This has been a blog topic idea for a while, and well, I’ve procrastinated writing it. Other priorities always seem to get in the way.
Growing up, my mother always said, “Do your (homework, chores, music practice) now because tomorrow you may get the best invitation, and if you haven’t completed your work, you will miss out on tomorrow’s fun.” For some reason, this was motivating for me and it made sense.
Lets face it, there’s only 24 hours in a day. So it’s just a matter of what is the priority — and whether you really want to do it.
What are the consequences if you don’t do it?
Don’t make bed. No big deal.
Don’t feed your kids. Kind of a big deal.
Don’t turn in your yearlong work report on time. Really big deal.
If you want a job to seem harder than it really is, procrastinate, delay, defer, postpone, or drag your feet. If you want to get something done, simply begin. One small step turns will turn into another, and then another, and then the feeling of accomplishment will soon take over. (I promise.)
In the words of Tom DeMarco, “There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back.”
Personally, I like to get things done because it makes me feel productive and useful.
But then sometimes, I simply want to do nothing.