Procrastination is not age specific; seniors are as guilty of putting off everyday chores as the next person. We make endless to-do lists, but it is harder to finish up all our self-appointed tasks.
It’s often the same task that gets rolled over from one day to the next. Perhaps we are too ambitious, or it could be that we run out of steam or get bored before we can finish.
Have you thought of incorporating the “five-minute-rule” into your day? This means you can pick a task, any task, and give it your best shot for 5 minutes. Getting started is the most challenging part, but just knowing that you have only pledged 5 minutes could make it almost manageable. At the very least it will assuage your guilt and allow you to move on.
How does it work? You can do anything for 5 minutes, right? Learn how to use those 5 minutes productively. For example, if you are watching television or reading a favorite author’s bestseller, you will need a break at some point. Take a few minutes during commercials, or at the end of each chapter, to do one mini tasks; no one is judging you.
You may have noticed that commercials are getting longer all the time, which is a good thing, if you want to do a set on your weight machine, organize a shelf in your pantry, or put a load of clothes in the washer.
Procrastination after all, is not necessarily a byproduct of laziness or even poor management skills. Think of it as a coping skill, used to avoid tasks that you need to do, but don’t necessarily want to do. I mean, who wants to declutter a junk drawer?
Our lives are filled with a plethora of mini chores. Instead of feeling guilty for not finishing them, try working on them for 5 minutes, and see how it makes you feel. Pretty good, huh. No guilt. No pressure, just the satisfaction of crossing them off your list. You will never look at your to-do list the same again.
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