Series 6 of 7 – Read first of series here
Does anyone know the voice of that little devil on your shoulder? We all know it. This voice coaches us into doing other things, like watching TV instead of working on our homework, or sleeping instead of getting up early to go for a run. It makes us feel like we’re lazy and not getting anything done. Yet this voice is good for you!
Listen to Your Inner Voice
Something we haven’t talked about yet is that little voice in our head that either encourages us to go do something else – thus procrastinating, or the other one… the critical one… the one that tells us how much we suck because we didn’t get the things done we set out to do.
Why is it important to listen to those voices?
Because they have an impact on your life both on a conscious and a subconscious level. Let’s start with that negative voice because I think in the long run it’s the most destructive of the two. Back on day one of this seven-day challenge to beat procrastination we talked about the importance of forgiving yourself. To quickly recap, it does you no good to beat yourself up over past procrastination, and you should expect to “fail” by procrastinating again here and there. Nobody is perfect. We all have good days and bad days. The important part is to show up and try your best.
Become aware of your Inner Voice
That little negative voice in your head doesn’t help you do that. Become aware of it and when you hear it, defuse it. You can do this by responding to it out loud or in writing (via a journal). Or get up and do something else. Do whatever it takes to silence that voice. A great option is to prove it wrong by doing something productive. Over time that voice will speak up less and less unless you indulge it by paying attention to it and letting it ruin your day.
Tackle the Voice in your head
Next, it’s time to tackle the voice in your head that tells you it’s much more fun to do just about anything other than what you should be doing. We all have that voice. It’s why we come up with terms like procrasticleaning and procrasticrafting. We can get pretty innovative when it comes to doing anything but the thing we don’t want to work on and that little voice is feeding us suggestions and cheering us on.
Trust your Instincts
The best way to diffuse this particular voice into something more productive is with “yes, and” statements. “Yes, playing video games sounds like a lot of fun and I’m going to play for an hour or so after I get this task done.” Use the suggestions this voice gives you as bribes if they sound like something fun. Ignore them otherwise, or put them off until tomorrow.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to be aware of the voice of procrastination. Procrastination is a major problem that can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy. It is essential to identify the voice of procrastination and find ways to overcome it.
It’s important to identify and define the voice of procrastination in order to better combat it.
