Procrastinate: What Not To Do This Month (And Next Month)

Happy Sunday everyone.

I am struggling with being organised and avoiding procrastination. I seem to be stuck in the mode of saying I will do that later or tomorrow or next week. So I have added procrastinating to my not-do list for December. Other things I should not do for the month of December are worrying and overspending. Please wish me luck.

As I write, it is minutes to 11 in the morning, and, once again I feel like I am rushing and that I am behind on my list things to do. And I am also berating myself, just a little, because I really should have written, edited, and scheduled this post from last night. I went to at 2:30 last night  this morning. But I did write in my planner schedule that I would write today’s post first thing this morning after breakfast at 9:30 am and have it scheduled for 2:30 in the afternoon.

Yesterday, after I finished laundry and cleaning and a wonderful toss-all-things- I -do-not-like/use/need session (I have no shoes, jeans, and T-shirts now) at around five in the evening, I  showered and relaxed. I settled in bed and began reading Diamonds of Death by Vivian Conroy, book two in the Lady Alkmene mysteries. By 9 o’ clock I finished the book. Then, I started looking at moonstone rings on Pinterest which then led me to visit Etsy shops and before I knew it was after 2 in the wee hours of the morning and my eyes were burning.

Looking back, I really should have used those hours to write my blog post for today. Last night I even thought of a topic which I had loosely titled, An Attempt At Minimalism, where I was supposed to describe my toss-all session and how good I felt after that mini-purge. But this morning, that sense of accomplishment has waned. I woke up late and I still have to write, then edit, and schedule today’s Life in Jamaica post, then I have to iron, sort through laundry, cook, squeeze in  self-care time, revise The Sixth Culling and I wanted to go the made-in-Jamaica Christmas expo.

It all feels as if I have so much I want to do and so very little time. And, usually I would lie in bed  and think (for hours) about all the things I am supposed to be doing, and how little time I had, and then, before I knew it was night time on Sunday, and my weekend was over. This has been my sad Saturday and Sunday cycle of doing very little while wanting and dreaming of doing more.  Does this happen to you guys too?  I want to know, am I alone? Do any of you guys wake up and groan, and feel as if there is so much to get done and so little time to do it all? And then do  any of you roll over and sleep for another three hours instead of getting up and doing all the things you want to do? Please say yes. Please comment and say yes, so I don’t feel so bad about my laziness. Let’s chat about our procrastination and work through it together.

If I have no company and everyone who reads this is organised and efficient on the weekends then that is fine as well because I am changing. Today, I am changing that and  I am working through the dread of not having enough time.

So moving forward, this is my plan,  I am going to do more detailed planning. I have always had notebooks and I love making lists and jotting down ideas but I do not always execute these ideas. In fact, at the every beginning of the month, I did a list of ideas for November blog posts. And honestly, I did not write on any of those topics. I have been winging it and that approach has worked until today. Today, I want a fresh start. I want to spend my time brainstorming my blog post ideas, and some time on research. I need more time for writing, and, I also need time dedicated to the blog’s layout, images, design and all the fun aesthetics.

So how am I going to shift things around and be more productive? Earlier this month I bought a Passion Planner.  I bought the pretty blue one, called paradise blue. I love the cover. I got the classic size because I do not write really small and neat. I figured the compact planner would just be too small.

My main issue with the size of the classic Passion Planner is that it is big too travel around with me. I cannot drop this planner in my handbag along with my notebook. Instead, I will block out time on a Saturday evening to draft my list of things to do and my main focus for the upcoming week. I did my first planning session yesterday for the week November 27 to December 3. And considering I am hours behind in my things to do and accomplish for today, day one of passion planning, it is safe to say that this fresh start is going to be a slow journey.

Last December, I downloaded the free PDF version of the Passion Planner and I started using it in January 2016.  I was revved up, I loved the exercises and I gladly did them for a month or two. But then I stopped using the planner altogether in June or July of this year. So now that I have purchased it, paid for shipping to Jamaica and waited weeks for it get here,  I am going use this Passion Planner. I am still going to have my trusty notebook on hand each day, I will also be journaling again but for the list making, the plans of action, blog notes, money tracking I will use the planner. I want to get all the good I can from the targeted prompts, mind-mapping exercises, detailed time blocking scheduling and the list making. I will use this Passion Planner from December 2016 through to November 2017 and see how this kind of detailed organisation, and action oriented way of being can help transform my life and the My Jamaican Vignettes blog. I will share some updates along the way but more importantly I hope that the change will be obvious to persons who interact with me and those of you who follow and support My Jamaican Vignettes.

Have a fantastic week!  Do something you enjoy every single day, be creative, have fun, shine, and be happy.

Chantel