My general approach to this year's word is, as the word suggests, diminishment. In many respects, that can take the form of a reduction of physical things -- and I expect to come back to that meaning over the course of the year. But early on, I'm focusing more internally. Last month, it was about less negative self talk. This month, it was about doing a lot LESS procrastination.
For the better part of the past year, I've gotten into the habit of making myself a daily to-do list. I'm the kind of person who derives a lot of satisfaction from crossing things off a list, and that's especially the case on the days when it seems like I haven't done all that much because it reassures me that I have accomplished something. And I've also discovered that if I put something on the list, I am more likely to do it. So those things that I've been putting off, either because they're going to require some time or force me to make a phone call (I hate talking on the phone)? I've sort of tricked myself into doing them by putting them on a to-do list.
Here's an example: This past weekend, I finally went to get my Real ID because my driver's license was up for renewal anyway. To get the Real ID, I needed a bunch of documents that I knew I had but not exactly where. So on the to-do list last week was to locate those documents -- which I did, and in the process, I also cleared out some old files with documents I didn't need (receipts for oil changes for the car I sold in 2018; old cell phone bills), meaning there's now less to sort through when looking for other important documents. The next big thing to take care of is getting Molly a new passport, which means we'll need to get out her birth certificate, get photos, and make an appointment to submit the application. But I've already filled it out, and that's the first step!
Bravo to you on tackling procrastination! I also find that if I write something down, the chance of completion is exponentially higher than if it just "lives in my head." I think this is a most excellent lesson for all of us... just do the thing! It will make you feel better!
ReplyDeleteI love this! Breaking big, overwhelming tasks into smaller do-able chunks (and taking care of other bits of clutter along the way) makes the whole thing LESS overwhelming. And I also hate talking on the phone and anything that requires it will stall me out for months. It's a terrible condition.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm hoping to get all of us passports this year too. We've never had them so it's a new experience for me!
Good for you! And you have reminded me of some things I need to do (clean out/clear out files for one). It always feels so good to accomplish something that has been on the procrastination burner for a long time!
ReplyDeleteI am the same way with putting off some tasks, but it makes me feel better to hear that others do the same thing! We need to make appts. in NJ to get Real ID licenses and there are never any appts. available. John is flying in June and needed to renew his passport before then, but he was able to do it in 10 minutes at our county clerk's office. They took the photos there, were very pleasant, and it was so easy. I hope your experience is the same and congratulations on less procrastination!
ReplyDeleteOh the dreaded document hunt. Good for you for tackling it. I do have a filing box and when it gets full I have to remove the old stuff and shred it as it contains personal stuff. Now I have a big pile of shredding to do instead!
ReplyDeleteWell done! I'm dreading updating my ID...the problem with the push to paperless everything means I have to trek up to the library to print out my lease and utility statements so I can prove where I live!
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