Trent RhodesWe’ve all experienced it. That feeling like a weight on our shoulders. It’s heavy but not really so. But you notice it. Your mind moves along in its usual infinite manner with ideas and purposes and drifting thoughts. Cool concepts put a smile on your face. Oh, what it would be if they really came true!
But something is stopping you, some invisible barrier forming the separation between your mental energy and physical effort to see the thoughts to fruition.
What is that nagging emotional state?
Some call it sloth. Harsher critics call it laziness. Here we’ll call it procrastination.
There are multiple reasons why we procrastinate and even more resources to talk about how to handle it. I want you to first understand the root of it.
Procrastination is a habit of delaying action. The “habit,” like any other is formed over time and it requires repeating the same action until it becomes easier to accomplish. Procrastination in this regard is a willpower habit that eventually influences your physiology. We can will to do something or will to not do something. When we decide to delay an action, we’re exercising the willpower and mentally condition to continue delaying the action whenever that situation or one similar comes.
Delay action long enough and you tarnish the will to action needed to carry your thoughts out. You may find experts who give you timetables on when habits form but don’t become so infatuated with the scientific numbers that you miss the point. You can feel your own habits strengthening or weakening by measuring your own ability through self-awareness.
Concentration is an ability sought after by many people because of its numerous benefits to quality of life. Concentration too is a habit. If your concentration is weak and you attempt to read a 2,000-page book, it’s likely you may not finish despite having strong motivation. But if you work on reading smaller articles or books, begin building up your ability to focus on a single task over time, eventually you’ll develop the willpower to endure books over 2,000 pages with ease.
This same principle works with procrastination. At some point in your life, you developed the habit of putting off things you know should be done. Do you accept that there will be a tomorrow? Are you comfortable enough that you can set aside those important errands? Is your great idea so unique that you have the right to disregard it and allow time to fly without its launch? If so, there’s no need to go on with this post. But the reality is…the only guarantee is that you exist right now. So you should work on taking immediate action and placing 100% effort into what you do. Small or large, important or seemingly insignificant, you should strive towards executing your actions with the fullest extent of your potential.
