgot the two hints given to
them,
getting stuck and buying into the illusion of their
demons.
Are you stuck in a Room of 40 Procrastination Clutter
Demons?
Below are some sample excuses of Procrastination Clutter
Demons I
hear all the time, which I've catergorized into four
groups.
Which are yours?:
I. TIME and FOCUS:
1. I don't have the time.
2. I'm too busy.
3. There's no rush.
4. I'm too distracted.
5. I have too much to do already.
6. I'm too tired to start.
7. It'll get done one day, somehow.
8. I have more important things to do.
9. I'm waiting for the right and perfect time.
10. I'm looking for a quick fix.
II. BLAME and VICTIM:
11. Why start? It'll just get cluttered again.
12. It's not my problem.
13. I didn't create this chaos or mess.
14. I have children.
15. This is how I was brought up.
16. I'm always putting out fires.
17. I don't want to do it.
18. I shouldn't have to do this.
19. I never "had" when I was growing up.
20. I was told to never give a gift away.
III. Trust and Fear:
21. I might need it one day.
22. What if I am left with nothing?
23. I'm looking for a guarantee that something will
work.
24. I'm afraid I'll make a mistake.
25. Nothing ever goes the way I've planned, so why
start?
26. If I finish this I'll have nothing left to do.
27. I need to keep all this just in case I need it
later.
28. I am afraid if I move things I won't be able to find
them.
29. I am not sure that I could maintain the
organizational
system.
30. I don't want someone helping me and seeing all my
stuff.
IV. LACK OF SELF-CONFIDENCE/WORTH:
31. No one cares so why should I? It'll just get
cluttered
again.
32. I'm not worth paying for professional help.
33. I am not good at this sort of thing.
34. I am overwhelmed now, I don't want to add anything
else.
35. I don't really need my space to be tidy or look
nice,
as long as the public areas are presentable.
36. Why try? It'll just get cluttered again.
37. I'm not organized enough to start.
38. This is the way I am.
39. It's too hard.
40. I am not sure all that work would be worth it.
TIME/FOCUS:
Everyone around you and throughout the world is busy and
has the
same 24 hours, 7 days a week, and 12 months a year;
however some
of you don't seem to be going anywhere. Some of you will
continue
to bounce around in the dark Room of 40 Procrastination
Clutter
Demons never making it through to the other side unless
you take
action and learn planning, scheduling, prioritizing,
goal
setting, and gain focus. Who will you get help from and
how?
BLAME/VICTIM:
You have a choice to stop blaming others or crying
victim about
your clutter and chaos. You have a choice to do
something about
your clutter or not. Who can help you? Who can you call?
TRUST/FEAR:
I know sometimes you can't figure out what to keep or
not, who
to believe, listen to, or learn from. I know you have
fear and
trust issues of "just in case", "might need someday" or
of
"being left with nothing" when it comes to your piled
up, saved
up, and unused stuff.
If you've been a subscriber for some time now you
probably know
me very well because you read my writings, hear my
thoughts, know
my desire to help, and have read about people I have
helped. I
can help you, when you are ready, all in Divine Order.
Lack of Self-Confidence/Worth:
Self-esteem, judgements, other's beliefs, and your
limited
beliefs can cause or contribute to lack of self-worth.
Do you feel guilty
when you spend money on yourself? Whether it's a new
outfit or getting
professional help for any area of your life, do you get
a pang of
anxiety when you do something for yourself? Have you
told
yourself 'that's too much to spend' on yourself?
Wouldn't it be wonderful
not to feel this way about yourself, to honor yourself
and believe
that you are worthy?
Why not walk through your Room of 40 Procrastination
Clutter
Demons so you can come to life; let go of your excuses,
all the unused, unwanted, and unneeded "stuff" in your
life to
emerge as a new person?
Only you can assume complete responsibility of your life
and
actions. If you've been waiting or searching for a sign
that
will indicate the best direction to take, well, consider
this
your sign!
Many of you will eventually take action, but when? Is
doing
nothing working for you or against you?
When you start to de-clutter and let go you'll be able
to see
the other side of you: Calm, loving, stress free, and
full of
life and time. Your daily tasks and actions become
streamlined
and simplified. Your situation - no your life - will
change and
reveal a new you.
Answer the following:
WHO might help you?
WHO might interfere?
WHAT could go right?
WHAT could go wrong?
WHAT will not doing this cost you?
What will doing this save you?
When will you start?
When will you finish?
WHY do you want to get organized?
WHY don't you want to get organized?
Honestly answering the above questions will give you a
sense of
direction and help you decide if you should take any
action;
however, don't use any of the Procrastination Clutter
Demons
listed above as a way of, yet again, not getting
organized.
Answer the questions and look for the solutions to the
solve the
issues, whether it be time, trust, fear, or what have
you.
Lynn Lively says it best in her book, The
Procrastinator's Guide
to Success, "When you overcome procrastination, life is
interesting because you bring closure to all that
unfinished
business and you move on. If you procrastinate today,
the same
tasks, worries, and decisions will still be looming over
you
tomorrow. Instead, take action and move on; seek new
summits and
adventures."
It's now or never. Remember, the choice you make today
will resonate
throughout the rest of your life.
Decide what's important to you and go for it. And if you
need a guide
to walk beside you through your Room of Procrastination
Clutter
Demons, please give me a call at 1-800-687-3040 or
outside the US
at 1-410-586-9440.
============================
For additional help: The Person/Place Energy Mover,
Janet L. Hall, has a FREE newsletter, OverHall IT! at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm and many
organizational products for your office, home, and
computer
at http://www.overhall.com/products.htm
Janet is a Professional Organizer, Certified Pyramid
Feng Shui
Practitioner, Speaker, and Author and can help you
regain
control of your life, your time, your stuff, and your
environment.
Copyright (c) 2003 - 2008 OverHall Consulting.
Janet Hall, The Person/Place Energy Mover, can help you
regain control of your life, your time, your stuff, and
your
environment. In Person or via Phone at
http://www.overhall.com
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