Ahh...procrastination, my old friend.
I've never been one of those people that gets their work out of the way first, then relaxes or plays. I couldn't understand the kids that took their textbooks out as soon as they got home from school and finished their homework before turning to videogames. The coworkers that cranked out work as soon as they reached the office puzzled me.
I'm a procrastinator. Maybe I should reframe that as "I have procrastinating tendencies" so I can break free of that identity.
But I'm generally always busy. I don't like sitting still and twiddling my thumbs. I have an inherent need to be productive for most of my waking hours.
"Just relaxing" isn't relaxing to me; it's anxiety-inducing.
So why is it that I still struggle to complete my to-do list?
The main reason is that I'm often "fake productive" as a means of procrastination. My main priorities for the day fall behind a slew of other tasks that I create for myself. These can be chores that need to get done eventually or are helpful in some way, but usually don't need to happen right now.
My main fake productivity habits are:
Cleaning
Meal prepping
Playing with or walking my dog
Scrolling social media or scanning the internet "for inspiration"
Going through my photos to find postable content without a real goal or post/reel in mind
Making a snack
Writing up to-do lists
Updating my bullet journal
These aren't bad things to do at all! These are all tasks that I do need to do, but aren't usually urgent (unless Pico is about to pee on the rug).
And my main priorities are.
Creating content is something I can only work on for extended periods of time during the day while my boyfriend is also working. Sticking to a content schedule means completing videos and posts within a certain timeframe.
My bullet journal can wait until the evening or weekend. Cleaning can happen in the small moments of free time throughout the week.
The problem with doing these tasks during my work days is that they make me feel like I'm being productive. I'm checking items off my list, so why wouldn't this be considered productivity?
These just postpone the real, deep work I want and need to get done to achieve my goals. If maintaining a clean home was my top priority in life, that would be a different story.
At the end of the day, my dreams and ambitions need to take precedence over my time -- even if that means the house gets a little untidy from time to time.
So if you needed some Monday motivation to kick off your week, here's your sign to narrow your focus and make progress toward your number one goal. Remove the distractions from your day. Remind yourself that just because you're busy, doesn't mean you're being productive. Refresh your focus by keeping your "why" top of mind.
You can do this. And I'm reminding myself that I can too and the dishes can wait a few hours.
Happy adventuring,
A
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