As I woke up this morning, on my day off from my regular job, I decided I was going to laze around in bed for a few extra minutes before getting up. It wasn't particularly early or late, about 6:45am, but I just wasn't ready to get up yet, even though I have a laundry list of items to do today. My dogs were being extra cuddly, it was quiet in the house and I had found that "just right spot" in the bed. I rolled over, grabbed my phone, and started to watch some TikToks I had been sent, and well, on leads to another and before I knew it I had wasted nearly an hour just watching videos on my phone. What the heck!

As I made my way out of bed to let my dogs out for the morning, I started going through my list of things that need to be done and making a game plan for my day. Tomorrow I have a Doctor's appointment, and somehow managed to schedule a dentist appointment 6 months earlier, that will now overlap. I received the obligatory automated confirmation phone call while I was at work on Friday, but I couldn't answer or call them back. I've known about needing to reschedule since then, but here I sit, the day before my appointment, needing to call and reschedule it. Luckily for me, we have been going to there for almost 1o years, and they are so nice and accommodating when we need to reschedule our appointments. The bad thing is, I live in a small town, so rescheduling might mean that I have to wait another month or two to get in to see them. Again, this is my fault because I procrastinated and never put it on my calendar in the first place! 

Another item on my list is buying new shoes! Most women look for an excuse to buy new shoes, and normally I would too, but I'm buying out of necessity due to my procrastination! You see, Luna, our almost 2-year-old puppy, likes to chew on shoes. We're working on it with her, but it is a hard habit to break in her. We have a large, antique serving buffet in our dining room, and I work a lot of 10-12hr shifts, when I come home I am exhausted and usually kick my shoes off underneath it, on my way to the laundry room. I know that Luna likes to eat shoes and insoles of shoes, but does that stop me from doing it? No, of course not! I always tell myself that I'll pick them up in the morning and put them away, but that doesn't happen very often. I'll see them there and think " I'll get to them later!" However, later turns into me having to leave for work, or running errands, and then when I get home, there's my Adidas sandal chewed to pieces on the couch, or the insoles to my Toms, destroyed in her dog bed. Have you ever had to pick out a sticky insole from a sherpa-lined dog bed? It's nearly impossible! 

You see, I struggle with anxiety and depression, and while I have it under control, the procrastination that comes with it has been so hard to break. I'll tell myself to not wait to do something, I'll set reminders for myself, I'll even text my hubby to have him help remind me to do certain things because it can be difficult for me to do them. And while I'm sure there will be people reading this thinking that I'm just being lazy, I'm not. I do have days that I am completely lazy, but I really struggle with procrastination and not waiting until the last minute to do something. It's a constant battle, but I'm working on it. I find that lists where I can see them, really help me to focus on the task at hand. Small rewards come after all tasks have been completed. 

So after I call the Dentist, and Doctor to ask questions, I'll go through all emails and answer those that need to be answered, pick up all the shoes and put them in their proper place, go through meal plans to make sure I have my ingredients to meal prep later, run to some stores to find some new shoes, come home to wash the bedding and vacuum the floors, start meal prepping, and then prepare questions for my Doctor's appointment. While it may not seem like a lot, or maybe it sounds like a typical day for others, this will take a lot of concentration and will power for me to complete all the tasks at hand. I've got my lists made, and a timetable for the day, my phone is charged and ready to go with True-Crime podcasts, and I'm ready to take on my day!

What Helps You Get Over The Hump Of  Procrastination?