How To Beat The “Procrastination Debt Spiral” And Thrive In The Coming Recession
650011 views
My name is Monica and I’m writing this in hopes that you don’t make the same mistake I did.
What do I mean by that? Well, I’ve been a huge procrastinator all my life.
And while it’s caused me tons of stress, I always thought I could manage it (since I always pull through in the end).
But that same thinking is what sunk me into a deep hole of debt – the very thing I always wanted to avoid…
And made even worse with the threat of recession looming over us.
Luckily, I found a few life-changing tips to beat my procrastination habit and overcome my debt once and for all.
But first I’d like to quickly share:
My Embarrassing Story With Debt And Procrastination
“Your card has been declined m’am. Can you use another?”
I’ll never forget hearing those dreadful words as I stood at the grocery store checkout line with a backlog of customers staring holes into my back.
“Surely I’ve been robbed”, I thought. Someone must have gotten my credit card number or hacked my account.
But the truth was my own procrastination had thrown my life into chaos once again.
And this time there was no escaping the consequences.
How did this end up happening? Let me explain:
It all started a few months ago when I got locked out of my bank account.
I told myself I’d call customer support and get it sorted – but of course I never did.
Instead, I avoided the situation altogether by making occasional payments towards my credit card instead.
“Ah, that should probably cover it,” I thought each time I made a payment.
But I never actually checked…and I was still locked out of my account.
This went on for months until the fateful day I got the worst wake-up call possible:
“Your card has been declined.”
Panicked, I immediately got on the phone with customer service.
They said I was over my credit limit. After resetting my password for me I frantically logged in and went back through my statements. And I’m further humiliated.
Turns out I’d just been spending carelessly on small things and making payments that were just not big enough. And it just caught up to me.
The only thing worse than the financial stress I was now in was the shame and humiliation from it all.
I thought I was an adult. I thought it would never happen to me.
But I was wrong – because I still had this nasty procrastination habit I couldn’t kick.
Unfortunately, This Story Isn’t Too Uncommon
I did some research to see if I was alone in this struggle – and it turns out I wasn’t.
I saw and heard countless stories online and from friends about people getting into debt due to procrastination.
Some examples being:
- Having to pay several hundreds in late fees for not returning university books on time
- Getting hit with $600 dollars in IRS penalties due to not uploading itemized medical receipts
- Paying $1,500 for not filling out paperwork a year after getting out of the army
The sad truth is that these incidents happen all the time to us procrastinators.
Because here’s what most people don’t get about procrastination:
They think it’s all about last-minute cramming for a test. Or waiting until the deadline to submit something.
It’s just a normal thing that happens to everyone, right?
Except for us chronic procrastinators – because for us, procrastination isn’t optional.
And when it’s not optional, neither are the problems that come with it.
And debt happens to be one of those problems (and one of the worst).
Because unlike the guilt, fear or anxiety you feel when procrastinating on something, debt works in silent and subtle ways.
You don’t notice the late fees or penalties racking up until you’ve got a credit card balance you can’t believe belongs to you.
This is what I like to call the “Procrastination Debt Spiral” – and avoiding it has never been more important with a recession looming upon us.
Needless to say, I never wanted this to happen again.
So I got to work and spent dozens of hours researching and consulting both finance and productivity experts to come up with:
5 Ways To Beat Your Procrastination And “Recession-Proof” Your Life
These five methods have made a huge difference in my life.
Ever since implementing them I’ve reduced my debt by almost half and I’m on track to paying the rest off in the next few months.
But more than anything, I’ve finally got peace of mind in knowing I’m on the right track to fixing my life and my procrastination once and for all.
So if you’d like to do the same – or just feel better about the coming months – then read on:
1. Set Your Goals For The Next 6-12 Months
Any successful plan starts with a goal.
However, most people skip this step and wander aimlessly without making progress for months.
But you can only make progress on the things that matter most once you’re clear on what you want to achieve.
Whether it’s a credit card you want to pay off or paperwork you’ve been putting off, the first step is to identify what needs to get done.
Then, set a hard date you’d like to get it done by.
A great example of this is “I want to pay off my American Express by October 31st”.
Or, “I want to be out of debt by this date next year.”
It’s a simple yet powerful act that will allow you to start making progress – which can be a great feeling in itself.
2. Increase Your Productivity
With a recession on the way (or possibly already here), being productive has never been more important.
If we want to not just survive – but thrive – then we need to adapt and become better, faster workers.
Otherwise we risk getting laid off as employers tighten their belts and increase layoffs (similar to the last recession).
While there are lots of great productivity methods (such as the Pomorodo technique), nothing made as big a difference as this simple quiz I took to identify my procrastination style.
Because what I realized is nothing hurts productivity more than procrastination.
But once you find out what kind of procrastinator you are, you can start taking the right steps to overcome it and become the productive person you were meant to be.
And sometimes it’s as easy as taking a simple 5-minute quiz like the one I took here.
3. Develop New or Secondary Skills
Learning new skills is crucial if you want to be an employee who’s too valuable to let go.
And it may just be necessary for those of us seeking promotions and better positions.
That’s why we can’t afford to coast by as the economy slowly sinks. We need every advantage we can get to stack the odds in our favor and stay afloat.
Whether it’s training classes offered by your company or online courses on sites like Udemy and Skillshare, now’s the time to start building your skill set.
That way even if the worst happens, you’ll be in a much better position to bounce back fast – as you’ll have in-demand skills other people don’t.
4. Start A Side Hustle
Of course, maybe you’d like to escape the office altogether – or just have more of a cushion in the face of rising costs.
In that case this might be the best time to devote yourself to a side hustle.
Whether it’s Uber, freelance work or an online business, any extra income you can create for yourself will help as basic necessities start to cost more.
And best of all, you may find yourself going full-time and unlocking a life of freedom and opportunity.
5. Eliminate Your Procrastination Once And For All
You may be thinking “All of this sounds great – but I’ll start working on it tomorrow.”
And if so, I’ve been in your shoes more times than I can count.
But what I’ve learned is that procrastination is the biggest enemy to a peaceful, productive and fulfilling life.
It stops you from making the first step to any positive change.
But no other step is as important as the first one.
Whether you want to get rid of your debt or thrive even when times are bad, it all starts with you taking the actions that move you forward.
The good news is that the most helpful actions can be the smallest ones.
That’s why this free and simple quiz I stumbled upon was a gamechanger in overcoming my procrastination once and for all.
All you need to do is answer a few multiple-choice questions on what you’re struggling with.
The whole process takes less than five minutes – but it may be the most valuable five minutes you ever spend.
Because upon completion you’ll get a customized three-month plan created by psychologists and wellness professionals to help you beat your procrastination once and for all.
This my custom plan includes specific reminders and action tasks designed to feel achievable yet move you forward.
And in as little as 5 minutes a day, you can start making the small changes that lead to massive results.
And when it comes to getting (and staying) out of debt…
Thriving in the upcoming recession…
Or simply leaving with more confidence and peace of mind – knowing you’re in control of your life at all times…
I’d say five minutes a day is more than worth it.
So if you’d like to finally get rid of procrastination from your life once and for all, I highly encourage you to take this free and simple quiz by clicking below.
It may just lead to the biggest change you’ll ever see in your bank account – and in your life – as the next few months pass by.
Copyright © 2022 Virtue Map. All rights reserved.
Virtue Map does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.