Learning How To Procrastinate
My way to avoid burnout
All my life, ever since I was little, I have always tried to do things the fastest way possible and finish all my tasks as soon as possible. In other words, I am a super-efficient person. I have no patience for inefficiency.
Because of such a nature, I was inevitably appreciated by most of my bosses in the past. The unfortunate consequence of being an overachieving worker is that I tend to get burned out from having more and more assignments and responsibilities.
That was my professional life. I experienced frequent burnout, but I lacked the endurance and emotional intelligence to stay at a job that slaved me.
I never understood how some people procrastinate. It will stress the hell out of me. Recently, I realized that either way, I will be stressed. I might as well try to do less and not get burned out and collapse emotionally.
So, now that my husband and two daughters are away visiting family in Chile, it’s time for me to pick up some good habits, such as procrastination. Yes, you read me right. I want to learn how to procrastinate.
I began by not tidying up and cleaning everything after the messiness left from my husband's long trip preparation. I decided to spend less than an hour doing household chores. It’s hard to refrain from picking things up, washing everything in the kitchen, folding clothes, etc. After two days, it gets easier to ignore what I don’t like to see at home.
This is a long-overdue holiday time for me. I’ve made a daily schedule for myself to do everything that I’ve been wanting to do. My day is packed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. I need to take advantage of this time off to make sure I get to live my me-time to its fullest.
It turns out that I only accomplished a little over half of what I had planned. I am okay with that. Being okay with it is also a new attitude I am adopting.
I hope this new “me” stays around because I reckon that’s how to lead a stress-free life.
What about you? Are you like me or the opposite? Do you want to stay who you are, or do you want to change?
I was so much like you, my dad called me Speed, always organizing, always busy, always dreaming up fun things to do with my neighborhood friends, always excelling at school and joining clubs in high school and college. When I was teaching in LA I was always thinking of things to do in the classroom, going to the teacher supply store, buying teaching products, going to the library to get books and films the kids might like, trying out projects at home, always thinking about my underprivileged kids living in the inner city, etc. My first year, I took 2 students to Disneyland on a Saturday. (I never did that again....they got car sick, cried to go home....I felt relieved when I dropped them off and could go home myself).
In short, I never stopped until age and life slowed me down. All my close relatives and best friends have died, so I am alone and have only acquaintances now.
Today I spend most of my time, with and for myself. I write, read, listen to music, and watch a movie or 2 almost every night. I appreciate nature, life. Sometimes I get lonely, but these activities nurture and sustain me.