Overcoming Procrastination And My Own Ridiculousness Turned Out Much Easier Than I Thought

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My name is Alex and I used to be a life-long procrastinator.

To be honest, I’m still in the process of beating my procrastinating nature, and life with me still can be a bit of a roller coaster. But several months ago, everything was much harder and I thought my life was nothing but torture. Here’s why:

I’ve always had a big imagination, and when I got excited about something new, I couldn’t wait to get started on it! But once the shine wore off, reality set in, and it became difficult to do the work that needed to be done.

I was productive at night, and my best ideas came to me all at once. Unfortunately, I didn’t always remember them by morning. I’d wake up with a great idea for an article or video for my YouTube channel, but by the time I get to my computer, I didn’t remember it—and then the cycle started all over again. It was frustrating because I knew how much better everything would be if I could just get ahead of things instead of constantly playing from behind.

I also loved being around people and sharing ideas with others. The problem is that other people often saw me as unreliable because of my tendency to procrastinate on projects and appointments.

And They Did Have A Point. I Was Such A Difficult Person To Be Around.

In college, when I was forced by life circumstances to get things done on time, I’d often put it off until the late evening hours.

Even after graduation, my procrastination continued to affect my life. I had a hard time getting out of bed and was almost always late for work, which didn’t make my co-workers very happy. When I got home from work, I just couldn’t find the energy to do anything but watch TV on the couch or play video games.

Eventually, it became obvious that my depression had gotten to a critical point. It was affecting my work performance and my relationships with friends and family. My “gotta get it done tomorrow” attitude had taken over and made me feel like I’d never be able to accomplish anything at all.

I’d get started on a project and then get distracted or lose interest. Or I’d decide to do something “later” and just forget about it altogether. In the end, there was always this nagging sense of guilt and self-loathing that followed me around like a shadow.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told myself, in that panicked state of waiting until the last minute to do something, that if I just had a little more time, everything would be so much better.

And then, the stress and guilt made doing anything even harder. It’s like trying to run through knee-deep mud while wearing a weighted vest and carrying a big rock on your back.

I Had What I Thought Was A Good Excuse…

I’m an artist, and as such, I’m always in the middle of a project. When you’re in the zone, you don’t like to stop until you’ve gotten all the way to the end.

But that approach doesn’t work very well when it comes to anything that needs to be done on a deadline! Take doctor’s appointments, for example. I’d make a doctor’s appointment in my head, but then I’d get distracted by a Facebook notification or an email. You can only put off booking one so long before they start putting you at the bottom of the waitlist—which isn’t good for anyone!

If I thought of bills that were due while cooking dinner or doing laundry or watching TV, I would tell myself I’d take care of them right away—but then I wouldn’t.

It was as if there was a giant hole in my brain where all reminders went to die.

I felt like such a loser. Such a failure, always too busy putting out fires caused by my own procrastination.

There I was: a man who thought he was able to do anything he set his mind to, and I couldn’t even manage my own schedule?

When I was feeling this way, I felt self-doubt and self-blame. I was anxious and depressed. I was constantly procrastinating. Negative thoughts and beliefs were always running through my head. These feelings of low self-esteem affected me in every aspect of my life—from my career to my relationships.

So How Did I Finally Break The Habit? It Wasn’t Easy.

My therapist tried everything she knew — she helped me explore how my depression led to procrastination and helped me find ways to avoid procrastinating at work and home. But she couldn’t seem to help me with the feelings of anxiety and depression that continued to plague me.

It wasn’t until I found myself out at a bar one night, chatting with a guy I’d met on vacation, that it occurred to me: maybe my body was infected by a virus named Procrastination. Maybe if I could just kill the virus, the procrastination would stop.

I mentioned this he laughed at me. “What’s so funny?” I asked. “It’s not like it’s any more ridiculous than most of your other ideas.”

“Yeah,” he replied, “but that one actually makes sense.”

I was shocked! “Really?”

“Sure,” he said. “You’re basically describing anxiety as something that lives inside you and impacts your actions, but which can be killed off if you take certain actions or get certain help.”

So I started looking for something I thought to be a personalized plan with concrete steps that would help me stop putting things off and start getting things done.

I found this website with a simple quiz that asked probing questions regarding the nature of my procrastination and how it made me feel, so I decided to answer them honestly.

Based on my answers, the system, guided by psychologists and wellness professionals, created a customized three-month plan that would allow me to overcome my procrastination.

My plan included specific instructions for each day, as well as reminders which kept me on track throughout the month.

This was like a personal trainer helping you eliminate procrastination, anxiety, and low self-esteem—all rolled into one super-simple package.

I started taking small actions each day towards reaching my goals. This helped me realize how much progress can be made when you take action instead of sitting around waiting for something good to happen!

And most important of all:

I finally found a way to overcome low self-esteem and stop doubting myself.

Now that I have more self-acceptance and confidence, I’ve been able to achieve so many things in my life that once seemed completely impossible. And my go-to excuse – “being an artist”… Well, guess what?

Once you learn how to change your mindset, you can literally do anything. Once you know what kind of thought patterns are holding you back from success or happiness in any area of your life, then it becomes much easier for you to get things done and make your dream happen!

Finally, I feel like I’m not constantly playing catch-up, and I hope never to feel that way again.

And to think, it all started with a simple quiz!

Click below to take the Virtue Map initial quiz, and your custom-designed plan will be ready in a matter of minutes.

After that, it’s only a matter of choosing to give it a whirl.

After all, if you’re in a situation like mine, there’s so much to gain and so little to lose by trying.

Best of luck on your journey!

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