I think I’ve covered the basics of how we think, feel, and act in the first chapter. This chapter is a good place to touch on that.
In the prologue, we start to learn some of the basic tools we use to navigate our day-to-day lives. We start by noticing that we have a tendency to judge how we feel, how we think, and the way we act by the things we feel, think, and act about.
This is really weird, but I feel like all of the time I go to the bathroom, I am thinking about the exact same thing. I have a habit of looking at the sink for that little moment when the water starts filling the sink. I look at that moment, and I think, “Oh, I just did that and now I think I should wash my hands.” Then I think, “Oh, I should probably scrub my face too.
As opposed to that moment when I’m done with my shower.
I’m usually on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to this. I’m a very meticulous person, and I always try to think about what needs to be done before I do it. The worst thing that can happen is then I forget it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to pull myself away from an email or a chat because I’m thinking about what I need to do next.
Even when I’m cleaning my computer, I’ll still think about what I need to do and what needs to be done for the next hour or two, and even for the next day or week. For me, the point in a bathroom is to go and wash my face and my hands, not clean my computer.
To be honest, I am often so focused on what I need to do that I completely forget that I need to do it. I’m going to be frank here.
This is all quite true. I find myself constantly looking at emails and chat rooms and thinking about what I need to do next because I find myself so focused on what I need to do next that I forget all about what needs to be done.
Sure, the bathroom is a logical place to go to forget about what needs to be done, but it isn’t always the most convenient place. For example, I often find myself looking into my toilet paper holder to see how long I have left before I have to go. I’m just not sure how long it is now and it really makes me a bit stressed since I know I’ll have to do it sooner or later.
The key to procrastination is to actually want to do it. Its not about going through the motions. It is about being aware of what you want to do and doing it. The less you are aware of what you want to do the more likely you are to procrastinate. So think of what you want to do next and the next step you need to take. Then take the next step. If you can’t find the next step, do the next step.
