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Unprocrastination | part 2

Unprocrastination | part 2 published on

 

| I’m sure you all remember R # 1:  Resistance
from my last post:  UNPROCRASTINATION

| And I’m sure you have all been waiting with bated breath for this follow up and 2nd installment:

R # 2
of

3Rs | Steps

{Not you grandma’s  Readin’,  Ritin’  &  ‘Rithmetic}

To

UNPROCRASTINATION
_______________

 Repetition

SO,

How is this ***New & Improved*** version of  Repition not like the old school days where they did their alphabet and times tables repeatedly, over and over again, ad nauseam until their eyes crossed and  glazed over, drool pooling on their desks, knuckles raw and numb from being rapped by a hardwood ruler if their attention faltered …even for a second?   

I’ll tell you how …it’ become a lot  SEXIER  in the 21st century than it was in the past.  Yes, repetition is a lot  ***S E X I E R***

For example: we have a whole bunch of new and exciting, modern approaches to help enliven the tedious, foreboding, mind-numbing, laborious task that was repetition. Here, let me run a few by you…

Realign: mmm, realign – now isn’t that a lovely word.

Refocus: to see anew, with freshly focused eyes. Who wouldn’t want that?

Reframe: more than one way to look at things. A change of perspective anyone ?

Rehabilitation: hmm, yes, well, something I have a great deal of 1st hand experience w … but never mind that right now…we’ll come back to this incriminating incredible list  later  

Re-imprint | Retell | Refresh | Relocate |  Release 

Are there any words you can think of that would make a valuable addition to this list? 

And what, pray tell,  does this have to do with UNPROCRASTINATING ?

Well, since you read my 1st post on UNPROCRASTINATION, you obviously will remember how procrastination itself can be the product of negative repetition. The  retelling of a 1st time negative experience {from childhood}  +  overlaying that negative story over ‘similar‘ life experiences many, many times until it all becomes habitual, unconscious thoughts — and worse still, hard-held ingrained BELIEFS & FEELINGS about ourselves and the world. OYVEY!

This is perfect breeding ground for Procrastination to develop and set-in.  Procrastination: we avoid & resist activities that are often good & healthy for us because they evoke the same negative Thoughts|Beliefs|FEELINGS that we experienced during the  1st-time unpleasant event.

SO,
What do we Do about it once it’s set-in and in our face?

1.  DO ~ Accept your resistance. See it as a valuable learning opportunity.
~ do not resist it!
~don’t resist resistance ~ don’t resist procrastination
~ because as you knowWhat You Resist Persists
<See previous post on UNPROCRASTINATION> for greater detail

2. DO ~  Congratulate yourself and feel proud that you are willingly acknowledging and engaging with your procrastination ~ look it straight in the eye!
~ do not be hard on yourself
~do not push | force | criticize | punish or be mean to yourself in any way… whatsoever!
        ||| I mean it!   Or else!   At your Peril!   You, You…Disobeyer You |||

3.  DO ~ Relax about it, take a few breaths and c h i l l ~~~
~ do not make too much effort or try too hard
**Remember: “Trying is Lying” – I think that was Fritz Perlz (Gestalt)

4.  DO ~ Nurture your good feelings.  Imagine and talk about the wonderful way you want to feel as an unprocrastinated person.                       10408778_10155254153460045_4314617724184843498_n (2)  do not talk about your problems ~
…except m a y b e to your therapist…if they’re good! | or to a friend if they have excellent listening skills and, more importantly,  a m a z i n g  boundaries – good luck!

Focussing on our problems = the past / same-old-same-old / addiction / habit /and PROCRASTINATION

While building the *NEW* = solutions / growth /  hopeful future / Joys /and UNPROCRASTINATION


_____________________________________
_______________________

If you catch yourself
{and you will – & – this is a good thing}

doing any of the above listed habits
(that’s all they are, bad habits}

~ then   stop   and ~

|| IMPORTANT: pat yourself on the back for catching yourself  in this behaviour ||

~ gently shift your attention and focus to a better thought and/or feeling +

 ~kindly nurture that thought/feeling until it settles/feels good/sets-in +

~~~B R E A T H E~~~

______________________

_____________________________

Okay,  SO

What Else do we DO?

It’s kinda simple really. It boils down to a couple of things:

{Which:  Take practice | Like building a muscle it’s not done in 1 trip to the gym}

  1. Thoughts. It’s important what we think. That goes for BIG, ‘meaningful’ thoughts as well as less significant ones – they are all ultimately equal.
    It’s important to be intentional about what we think.
    It’s important what we choose to think.
    It’s important what we are thinking NOW – even as this is being written and read. It’s ESPECIALLY important what we are thinking NOW …because it’s the only time we CAN actually choose a thought >> *NOW*<<
    The thoughts we choose to think NOW create our future —  they create future Procrastination and/or UNPROCRASTINATION — as well as everything else in our lives.

  2. Feelings.     | Feeling good is it’s own reward | Love is it’s own reward |
    Feeling good is the ultimate manifestation
    From feeling good ↔ Good things flow ↔ From feeling good ↔ Good…

    Desire  MORE of that feelin’ good stuff. More good thoughts, words, deeds, activities, reminders, emotions, pictures, memories, people, friends, things, creativity, play, laughter… whatever YOU can think of that feels good to YOU 

HOW Do We Do It?   

Most often we do it..
1. Incrementally
2. In SMALL steps
3.In FUN steps
4. In Enjoyable steps
5. In Happy steps
6. In Easy steps

 

Rome wasn’t built in a day… We’re not trying to go from 0 – 100 m/p/h in 5 seconds .. It doesn’t have to be done all at once… One brick at a time…blah, blah, blah

WHEN Do We Do It?

1. The only time you really can do it — NOW!
2. Always  ~ Always NOW ~  Always is Now
3. Every moment ~ Every moment is NOW ~ Every NOW
4. Gentle Reminder:  you cannot do it in the past or in the future ~ Your Past and Future is happening NOW!

If you really, really want to, and absolutely must, do it in the past and/or future ~ then DO IT NOW!

5. Did I forget to mention, do it now? It really is your only choice — resistance is futile.

______________________________________________

A Final TIP:

When I am confronted with my own procrastination I usually feel some combination of discomfort, self-criticism, embarrassment/shame, fear anger and other crappy stuff.

And, 

I find that if I can  s l o w   my  thinking<>feeling<>action  process  down  and    {B R E A T H E}  and  choose  to respond  in the direction of  happiness,  well-being  and  ease,  the more I end up getting what I want  (like UNPROCRASTINATION) — as opposed to the same-old-same-old crap (like procrastination).

Yes, It takes practice
~and~
it has the biggest pay-off of any practice I know of so far

Stay Tuned | Coming Soon: the final post in this ~ 3 Steps To UNPROCRASTINATION ~ series