If procrastination was an Olympic sport, I’d take home the gold medal. In high school and then later in college I don’t think there was a single assignment that I did earlier than the night before it was due. Even while writing this post, I’ve opened up Instagram, checked Facebook, and watched Seinfeld. Clearly, I have yet to grow out of this habit.
I don’t know about you, but when I procrastinate, I also get anxious. Logically, you might think that I’d just stop procrastinating and end the vicious cycle. Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy.
But, I read a post once where the blogger talked about things she did at night to help herself for the next day. And it made me ask myself, what can I do right now so that I don’t have to do it tomorrow? What can I do today to help myself this week? What can I do this week to help myself next month? And I found that by doing just a few things today I could alleviate so many stressors of tomorrow.
Like with anything new, the key was to start small. So, I set a goal for myself. Do three things that would take less than 10 minutes before bed to help my morning self. Here’s what I came up with:
- Prep the coffee & set the timer
- Pick out my outfit & my daughter’s for the next day
- Pack lunches for myself & my daughter
Simple, right? But it’s amazing how different each of these tasks feel in the evening, when I’m not trying to get myself put together and get out the door on time with a toddler. And, I even get to hit snooze an extra time. I’ve incorporated this into my regular nighttime routine, but there are still times that I tell myself, “It’ll be fine, I can just do it in the morning.” And I regret it. Every. Single. Time. I inevitably end up trying on three outfits to decide on the first one, rushing my toddler through her morning routine, walking out the door 5 minutes late which puts me 10 minutes behind in traffic and then I’m late to work. Not the best way to start the day.
So, today I thought, how can I expand on this? What small things can I do to set myself up for success for the week? Here’s what I did:
- Take 15 minutes & plan dinners for the week (thank you Pinterest)
- Make a grocery list, go to the store immediately, and stick to it
- Do my laundry AND fold it/put it away on the same day (groundbreaking, I KNOW)
Again, simple, right? So simple it almost seems silly that I’d even have to think about it. But, I know I’m not the only one who swears up and down that I’ll fold the laundry and then finds themselves digging through the half clean, half dirty pile of clothes on the floor that I “just washed” looking for the sweater I wore two weeks ago. I also know I’m not the only one who decides to stop eating out, only to leave work starving and decide to stop at In-N-Out because there’s nothing in the refrigerator to eat at home. And more than anything, I know I’m not the only one to spend $50 at the grocery store on things I “need” only to walk out without anything I was supposed to buy.
It’s Sunday night, the beginning of the week is right around the corner. How are you going to set yourself up for success? I encourage you to pick just a handful of things to do tonight to help yourself tomorrow! Share your experience below 🙂
Delightful AF 