To Procrastinate or Not To Procrastinate

I recently learned that the best ways to get me to finish projects or do things is either give me a deadline so I can wait till the last minute and freak out, or wait long enough and I get fed up and freak out.

The common element is I need to feel frustrated to finish things… I really need to fix that.

I always thought that my procrastination was because I was in school and busy, it turns out that is just one of my character flaws. How do I know? I started making and planning Christmas presents in September, it is now 9 days till Christmas and I and trying to get last minute gifts sorted. As long as everything ships on time, we should be good to go. Now if I could just fix the procrastination issue.

I figured out the “frustration finishing” thing Friday when I went to clean up the kitchen. What should have been simply doing the dishes, wiping down the counter and done turned into: take everything out of the drawers, get rid of half of it, wipe down drawers because I don’t remember the last time that happened, put back everything left from the drawers and rearrange the drawers.

At the beginning of the year I started the 2015 items in 2015 challenge and I finished it October 22. Somehow with all the things I got rid of I skipped a few areas. I skipped some of the craft supplies and then started making Christmas gifts so that worked out, but I couldn’t bring myself to really get rid of kitchen items. I like to cook and I like the cool kitchen gadgets.

Well when you can’t get a drawer open because its so full and when you no longer have room for another wooden spoon… and you didn’t sleep well the night before… you snap and decide there are lots of things you don’t need.

I decided I did not need:

Plastic spoons, when I have nice wooden ones I always use.

Stained dishtowels, when I have a drawer full of brand new ones from wedding gifts.

Rusty cookie cutters… this should be self-explanatory.

 Weird items that I don’t know what they are….

More than 3 of any item, yes I had more than 3 wooden spoons but I won’t admit how many… okay, it may have been more than 6 even…

I have spent years complaining that the kitchen does not have enough usable storage, when it turns out I am the issue. I am a bit of a hoarder and even when I decide I’ll get rid of things I avoid getting rid of them till I snap.

At the end of the day, I had a much cleaner kitchen and a much better understanding of personal areas I struggle with and need to improve on.

Mainly procrastination is bad, clutter is bad, both cause frustration… and frustration is bad.

It’s so simple, yet I struggle nonetheless.  

My finished chart of everything I got rid of... there is still more to get rid of.