Focus To Get Things Done

A wise man once said that procrastination is the thief of time. Some of us may be familiar with this quote, but for those who aren’t, this simply means that we must not put off what until tomorrow what we can accomplish today.

Unexpected things happen all the time, and if we shuffle our schedules around frequently, we’ll only notice how the pile of works starts to get taller and taller as days go by. Especially in today’s fast-paced life, matters that need our immediate attention arise all the time. Out of laziness, most of us opt to do something else instead of being productive. We somehow feel that it will be more convenient to settle those matters at a later time. This habit can be devastating to us and to our careers, and it can also be a deterrent to self-improvement and success.

It is not always easy to stop procrastinating because it seems so simple to just stay in the comfort zone by putting off what needs to be done. The ramifications are usually not felt immediately, and once it does, the person lives with regret for their irresponsibility. The sad fact is, these effects often leave indelible scars, ones that last a long time.

At one point in our lives, we meet people who live with big dreams and great ideals. When we ask them what they plan to do, their excuses vary. “I’m going to get started soon”, “I’m thinking about it”, or “I’m still going over my options.” These are purely excuses. Yes, a little bit of planning and research serves us well when starting any project. But the excuses can only last so long.

Rome may not have been built in a day, but what was important was that these people set about to putting their plans into action as soon as some of the pieces fell into place. While there are many reasons that may stop someone from starting a project, fear may be the most obvious reason. However, the idea of perfectionism is the leading contender among the list of defenses. Ironically, the only way to overcome the dilemma is to start doing.

Again, someone said, “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.” We have to know that there is no such thing as a perfect plan. We can spend so much time getting everything perfect that we forget to work on everything else. The point is, we have to just do it even if we know that we are bound to slip every now and then. When you think that, you might as well stop trying, if you know it won’t be perfect is one surefire way to never grow. If something is worth our time, then that thing must also have its weight in gold.

We can never make up for the time we’ve squandered, and as much as we try to, we will always live with the nagging thoughts in our head. Just start with something that is good enough, and then keep working to improve on it. This does require some time because we need to make even the most basic plan. We tweak ideas and gradually improve. Getting started on a project is not a life and death decision. But if done properly and seriously, we could have something amazing.

Related articles

• Inside the mind of a procrastinator (ismckenzie.com)
• ‘I’ll Do It Tomorrow’ – How to Stop Procrastinating (lifescript.com)
• The Summer of Do (momreviews.net)