Do It Now
Continuing on with our theme of time management, we’re going to talk about immediacy. Let’s talk about doing it now.
Yes, Right NOW!
Last week we talked about giving just one hour a day to your goals. This week we’re going to talk about when to devote that hour. Hint: Check the title. Yes, I really do mean right now, this very second. If you have time to be reading this, you have time to be clocking that hour you owe yourself each day toward your dream. Go ahead and do at least fifteen minutes of it right now. I’ll be here.
Alright, back to the topic at hand. This is perhaps a bit of an extreme example, but my point stands. As someone that has struggled with procrastination myself, I know all too well the black hole that little distractions can turn into. One article becomes two, then a video, then suddenly you have to do that thing that wasn’t that important until you had the threat of working toward your idea future looming over you. So don’t let what I’m writing here be an excuse either. Literally take the time RIGHT NOW to knock out what you owe yourself today. Yes, this is a second reminder in case you kept reading. It’s that important.
Why Now Matters
The importance of immediacy cannot be overstated. Stop for a moment and really think about all the little procrastinations you allow yourself each day. When you first get to work. When you first get home. You just HAVE to check that E-mail, social media, cell phone, sports score, and so forth, don’t you? No, you don’t. All of those things will be there an hour from now, or even the next day.
These seemingly minute distractions are eating away at the time you could be taking to immediately knock out the things you need to be doing. With many small, nearly imperceptible bites, your time ebbs away bit by bit. Suddenly half of your morning or evening is gone. Now you’re late, or it’s almost time to go to bed and nothing is done.
Don’t let this be you. I can admit that it has been me enough in the past that I know the feeling of guilt and wasted time all too well. It’s a miserable feeling, and one that I don’t wish on any of you.
This habit is difficult to form. We are surrounded every day by countless distractions, and sources of stimulation are nearly always close at hand. You have to train yourself to resist them. Not forever, not even for the rest of your day. Just until the task is done. Use this as additional motivation to accomplish your responsibilities that much more quickly and efficiently. If you leave your responsibilities at the end of the list, it becomes more and more likely that you will keep adding things between you and them. Conversely, if you tackle them first, then you have the lure of all those more pleasant distractions drawing you more and more quickly toward completion.
What Do You Do Right Now?
As always, I want to hear from all of you. What are things you always need to do right now, so you don’t put them off? What are the distractions you face, and how do you avoid them?