The good news is "as soon as" junkies are the most well meaning people in the world. However, they don't always do what they mean to do. Here's the kind of thing that happens -- read through this list to see if anything sounds familiar.
- Time to go to the gym! I'll leave as soon as... I finish these last few emails.
- I need to sit down and relax. I will as soon as... I get the errands done.
- Yikes -- haven't written an article for a month! I'll get right on it as soon as... I order our granddaughter's birthday present.
- The big meeting is in two days, and this time I'm going to prepare. I'll start as soon as... I finish up a few calls and have some lunch.
Yesterday I was alone in the late afternoon when I realized how stressed I was -- really exhausted. So I decided to get a snack, pour some wine, and sit quietly by the fire to read. But it was 90 minutes before I made it to the chair, now nearly out of time. The tidying up was finished, but so was I.
Within moments I realized this behavior is an addiction, and the cost is high. We know stress can be dangerous and shorten our lifespan. Bad enough, but how about our frustration when we skip exercise, run mediocre meetings, or postpone medical checkups? Each day I don't write an overdue article, the weight of procrastination increases.
However, my motivation for kicking this addiction is stronger than the day-to-day cost. Consider the price we pay over the course of our lifetimes for making the easy choices on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis as our quality of life declines and the difference we're here to make diminishes beyond repair.
Take a moment ask yourself,
What is this habit costing me and how can I stop?
Most of the success in my life comes from doing what I know to do -- and not spending so much time on the rest. Here are the lessons I've learned. They may work for you -- or stimulate your thinking about what would.
Admit it's a problem. Think about the cost of the issue and how long have you been wrestling with it. What do you really mean to do, but are not doing? Once I admit I'm in its grip again, my commitment to change becomes stronger.
Do the meaningful stuff first. This one may be the hardest on the list, but it works brilliantly. At the beginning of the day, identify the biggest challenge on your plate. Then just take yourself by the collar and do it. Anything's worth the relief and surge of energy that comes when it's completed. Then the little stuff gets done in no time.
Make a schedule and stick to it. This solution is a relatively new one to me, hard to get used to, but the best yet. At this point in my life my meditation practice and exercise are vital to me, and yet like relaxing by the fire, other things easily get in the way. It's a discipline that works:
- 6:00 a.m.: Meditation
- 7:00 a.m.: Exercise
- 7:45 a.m.: Get ready for the day and have breakfast
- 9:00 a.m.: Write
- 11:00 a.m.: Desk work
- 1:00 p.m.: Free to do whatever I want
What would be an ideal morning for you? What would be an ideal day? Make a schedule, stick to it, and see what happens.
We are stronger than this addiction, and the payoff is enormous. If solving this issue is something you want to do, please don't make it just another thing you mean to do.
Let me know how you're doing -- especially the triumphs! Either scroll down to leave a comment, or write to me directly at jinny@bestyearyet.com.
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