I am a PP
(procrastinating pile-maker).
I come from a long line of PPs. My mother was one and her mother before her. My grandmother passed when I was one, but I have it on good authority that her home was filled with piles of “stuff”. My mom’s piles were mostly made of paper. She cut coupons and uncountable articles that she found interesting in the newspaper. She also collected vast quantities of books on every subject that she was attracted to. All that paper ended up in piles around her house.
For me, my piles tend to be eclectic. (I wrote about my dining table here: What Your Dining Table Says About You ). My surfaces host collections of things that have nothing in common. I have a small end table next to my chair and I had to take a picture of it the other day because the array of weirdness that covered it made me laugh.
PC: Ann Kirsten
I also have piles of books to read, crafts to do, and mail to organize. Here’s a game I like to play with the mail: pile it all together until the coupons have expired, the medication directions aren’t needed anymore, and the bills have already been paid online. Then, throw the whole pile away. It’s very efficient (ha-ha-ha).
I was reminded of my tendency for mess-making when a video popped up on Instagram. It showed a lady arriving home after doing errands. She walked in and set her purse on a chair. A gentle lady’s voice popped up and said, “Put it away.” The first gal got up and hung her purse on a hook. Then she went into the kitchen to make a snack. She started to walk away but the same sweet voice said, “Put it away.” She stopped and put her ingredients away. I laughed as I watched the video because a gentle woman’s voice would not be enough to get my attention. I would need a drill sergeant with a bellowing voice and a megaphone. And just maybe if he threatened me with a hundred pushups I might “put it away”.
“But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” 1 Corinthians 14:40
All laughing aside, it did make me wonder why I (and generations before me) tend to procrastinate. I saw a meme that said:
I just did a task I’ve been putting off for 6 months. It took me 5 minutes. Will I learn from this? No, I will not.
Me again!
I did a bit of research on procrastination and I found some good information. There are many reasons why people put things off.
First of all, and perhaps the weirdest reason is Perfectionism. Some of us delay tasks because we’re afraid we can’t do them perfectly. So, I’ll deal with a messy house because I could never get it perfectly clean.
There’s also depression, anxiety, and lack of motivation. Other people fill their lives with distractions so they can ignore unfinished tasks. Fear can also stop us. We’re afraid we can’t do the task the right way.
Feeling overwhelmed is a huge reason for me. I procrastinate until the job is much bigger than it needed to be, then I feel too overwhelmed to tackle it. There’s also lack of structure, low self-confidence, and task aversion. Me, me, and me.
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” Ecclesiastes 9:10
I’d add having a random-abstract mind to the list. I’ll begin cleaning off the table and suddenly I find myself painting pictures instead, and the piles grow bigger than when I started cleaning.
“Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” Ecclesiastes 11:4
As you can see by the scripture verses I have peppered in here, The Bible has quite a bit to say about procrastination.
“Sluggards do not plow in season, so at harvest time they look but find nothing.” Proverbs 20:4
But never fear, here are some tricks I’ve learned:
- The 10 minute rule – Set a timer for 10 minutes and work on a task until the bell rings. You’ll find that once you get started you will often keep going after the 10 minutes are up. But even if you don’t, you will be amazed at how much you can get done in just 10 minutes.
- The 10 things rule – Do you have a cluttered area? Put 10 items away. Have the kids do 10 items away too and things will look better right away.
- Sing – When my kids were little and there was laundry to put away, I would sing that obnoxious Jeopardy music they play when the contestants are trying to think of an answer. The kids would run laughing and screaming to their rooms with clean clothes trying to beat the end of the song. In other words, make the tasks fun.
- Music – Play your favorite music loudly while you clean. It really helps.
- Treat Yourself – Tell yourself that once you’ve done a set amount of work, you get a coffee or a cookie or whatever makes you happy.
- Hire Someone – If you have tasks that you really, really don’t want to do, hire someone else to do them if at all possible. There are people who actually like to clean and organize! Gasp!
- Counseling – If things have gotten way out of control, consider finding a counselor. Having help to figure out why you procrastinate can be the first step in healing.
“Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:17
Finally, to my fellow pile-makers and procrastinators, we may not have voices reminding us to “put it away” but we can do better. I’m going to get up right now and put 10 things away – maybe even 20!
PIN THIS!
Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
