Inspired by NaBloPoMo writing prompt for Friday, January 3, 2014:
Do you have a tendency to procrastinate, or do you like checking things off your to-do list?
I’d have to say that it’s a little of both for me.
I do love making lists. I mean, I really love making lists. Especially checklists. Remember the “Blog Post Promotion Checklist” I wrote about yesterday? Well, after I’d finished that one I got caught up in listmaking fever and created another one – a more general “To Do” list this time, for regular daily, weekly, and monthly tasks – to use in my new Filofax. (As you can see, I’ve been having a lot of fun with Excel spreadsheets over my holidays!) And I’ve been using the lists, taking great satisfaction from adding a checkmark to the items as I complete them.
But I’m also a real procrastinator – a terrible one sometimes (or perhaps I should say a GREAT one, as I have the ability to procrastinate very, very well). When I have a job or a project that I just don’t feel like tackling – even if it’s a simple task that will take minutes to complete – I’ll put it off for as long as I possibly can. In the meantime I’ll stew and fret about it, until the job becomes far bigger in my mind than it actually is… when it would have been a whole lot easier just to get it done in the first place instead of wasting all that time and energy on avoidance.
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, really – not “official” ones, anyway – but one of my aims in 2014 is to strive for less procrastination and more of an organized, balanced approach to my day-to-day life… including getting the things that need to be done, done – and in a timely manner – whether or not I actually feel like doing them.
Here’s hoping my checklists will help!
Do you procrastinate, use checklists, or a bit of both?
Please share!
