I’m still not perfect.
Even though my default mode has shifted from “I’ll do it later” to “I’ll do it now,” I still sometimes procrastinate. When that happens, I tend to have a conversation with myself that sounds something like:
Motivated self: I can’t believe I haven’t done [whatever it is]. I’m ridiculous.
Procrastinating self: Don’t worry, you’ll get to it.
Motivated self: Maybe, but I feel lazy and like it’s weighing on me. I want to get it done.
Here’s something else that helps:
When I’m still having trouble finishing something, I think of this thing that a wise friend once told me. This wise friend had broken her procrastination habit and was, like me, a perfectionist. She told me this: “Sometimes I have to stop obsessing about getting an A and just get a B+.”
I was like, “Ooh. That’s good.”
So that’s my advice to you, especially if you’re a perfectionist:
Stop obsessing about it and get a B+.
Is your perfectionism leading to procrastination? If so, stop obsessing and just do it. #nike
Here’s proof that this is an ongoing process for me:
Want to know the last time I procrastinated? Yup, this article.
Then this morning in the shower I had a little conversation with myself and heard my friend’s words, “Get a B+.”
So that’s what I did. I got out of the shower and got it done.
It may not be perfect.
But it’s done.