What Elections Have To Do With Procrastination Abdication

[Kerul Kassel]

It's Election Day in the U.S. as I write this, and it also marks the first time I've ever run for a "government position", as a supervisor on my little town's board, sort of like a town council. This is the height of my political ambitions - I never would have thought I'd even be a "candidate" in a public election. Speaking of candidates, if you live in the U.S., please make the time to vote. My opinion is if you don't vote, you've abdicated your right to complain about the political situation.
Similarly, on the subject of procrastivity, when you make a choice to procrastinate on something necessary, important, and/or of high priority, you've abdicated your choice to complain about that decision. And procrastination is virtually always a choice (rather than something about which you're out of control). More about this below, in Procrastivity Tip/Exercise.

On a more personal note, we're fostering two dogs right now (yes, we fostered a dog last year, too) and they're looking for loving "forever" homes. Bo and Luke are long-time buddies who were found wandering in Georgia, ended up in a shelter and were about to be put to sleep before we offered to foster them. They're so beautiful, loving, and docile, and want so badly to please. They'll make they're new owner(s) feel so adored! Luke is a flat-coated retriever, and Bo is a lab/golden retriever mix. If you're within a 6 hour drive of Orlando, FL, and want to know more about them because you'd consider giving one or both of them a permanent loving home, please email me at [e-mail].



PROCRASTIVITY TIP / EXERCISE

When you procrastinate do not beat yourself about the choice you've made as that's only going to dig a deeper procrastination hole for you. Instead, you're better off simply accepting responsibility for your choice, recognizing that you can make a different choice in the next moment, hour, day, or whenever the next opportunity for action arises. When you're at choice in this way (and not on a self-bashing spree), you're more likely to choose to take positive action.

Catch yourself in the moment you're making a choice to procrastinate. Stop justifying and rationalizing, stop agonizing and struggling, and ask yourself if you're willing to take responsibility for a decision to procrastinate. Are you okay with it, and will you be okay with it later today, tomorrow, and next week? If so, move on to something else. If not, note the costs you're choosing to pay through lack of action and then just sit with that decision, without indulging those self-critical voices telling you you're bad. I know it seems counter-intuitive because it *feels* like you're bad, but those inner critics usually just make you feel less self-confident, less master of your own destiny than is good for you. Try it, and let me know how it goes.

Wishing you optimal procrastivity,

Kerul

Kerul Kassel, Author of Productive Procrastination - Make It Work For You, Not Against You and the award-winning Stop Procrastinating Now - Five Radical Procrastination Strategies To Set You Free, both available at www.Procrastivity.com





KERUL IN FIGURE MAGAZINE AND ELSEWHERE!

My newest media mentions are the September/October issue of Figure magazine, and the October issue of Auctioneer magazine. I'll be quoted in an upcoming issue of Woman's Day and in the July/August issue of Eating Clean. I'll also be quoted in a soon-to-be-published book titled Say "Yes!" for a Change! chapter on defeating procrastination. These are only a few of the many places I've appeared recently, as I don't usually note media hits on websites and in many trade magazines.


Inspirational Quotes

If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams. ~ Les Brown ~


The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self-respect springs. ~ Joan Didion ~


We have a Bill of rights. What we need is a Bill of responsibilities. ~ Bill Maher ~


Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will -- his personal responsibility. ~ Albert Schweitzer ~