You are allowed!
Some days it’s just hard to get things done isn’t it. Whether it’s a work report, clearing out that cupboard, or finding the motivation to start exercising!
Do you know you are allowed to delay and put things off?
I find it helpful to focus on what I can do as opposed to what I can’t. Of course I’m annoyed we’re in lockdown, but it’s also an opportunity to get things done I wouldn’t typically prioritise. I’m already thinking about the spring cleaning I can do around the house!
You may have a sick child at home, so the day of planned gardening is delayed, or you put off the usual house cleaning on a Saturday morning because you just don’t feel up to it – it’s a bit of a down day. That’s okay. We all have things we need to put off. However, when we consistently put things off that have a tight deadline or something we want to do but can’t seem to start it like a new exercise programme, it gets frustrating, and we beat ourselves up for not getting on with things.
One of the key learnings on my procrastination journey is about self-care.
I hear a collective sigh – “not self-care again!”
Well, I’ve been there, and I learnt the hard way that without self-care, I became overwhelmed and stressed, sometimes not knowing where to start with all I had to do.
Not putting myself first meant work was my only priority and fun stuff was way down the list!
Let me be clear self-care is not about being selfish. But, for those who struggle with self-care, here’s a tip – use ‘as well as’. I will look after myself as well as others. It doesn’t need to be one or the other; it can be both.
Self-care is about allowing yourself to put things off. Choosing not to got out with your friends tonight because you need some me-time; change taking the car to the garage to the following week because you’ve got so much on; saying no to taking your children to the zoo this Saturday because you’re worried about your mother and she needs you to visit.
If day after day we keep giving to children, relationships and work without filling our bucket of wellbeing, it becomes hard to keep going and doing the doing.
Eventually, we drain our bucket; then we become resentful of the commitments in our lives, overwhelmed by all there is to do, lack focus and find it harder and harder to achieve. Life becomes a drudge and certainly not joyful!
This is what practical self-care means for me:
The habit of checking in with myself daily to define the one thing I need for me today.
This week what is one thing you could allow yourself to reschedule – to put yourself first? It might be waking up in the morning you choose to sleep in for 10 minutes longer. Or you love to swim, and no matter what work asks of you, you swim every lunchtime. On the other hand, maybe you need to have a short walk on your own every day.
All the best,
Allison