Paralyzed Procrastinators (and a Giveaway!)
Published January 28, 2011If you’ve not done so yet, send me a Facebook friend request or follow me on Twitter (info on right sidebar) 
Hey local gals: I wanted to give a shout out to my new friends I met at my event at the DeWitt School PTA last night. What a fabulous bunch of folks! Also, for any of you Mid-Michigan gals who are interested in some support in the battle of the bulge, I’ll be leading a Made to Crave group that will meet at my church (link on the left sidebar) for seven weeks beginning Monday night, February 28th. This study is designed to go along with whatever healthy eating plan you choose and will enable you to find the ‘want to’ in losing weight. For more info and to see the clever book trailer, click here. If you want info about our local group, email me at karen@proverbs31.org.
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Procrastination:
The act of delaying;
Repeated inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time;
To fail to accomplish something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness;
To postpone needlessly.
Do you procrastinate?
Have projects you’ve been wanting to get around to tackling but just can’t seem to find the energy to do?
Are there cluttered closets, unwritten thank you notes from Christmas, disorganized storage rooms, filthy shower stalls or a fridge that hasn’t been cleaned for so long now you need a hazardous materials suit and a chisel to get at it?
Why do we procrastinate?
Laziness?
Sometimes.
Boredom (we’d rather play than work)?
Yep.
The task seems too overwhelming?
Uh-huh.
Or how about this one…..we are paralyzed by perfection. I mean we don’t want to do the thing unless we can do the thing perfectly.
So there sits the thing…..undone.
How about we pinky promise that this weekend we will carve out a slice of time to get off of our duffs and bravely venture into the frustrating world of our persistent procrastination.
Here are a few tips that have helped me.
~ Break it down into bite-size chunks. When the chore seems insurmountable, take it one step at a time. Maybe you won’t be able to totally re-organize your entire pantry, clean out the fridge and freezer, sort through and re-align all of your dishes and cooking utensils and spit shine the floors, countertops and appliances this weekend, but I’ll bet you could at least tackle the kitchen junk drawer. Or pick one of the aforementioned projects to accomplish.
Baby steps now…
~ Next set a timer and tell yourself you’ll stop when it rings. Yep, experts assert that if you set a timer for just 20-30 minutes and dive into you task, after a few minutes the momentum you feel by seeing progress can be all the push you need to find the desire to finish the thing entirely.
~ Find a friend. You surely must know a fellow procrastinator. Buddy up. Go to her house for an hour or two to help her tackle a nasty or frustrating chore. Then, swing by a coffee shop, re-fuel and head to your place to work on your project for a while.
~ Reward yourself. Promise yourself that after the task is complete, you’ll treat yourself to something fun. Rent a movie, curl up with a magazine and cup of something steamy, or buy yourself that cute pair of earrings you wanted the other day.
~ Be patient. Your home didn’t get cluttered in a day and it won’t de-clutter itself overnight. But with a little planning, some “gumption and elbow grease” as my momma used to say, and a few weekends, you can finally begin to kiss procrastination goodbye!
Now for the giveaway:
Since I firmly believe that women often aren’t willing to have others over for some good ‘ole fashioned hospitality due to their procrastination projects staring them in the face and making them feel defeated, I want to give away the following to three of you who leave a comment this weekend (yes, I’m feeling generous!)
~A personalized, signed copy of my book A Life That Says Welcome; Simple Ways to Open Your Heart & Home to Others. This book is not only on hospitality, it also has chapters on dejunking, cleaning, decorating and tons of easy, crowd-pleasing recipes. Oh, and it also tells the tale of my marrying into a gourmet family full of interior decorators, Bed & Breakfast owners and fancy cooks…..when I barely knew how to boil water!
~ And a $10 Target gift card so you can purchase either supplies for your project or a little reward for yourself.
So, here is the dealio…..leave a comment telling us the procrastination project you most want to tackle. Three of you will be chosen at random by my random integer selector (my boys give me a random number! I have no clue how to use random integer selectors so I improvise!).
Comment away….. I’m off….um….er….well…to write those Christmas thank you notes. Slightly embarrassing coming from someone who speaks and writes on organization, but hey…I’m just keepin’ it real people.
Happy Weekend!
121 Responses to Paralyzed Procrastinators (and a Giveaway!)
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The biggest problem is the bags of papers that need to be gone through and shredded, filed or trashed. They just keep growing. When I try to go through them then I have piles of paper all over my bed or dining room table. I don’t know what to do with everything so I just put the piles back in the bags and feel defeated and like a failure. Ugh! Help would be appreciated.
Danette
OK, so here it is Sept, 12, I’ve found this article by Googling “How do I get motivated when I feel paralyzed” and see no one has responded to the many questions here. Among many other things, I agree with papers, mail, financial statements, etc building up all over. This is partically the government’s fault in requiring that we save so much for taxes, that pension plans no longer exist, so we have tons of financial reports from being diversified and from various employers & banks. SO, what do we do???
My other issue is that I’m stuck in a paint job that has been pure hell do to the paint and the old building. It’s too late to hire anyone else, but I stare at the crappy paint and walls, and it makes my body literally ache from… what, anxiety, depression, fear, and oh yes, I’m a perfectionist. The ideas presented in the article seem good, but I was given those years ago by a therapist who pinpointed that my perfectionism is at the crux of much of my procrasitination, and that no one is harder on me than I am on myself. So????? Short of medication – which nearly killed me last year – or stepping in front of speeding traffic, what’s a tortured soul to do. And don’t suggest therapy – I have no money, am long-term unemployed, painting my home in an effort to rent it and save it from foreclosure. Paying a therapist from what’s left of my savings would only depress me further and can far more fear & anxiety over the rapidly dwindling numbers in the bank account. Oh and did I mention that once the paint job is complete, there’s still some other tasks and a punch list of touch-ups to be completed. So yes, I feel completely overwhelmed.
Where’s the nearest highway?
Anonymous26: Praying for you today that you will be comforted by the One who alone can comfort us with hope. Do you have a Bible and a good church where you can plug in and find community face to face?
My attic! In the winter I complain “It’s too cold up there!” and in the summer, “It’s too hot up there!” Spring is coming and I have no excuse!
Whoops! forgot my name!
My attic! In the winter I complain “It’s too cold up there!” and in the summer, “It’s too hot up there!” Spring is coming and I have no excuse!
My basement…would love to make it a usable space…but just looking at it makes me feel overwhelmed!
I really need to tackle the filing cabinet. I have years of paid bills in there and I think it would be okay to get rid of them. But, going through and doing it and then setting up new folders, ugh! After working all week, it is the last thing I want to do.
I have two biggies: The file cabinets where all our bills and important papers are stashed (How long are you supposed to keep all that stuff?) and these old suitcases that have all these old journals, drawings, notes, etc., from Jr. High and High School. I don’t even know where to begin!
My house is pretty much in order only because we just finished a big remodeling job but the garage is a mess because if I didn’t want it in the house, it went to the garage. It’s supposed to be warmer here today so perhaps this weekend we can start.
I am such a procrastinator. I always have been and am trying to do better. I decided I needed to work on this aspect of my personality when I put off helping my son with his school project. Then we sat at the table the night before it was due and poor little thing wrote til his hand about fell off. Bad Mommy! So, I’m prayerfully working on this
Wow, you hit the nail on the head with the hospitality… (guilty!) I would so like to tackle the basement playroom/craft room. I’m so overwhelmed with it right now. My craft supplies have taken over the room leaving little room for my children to have friends over.
I’m pretty sure you were talking to me this morning! I love that title…never thought of what I do as being a paralyzed procrastinator. My desk…piles of paper, my supply closet…a disaster, my refrigerator…ugghh! So this weekend my goal will be to conquer at least one of these but it’s going to be such a beautiful sunny weekend here in TX! LOL! I’m thinking I could really use that book of yours!
Be Blessed!
You are talking to me! My basement was intended to be the storage/crafting/playroom… it has become the catch-all! It is so overwhelming! It is the getting started that is the hardest part.
I need to tackle organizing all the outgrown kids clothes I am keeping around for future kids. The entire closet in my daughter’s room is filled with boxes, so we can’t use the closet at all. And when I do need something it’s almost impossible to find.
I would love to learn to entertain. I get so nervous whenever anyone comes over, because, like you said, I barely know how to boil water. But I think it’s important for us to open our home to people, and especially for my kids to learn hospitality.
Oh, how I needed to hear these sweet words today. I have undergone a very large job and I’ve recently been getting very overwhelmed with it so I just stopped altogether. >:|
I am attempting to organize the whole house. It is in vast disarray and driving all of us crazy. It’s a big job, but I know I can do it. Just to get motivated…I know the reward will be worth it. It just seems like everywhere I look, there’s so much to do, and I don’t know where to start, so I usually…don’t.
I would love to read that book. Your posts are so well written, and I avidly read them.
Unfortunately, I have a few things that need tackled. This weekend I’m hoping to go through all my daughter’s baby clothes, reorganize, give half away and label the other half so I know what sizes are where for future reference! And I think this weekend I’ll also be actively praying that your boys pick my number so I can receive a copy of your book…it looks like a good read! Blessings.
-Jennifer
My project I am putting of is picking, printing and hanging photos in our house. Because I want it to look “perfect” and am afraid to do it wrong I start with some pictures and frames then don’t follow through.
The task I almost procrastinate on is cleaning up the yard, the outside-particularly in the winter. But, even then, since it’s cold, and I tend to look outside rather than being outside-well…..
I get stuck in my procrastination by being so organized than I am unorganized by fear of perfection–everything has to be just right before it’s a go. Right now I’m stuck in the lack of a cleaning schedule–I don’t know where to start first because with three teens everywhere looks like a disaster. Before children my house was great.
I have been avoiding my kitchen cabinets. They are a disorganized mess. Spouse and the kids have just been shoving whatever wherever, and since THANKSGIVING, I’ve been promising myself I’d straighten them out. Can’t seem to motivate myself to do it, though. It’s a huge task, and even though it so needs doing, there are so many other things that need doing too. One day I’ll get to it. Hopefully. Until then, the shoving stuff in continues.
The piles in my room – I’m so ready for them to be gone~!
I really need to finish the quilt I started months ago and clean my sewing room. It’s such a mess, makes me not want to go in there. lol
If your giveaway is open to Canadians, then please enter me too, thanks!
I have several projects in mind…the necessary one is to unpack the boxes that are in our junk room…er, guest bedroom (that cannot house guests yet!!) since we moved in 7 MONTHS AGO! Yes, I know…you don’t even have to say it!
Wow! Procrastionator is my middle name..lol. I always find an excuse to do it next time. But once I set my mind to it, like you said, I want it done right and go all out! I need to clean our my ‘clutter bomb’ areas!! I’ve got them stashed on my built in hutch shelves and my microwave cart is FULL of loose good for me recipes ~ can’t ever find the one I want. Need to organize a recipe book/folder. I would love to read your book. I really look forward to reading your site and checking for updates. Plan on following you and joining the journey ‘Made To Crave’. Just started First Place 4 Health ‘Balanced Living’ sessions last Sunday. Another place I procrastinate unfortunately is exercise~I’ve never had to exercise, I was always way too skinny, well middle age has it ~ my mid line! May God continue to Bless You with your wonderful gift of Inspiring Others ~ Thanks Karen!
If I had to pick just one…it would be the piles of our family pictures waiting to be sent out to friends and family. I missed sending them out with a Christmas letter – do you think Valentines would work?! I am often the queen of paralyzed procrastinators!!
Well, kinda embarassed, but it’s our bedroom. Yup the rest of the house stays semi-orderly (with 4 kids that’s as good as it gets) but my bedroom, well it’s not pretty! Not filthy, just not picked up. My clean laundry piles up on the bureau while I nag at the kids to make sure their’s is put away….this weekend I have no plans…guess what SHOULD be on my agenda!!! Thanks Karen
My bedroom catches all that stuff so that the great room looks greater. I need to start on my bedroom floor!
That’s for the timely reminder….the holidays can’t be my excuse any longer!
Piles, boxes, and bags of papers. And my office stuff. And the filing cabinet. Did I mention PAPER?? Anyway, I have a different reason for my procrastination. It’s basically that I am overworked with other things that take priority. It’s hard to attack a pile of papers when kids need fed, I’ve been out to work all day, laundry needs done, and the bathroom needs cleaned. When all of that is accomplished, all I want to do is fall into bed and sleep! Maybe I will have to set a timer for five minutes a couple of times a week and consider it better than nothing. You don’t need to enter me in your drawing – I already have the book.
The thing I put off most is going thru old mail to see what is still inportant or what could be thrown away. I know that a great deal of it is old sales flyers, old junk mail, but we tend to pile it up and leave it for a while, then I have trouble motivating myself to go thru and purge anything that is truly i=unimportant.
This describes me to a “T”. I get to rolling & then I get sidetracked, it takes forever to get my momentum going again. I have an extra incentive but there it is, the “Paralyzing Fear of Perfection”. I am always afraid of not being good enough, house not clean enough, fear of rejection, fear of being judged, shortages of money to decorate like I want so I don’t put myself out there, I retreat & withdraw. This all or nothing atitude has got to cease – speak to me Karen! Get me motivated!
We need to redo our baby boy’s room into a guest room, but I am overwhelmed by his stuff, the memories, and what needs to be done! He’s 26 and hasn’t lived at home since he left for college 8 years ago, for Heaven’s sake! (We accomplished this last winter with older son’s room…with tears!) I attempted to do some work in there a few weeks ago and found pictures of a mission trip he went on before he started high school…tears!! This sentimental mommy needs to get busy and work through the tears….again!!!
O laundry, how you scare me! Thanks for all your encouraging words!!
I have tons of stuff that I’ve procrastinated on. I need to go through my clothes in both dresser and closet. I need to dejunk and simplify my life. I want to continue sewing and completing projects…
Hi Karen! Wow- procrastination is a big one for me. My husband and I just adopted two teenagers and now my little organized world has turned upside down! I’m constantly praying for God’s wisdom and clarity to give me guidance on time management when it comes to getting all the chores completed. I need to: clean the fridge, clean the bathrooms, clean my closet, mop and steam the tile floors, and that’s just the inside- I haven’t touched the outside in months! Life is crazy right now and with only two days off a week- it’s getting crazier. I believe with all my heart that organization and a clean living environment leads to clarity, peace, and comfort. I really need some guidance on accomplishing these things since we adopted the kids! Please pray for me. This weekend I will attempt at cleaning the fridge!!!
Recently we moved across country and while we are finally out of all the boxes, I still have yet to tackle our household filing cabinet. It just seems overwhelming, plus I hate having to go through all the junk we’ve accumulated. I like the idea of setting up a timer. I know that I won’t finish it in one session but if I tackle a little bit every day, it will eventually get done. I would love your giveaway to help me feel confident in my new home. thanks for your ideas.
Just last weekend , my husband was out of town. I tackled cleaning out my closet. This was a huge project. It was also embarassing how many bags of purses, clothes and shoes will be going to purple heart and the local clothes closet. But after hours of organizing that closet and then cleaning it, I realized I need to do this with my heart. Thanks for th reminder. My prayer is that I can apply this daily.
Many projects to tackle
I’d love to sort through all of my cassette tapes to see if any still need a home here or need to find an new home.
ugh! I managed to tackle my craft/office/art room in the basement over Christmas break. But, now to the storage room that’s full of boxes and boxes of stuff we don’t need! If, I find the energy
I have an office that I’ve been wanting to turn into a bedroom for my son. It’s become a junk room for everything we want, don’t want, neee, and don’t need. I seriously need to just tackle this space. It is only one of many spaces needing some TLC but I think it will be a starting place that can snowball into a decluttered house.
So many projects, which one to choose? I am a classic paralyzed procrastinator. I would like to start this weekend on the piles of papers (don’t want to decide what to toss) that are cluttering my kitchen countertops and any other horizontal surface in our dining area. They scream “failur” to me every time I walk in the door. If that goes well I may also tackle the “black hole” room we call our office. More papers! Thanks for the challenge to do this instead of going shopping and bringing home more stuff to find a home for!
I almost put off reading this blog….till later!! Thanks for the “Encouragement….aka KICK” this morning!! Baby Steps….. the timer thing is a great idea!! Thanks again.
I’m usually really good about getting thank you’s out in a timely matter but not this time. I have a list (which I currently can’t find) of thank you’s to write after welcoming our second daughter into this world. Need to get that done before she gets too old.
The other bigger project I really want to tackle is our front closet. Just this morning my husband was asking if I’d seen something and told him it was probably in that closet. He didn’t even bother looking for it.
It is so funny you write about this because this morning as I could not find my keys, late to work and still had to pack a lunch I told my husband this weekend I am making an effort to get our office reclaimed on Saturday and our bathroom the next since those are the two places that have become blackholes in my life.
Closets, closets, closets!! Bedroom and linen closets.
Ha, what a timely message for me!! I swore,I was going to get organized this year. I refuse to live another year like the last one!! It made me crazy! I would love a copy of your book! I’ve been going to buy it, but haven’t had the extra funds to do so! I also swore this year I was going to entertain more. I’m a very social person and love having people over, but just don’t ever get around to it! But this year is going to be different!! So far, I have started on my closet and cleaned out a few of the extra sizes!! lol (found two pairs of jeans that I can now get in too which had holes around the zipper area. Why did I save them? Not a clue.) Started cleaning out and organizing the spare bedroom and finished the front closet last night!! Yeah! I love progress! Still have a LONG way to go, but feel inspired after your blog today!! Thanks! Have a great weekend!
Wall paper removal in the bathroom! I have it half done (for the last 2 years) and now have the top half (that i can’t reach except for a ladder straddled over the tub) left to do. Burnt myself with the steamer that was supposed to loosen the paper so i am a little “gun shy” to climb that ladder with the tool that can hurt me and balance precariously and pull and tug, and not fall…..and not burn myself…. and not take all the paper off the wallboard as well as the wall paper. Talk about needing Grace to get this done (or maybe just a swift kick in the toosh!)
Thanks so much for this message today, as I type this in my paralyzingly (is that a word?) cluttered office. I have big visions of what it can and should look like, but cant figure out the logistics of how to make that happen so I just keep the door shut. Your book sounds wonderful, and I hope I am one of the lucky winners!!
OMGosh! I need to tackle my closet….16 years of piling STUFF in there and I am too scared to get going! Thanks for the tips….I hope I can one day get to try them!
Hi Karen – My stressful ‘undone thing’ is a set of three boxes in the garage from my husband’s funeral seven years ago. Ugh. I have set it there until I have time/energy/ability to go through it. Obviously that never happens. Seven years? I think it’s time w/ God’s help to unpack it all, cry some (more) tears, save some memories for my girls, make a shadowbox, and throw those tattered boxes away.
This is encouragement I needed to hear today! I have a spare bedroom that needs to be tackled to prepare for baby’s arrival — in 6 weeks! I have been finding a lot of excuses to avoid the project, but I really need to just do the “bite-size chunk” thing and get started. I know it will take a lot of stress off of me at the end of this pregnancy.
RE-organizing my kitchen. I would like to move some things from one cabinet to another cabinet, but it just seems like too big of a job!
Oh my…I can TOTALLY relate to this statement:
“Or how about this one…..we are paralyzed by perfection. I mean we don’t want to do the thing unless we can do the thing perfectly.”
A recovering perfectionist, I’m still plagued by this syndrome.
As for my project – we moved into a new house 2 months ago, and my office/craft room is still in boxes. It’s overwhelming to look at. But, I’ll start tackling chunk-by-chunk this weekend! I pinky promise!
I definitely have some tendencies toward procrastination. My worst thing I consistently procrastinate on is making a grocery list and going to the store. I get SO overwhelmed and end up just going to the store with no list, buying junk and not having everything I need for meals, thus causing me to make a million “band-aid” trips to the store! Ugh!
My whole house. We moved for the 4th time in 4 years a year and a half ago into a smaller house. We were rushed and just stuffed and poked things to get them out of boxes. I need to re-do the whole house now and put things where I can find them.
I am so overwhelmed with my whole house…I’ve prayed about this….I’ve told my family that God has blessed us with this home the least we can do is clean it up. But, it hasn’t happened yet. Please help me pray….for strength …and encourgement to get this done….and a family that will pitch in and help.
Thanks so Much
When we moved, I worked on getting the rest of the house organized but not my office. We moved to a smaller place so I have more stuff in here, and I need to declutter, throw out, and straighten every shelf. Then it will be easier to work and not procrastinate if I am surrounded by an organized room
My project is my pantry. I would love to read this book. Thanks!
Piles of paper at work, filing, and disposing of paper is my most pressing need to tackle project.
all in
Papers, books and things full of memories need to be sorted and let go of!!!
oh I have several closets that need some serious work!! Looking forward to reading the book!! Thank you!
We moved into a new home in a new city at the beginning of the year. So I still have boxes to unpack, but keep putting it off. I have things unpacked that we need to live (kitchen, bathroom, clothes, etc.) but there are still boxes sitting in my bedroom that I need to unpack. ):
I want to clean out my bedroom closet and get my bedroom organized.
I’m neck deep in organizational projects and would LOVE to have Karen’s book!!
Perfectionism paralysis has been a long term issue for me – even at work. However, the thing that I run into the most – “I don’t have time to finish that right now so why start.” This applies to everything, from big projects to small projects. This April our Church is having a big yard sale – I am bound and determined to clean out some closets and contribute to the sale. Hopefully telling myself that someone else will benefit “big time” will help motivate me.
Hmmm – what DOESN’T need done? The bathtub needs a good scrubbing, but the paperwork that’s piled on the desk is more pressing with tax time here….so the paperwork. Pinky promise?!?
My closet NEEDS to be cleaned out but I have consistently procrastinated. It has been a dumping ground for things that don’t have a home.
This book sounds like it’s just what I need. My house is always in a state of CHAOS. Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome!
I need to remove the wallpaper in my kitchen and paint it but with 2 little ones there’s always something else to do and now I’m pregnant so I don’t feel up to it!
My husband and I need to rearrange our kitchen storage. We’ve lived in the house for 2 years now and we need to move things around to where it’s easiest and quickest to use the items. I also have an office upstairs that has become a storage room. I need to clean and purge and reclaim “my” room!
Thanks for your tips Karen and we haven’t sent our Christmas thank yous yet either. That’s a project for tomorrow.
I procrastinate on going through the piles of papers, books, sermon notes, pieces of papers, etc., that sit on our pool table in our gameroom. When our son has friends over to play pool, I move them to my room. When they leave, I move them back. I am so overwhelmed as to how to tackle this project. I don’t know where to store my unread books until I get to them, and I really do want to keep them handy as I plan to read them; what to do with the little pieces of paper which usually have something profound I have heard or a good scripture I plan to memorize–will I ever combine them all into a journal or should I just toss them all, seriously? The rest of my house is pretty well organized. I am stuck in this one area and really want to be victorious. Would love some ideas and input.
I think I already tackled my main project: my book proposal! Woohoo! Next is the neverending task of keeping my bedroom clean. My husband and I both let junk pile up on our dressers, and my job of folding the laundry is my biggest procrastination. This weekend, I want to clean up my dresser and get the laundry put AWAY!
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My project would be my file cabinet. Lots of paper!!!
I tend to procrastinate on projects where a plan is not clearly laid out. If I can’t see where I’m going and how I’m getting there, I put it off. However, currently I’ve been putting off cleaning my house, too; that is unlike me! Needless to say I’m feeling guilty about it.
I use to be orgnaized and on top of things until I started caring for my ailing Mom. It started out with just trips to the doctor or the store but as her illnesses progressed, her needs became greater. Trips to the doctors, sometimes 4 days a week, then the broken bones started….first a hip then two carotid artery surgeries. I tried to keep up here and with her and I worked one day a week, too. As more broken bones happened, more grandkids were born……thank you God, and in the middle of it all my daughter had a baby and a week later had a stroke. 6 months later she had open heart surgery to fix the hole in her heart, my youngest brother went into the hospital and after 6 weeks on a respirator he died. During this whole time Mom was in a rehab facility as she had fallen and broken both shoulder, her arm and some ribs the month before my brother got ill. My daughter healed well, praise God and Mom went home finally. I was then helped with her care by a brother and his wife but her needs grew more each year until in 2009 we had to put her into a nursing rehab. facility because she had become too fragile for us to care for safely. This entailed daily trips to make sure she was being taken care of, usually 3-4 hours each. Last year in Feb., Mom went to be with Jesus. I have spent the past 11 months trying to find the person who use to live in me. The one who is appalled at the cluttered basement that use to be neat and clean before I got so busy I only had time to set things wherever they would fit. I have yet been able to find a place to start……I get very overwhelmed when I go down there. I start each week with the same objection…start somewhere…..but I have yet to begin. I want to get it back to the condition it use to be so the grandkids can go down there and play and I don’t have to worry about them getting hurt. It’s only the end of Jan. and if I can get started I should have it in good shape by summer. Please pray for me…….
my home office – which includes my scrapbooking space, although i have never in the four years in this house worked on my scrapbooks here. (i go to a friend’s house). Now that all 3 of my kids are in school every day, i’d really like to have an organized scrapbook space so i could get caught up!
Thanks Karen I hope to tackle one thing tomorrow. I need to clean and organize my spare room. My son moved out and holidays and everything and it looks like we are hoarders it needs to be completed.
It’s time to downsize my empty nest. Cleaning out all the memories from raising three daughters has been a huge challenge. Hope to put the house on the market this spring.
Renting a house after owning one for over 30 years. I’ve lived here for a year now and about all I have accomplished is curtains at the windows.
Cleaning my bathroom or organizing the pile that has hidden my computer table would be lovely things to accomplish this weekend. For now, I’m off to tackle the kitchen.
Hi Karen,
Embarrassing, but I’m just being honest here…
I’m procrastinating on starting a healthy eating plan and exercise. I’m even reading “Made to Crave” and watching the webcasts on Monday.
I’m also procrastinating on writing the book I believe God wants me to write.
I am definitely a procrstinator. My reasons are probably a combination of all you mentioned. Sometimes I’m just lazy. Othertimes I would just like to do what I WANT to do and sometimes, I am overwhelmed, I just don’t know where to start. And then there are the times I start, but my perfectionism comes in and I quit before I’m done. Thank you for the chance to win your book. Have a wonderful God-filled weekend!
koinonia572001@yahoo.com
I have a bunch of little things that add up in the end… like laundry… then cleaning out my car… then putting toys away… making sure my work stuff is all caught up. When it’s all done it feels great but I hate that feeling that weighs you down when it needs to be done! Any advice on how to overcome this procrastination would be wonderful!
I am procrastinating cleaning out my craft room so it can be a craft room/office. UGH!
I need to sort through the four or five laundry baskets full of papers and stuff sitting in my storage closet. It is so true that if I just do it a little at a time it will be done sooner than waiting to do it all at once. Thanks for the encouragement, Karen!
It’s funny…I am usually on top of everything, except for things I have to do on the phone and things that have to do with money–like taxes…even if I sset a deadline (works on everything else) I find a way to procrastinate. I like taking little bites of big projects–that really works for me
I am a working mother of 2 and I have found that not only my home, but also my classroom have become very difficult to keep organized lately. I am trying to chip away at things but I have become very overwhelmed by it all.
Yep, my name is Lisa and I am a procastinator. The reward thing has never been a big motivator personally for me. However the two things that have helped me improve — a little — is breaking down some huge project into chunks and allowing myself to feel accomplished if I did get a part done instead of beating up on myself for not “doing it all”. Also a HUGE help actually has been setting a time to do something. So instead of thinking I don’t have two hours to work on a project and therefore won’t even start it, now I’ll set myself time that I feel is reasonable and be amazed at how much I actually can do in say 15 minutes. Trust me, it works for the perfectionist procrastinator. Thanks for entering me in the giveaway Karen.
I definitely procrastinate a lot. Sometimes because I’m lazy, but more often because it is overwhelming and don’t know where to start. THANKS for th e hints and motivation to get started.
Oh bummer! I feel totally busted even admitting it.
I’m a procrastinator when it comes to cleaning stuff out! Stuff I will never ever use again…I just let it live there taking over all my space.
The worst part? Is I’m a total neat freak!
I don’t like clutter or stacks yet I’ll let my drawers and closets fill up!
WINDOWS!!! Oh my how I can also find something else to do to avoid the windows.
I have procratinated about clearing the table off where all the junk mail piles up – now it’s a mountain of junk mail!
I am procrastinating cleaning my garage and my office and my photo albums! and I used to be a Creative memories consultant! Found you Karen from Lysa’s website–I totally enjoy your blog and all you share! I’d love your new book. Thanks!
My Office/Scrapbook Room. It is a major diaster area.
I keep putting off my Grandmother’s cookbook project. I have her old “cookbook” that she put together when she was living. I am copying all of the recipes that I want to keep. I have had the book for months and have only typed up five of them. This is a great resource to have and I would like to share the typed copies with my cousins.
I have been procrastinating sleep. Instead of sleeping when I need, I work myself harder to find anything to do, BESIDES sleeping.
I have boxes of magazines, books, clothes, knick-knacks, etc. to go through- just the thought of it overwhelms me.
My dining room/study. Papers everywhere… I get hit by panic at the though and it is stopping us from having people in for meals which I know isn’t right.
Gosh, where do I begin? Actually I have started trying to organize my craft/scrapbooking supplies as a new years resolution. Unfortunately it is so overwhelming because I’ve let it go so long. Now I’ll try your “baby step” approach. Next I want to tackle my recipes!O My, paper, paper & more paper. I would love to win your book. Thanks for the chance. Blessings.
Procrastinating – my heart comes first. In regards to hospitality, I need to address cleaning my carpet, sounds crazy, but my carpet is old and needs attention, I whince at having people over because of it. I just realized that I’ve forgotten how important hospitality is in my home, just as it is, not in a perfect state. I’m afraid I’ve let some missed opportunities to minister (and for my kids to) because of this.
I want to clean out my closets, redo a bedroom where plaster is falling off wall it is a real mess up there. No one can see it ao it has not been a priority.