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Moving through procrastination not easily but expensively
JasonJ | Jan 29 2007
I've just finished reading an article posted up on the davidco.com website from a coach Meg Edwards about the issue she had with an engine light on her car. She talks about the anxiety it created and from what I've read it seems the cost as apposed to the planning of the next action steps that put her off talking this issue. I then remembered a massive event very similar to this that happened to me BUT the outcome wasn't as satisfying and nor did I feel happier with myself. You see this happened around 3 years ago and as I look back now was only one of many ridiculous events in my life where sticking my head in the sand really didn't work. I owned a Mitsubishi, one of those rally types. I imported it into the UK as I couldn't wait for Mitusbishi UK to finalise their partnership with an importer. I was desperate for this car. It was so new that they hadn't even decided how often you needed to get it serviced. To cut a very long story short this car drank oil closely to how fast it drank fuel. It did have an engine oil light but would only come on when the car became dangerously low. Advice given to me was to check the oil monthly. I didn't. I waited for the oil light to tell me when the car needed oil after all thats what the light is there for. Of course everything would be fine. That was a mistake. I knew in the back of my mind (hey it reminded me) to check the oil monthly but I simply ignored it. The engine blew up. After a very expensive bill the engine was rebuilt and the keys handed back to me. The crazy thing that I still can't explain this is I didn't learn my lesson. I STILL didn't check the oil monthly despite the gapping hole in my finances. Six months later the engine blew up again. The engine was rebuilt and I vowed to myself never again. Twelve months later the engine went again and it was time to sell it even in its current state. I couldn't aford the get it repaired. That was three years ago and I've only just discovered GTD. I'm half way through the book. I've got the audio CD's and listen to these at every opportunity I can. Forget the Rocky CD in the gym - I listen to this :-) Anyway I've come to realise that I CAN plan tasks down to the last detail in my head. I can break it down into small baby steps BUT (and this is where I'm not sure GTD can help me) I fail time and time again to perform the step no matter how small. Why is this? I've tried to ask myself is it because I'm afraid of what changes will have to happen to my life as a result of doing this. What is wrong with me that results in me doing something so small as replying to an email that does take less than two minutes to do? I don't know. Is there anyone else out there that is similar? Maybe the answers lie in the second half of the book and if they do I apologise. Grateful for any help or reassurance that I don't need to go and see a shrink :o JasonJ 8 Comments
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 What you describe actually sounds...Submitted by aef on January 29, 2007 - 6:01am.
What you describe actually sounds pretty common to me. Many books have been written procrastination, but I'll be brief. The most important things, IMO, are: 1) Make it a conscious decision; don't leave it "at the back of your mind". GTD helps with this because you actually look at a list and choose what to do instead of winging-it. This can be harder to do at home than at work - I try to set aside specific time for "productive stuff". 2) Recognise and overcome resistance. If you've made it a conscious decision, but you're still not doing the thing you know you should, you're probably resisting it for some reason. Typical reasons include not actually being sure what to do, concern about not being perfect enough, and the activity just being unpleasant. Consciously recognise that you are resisting it, ideally work out why, and then consciously decide exactly what to do and do it. Within limits of sense, try to do the things you're resisting first. It's amazing how much easier it is once you acknowledge the resistance and (ideally) the reason for it. With practice it gets easier, too. Unless your reasons for resisting are really deep/serious, I'm guessing you don't need the shrink. (I am not a medical professional; see one if you need medical advice because what I write isn't.) See also "The Now Habit" - Neil Fiore (often recommended/mentioned here). Hope this helps, aef » POSTED IN:
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