Procrastination

I’ve been avoiding completing my estate planning for a long time. I don’t want to decide who would take care of my children. I don’t want to think about not being the one to raise them. Finally, after 12 years of procrastinating, I have completely this unpleasant task.

People tend to procrastinate for any number of reasons:

1. Lack of time
2. Lack of information
3. Perfectionism
4. Want to avoid decisions
5. Want to avoid uncomfortable feelings

How does one get past the procrastination phase?

· Schedule a time to get started. Treat this time as an appointment. Don’t cancel or reschedule!

· Get more info. Ask for help from a friend that has the skills & knowledge needed for the project. Or hire an expert to walk you through the project.

· Break the project into small steps – focus on one step at a time.

· Reward yourself. What do you enjoy? Plan to do the activity when you’ve completed each step. Plan a bigger reward for completion of the entire project.

· Use your support system – talk and/or journal about any uncomfortable feelings about the project.

What have you put off in the past? And what have you done to get past the procrastination?

Making Space

This summer, when we were on vacation, we stayed at a hotel that served a continental breakfast. They had a Belgian waffle maker station, which my children loved, so we decided to get one for our home. Where was I going to put this new appliance? I like how my kitchen cabinets are organized. There is enough space in my pantry and cabinets that I can get what I want without needing to move anything around. Adding a waffle maker would make it more crowded than I like. Could I get rid of the wok? I only use that a few times a year. How about donating those small casserole dishes that I rarely use? I haven’t yet decided where this new item will go or what will be displaced. I’ll experiment with a few options and determine what works best. To keep my cabinets efficiently organized, something will need to go.

When bringing a new item into your home, consider the following:

• How often will I use this item?


• Is there space for the item in my home?


• Where will it be stored?


• What item(s) will be displaced?


• What can I get rid of to make space for the new purchase?

Making the decision about storage space each time you make a new purchase not only prevents impulse purchasing, it can also prevent storage areas from becoming overstuffed and overwhelming.