Are You Suffering from Tomorrowitis?

Back when I was working for myself, I was struggling with my productivity. This struggle had me examining ways to improve my productivity and be more self-disciplined.

Amid this self-examination, one mindset stood out to me as a major problem. Even more so, because it seemed to be something I was doing unconsciously.

So what was my big problem? I noticed that when I thought about a particular task that needed completing, the very next thought to pop into my brain was:

I’LL DO IT TOMORROW.

Without even realizing it, I had picked up a nasty case of tomorrowitis. I had gotten into the habit of putting things off till tomorrow.

Obviously, not every task on your to-do list can be done today. Some work will need to be designated for tomorrow. That’s simply the natural order of things.

However, I was delegating important tasks that needed to be done today to tomorrow (which I should mention has a habit of never coming, if this particular way of thinking continues day after day).

It is a rather vicious form of procrastination, which can come back to bite you. In our minds, there is always a tomorrow, meaning the task may never get done at all or, more likely, be completed well after your planned due date.

This can affect your goals, not to mention your frustration levels.

Ultimately, it comes down to prioritizing and self-discipline.

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So what should you do if you hear this destructive little phrase playing in your head?

Here are my thoughts on how to stop putting things off till tomorrow.

I am the first to admit, I don’t claim to have all of the answers. I’m simply trying to find a method that works for me and will hopefully work for you too.

Be aware

The first step is to be aware of your thoughts. I know it sounds strange, but I didn’t notice this bad behavior straight away; it took a couple of times before I picked up on what I was thinking and doing.

Once I realized the negative soundtrack that was playing in my head, I could do something about stopping it and changing the situation, but you can’t change what you are not aware of.

While we are talking about awareness, it’s important to be honest with yourself about why you have a constant case of tomorrowitis.

You might need to be honest with yourself about why you are putting things off till tomorrow.

In my case, it was fear. I was scared of failing, scared of not being good enough, so I put things off. I felt like I was drowning in self-doubt. Your reason might be something different, but a lot of the time it comes down to a fear of some type.

Whatever your reason is, it’s your job to process your feelings and find a way out the other side of your procrastination and fear.

Prioritize

This is where you work out how important the task is.

Does it need to be done today? Will the task greatly impact your goals negatively if not completed today? Will you still reach your goals and targets if this task is not completed today? Will you feel frustrated or overwhelmed, or could your self-esteem be affected by this task not being started today?

If it is a priority, then schedule it for the day.

This could easily mean working longer hours or sacrificing another project. It goes without saying that if the project is a large one, you may need to complete it over a longer time frame, but you at least have to start it today.

I can’t help but reflect back on my personal assistant days, trying to manage a busy manager’s calendar. And I mean busy. Back-to-back meetings booked all day, where you could not possibly squeeze another meeting in. I was often told how important a particular meeting was.

I remember once, I sent my boss to the wrong meeting by mistake. Guess what, the world didn’t fall apart, and the business didn’t go belly up. Turns out, his missing that meeting had no impact at all (which of course begs the question, how important was his attendance at the meeting in the first place?)

Make sure your priorities are real priorities and not false ones. Get smart about how you prioritize.

Reprogram your thoughts

You have decided the task needs to be done today. You have decided it is a priority. If you can delegate the task to someone else, this is a perfect time to do so. Of course, that may not be an option.

Schedule the work into your day at a specific time slot.

Replay the tape in your head. This time it will be saying, ‘I will do the task at 3 pm today’.

Then make sure you are doing what you need to be doing at 3 pm.

Get it done

This can sometimes be the hardest part. We know what to do, we know we have to do it, and yet we don’t.

This is where the extra dose of self-discipline and determination needs to kick in.

Books to help you start and finish –

Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff
All It Takes Is a Goal: The 3-Step Plan to Ditch Regret and Tap Into Your Massive Potential by Jon Acuff
Procrastination Proof: Never Get Stuck Again by Jon Acuff

Stop putting things off till tomorrow

Get your important task done today. You will feel so much better once it’s done. Besides, there will be a whole new batch of tasks that need to be done tomorrow. 🙂

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