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In this lesson, I talk about bringing the harm we do when we procrastinate to light, and how to create an awareness of it throughout the day.
When we automatically avoid our difficult/important tasks and run to distraction, it seems like such a small thing: “Just one more video won’t hurt.”
But in truth, there are some major harm that can accumulate over time with repeated procrastination:
- We make ourselves cram the work into smaller time periods, causing greater stress.
- This also can lower our quality of work, which means we’re not serving others as well.
- It can hurt the service we’re providing to others, including our team.
- It can cause people to trust us less, damaging our reputation and relationships.
- It can cause us to trust ourselves less, and feel bad about ourselves.
- It can mean missed opportunities, as we don’t start or finish projects that are meaningful.
These are just some examples … I encourage you to bring awareness to the harm you’re causing yourself when you run from tough tasks.
Some ideas:
- Bring mindfulness to this harm during your Unprocrastination Sessions.
- Put a note somewhere visible so that you ask yourself the question, “What harm might this cause?” during the day.
- Journal about it at the end of the day — just a few sentences reflecting on harm you caused during the day.
These are small things, but they can make a big difference. By shining a light on this, we can start to be more conscious about the way we choose to spend our days.
Exercise
I suggest you do the following:
- Start paying attention to this in your daily sessions and during the day (use a note to remember).
- Journal about it, if you can, for just a few minutes at the end of the day.
- Share the harm you think you do with procrastination in the discussion thread in Slack.