Move Past Procrastination…
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Beginning a new project can be challenging if you are an adult with ADD. Yes, it is exciting to start something new. And, hurdles often emerge to stifle your forward movement. You may not have a clue where to begin. Other times, the discomfort in exploring unknown territory stops you in your tracks.
The book, “You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?!”, says “ADDers who procrastinate are so distracted by stimuli that they can’t figure out where or how to get started. Sounds, smells, sights, and the random wanderings of the mind continually vie for attention. Unable to select the most important stimulus, most tasks are approached in a disorganized fashion resulting in trouble finishing or sometimes even starting, anything.”
…Into Action – Use Your Lifelines
Let’s look at what you can learn about moving past procrastination from the hit show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire. In the show lifelines are clues that are used when a contestant does not know the answer to a question. Here’s how the lifelines can be applied to support your moving into action:
- Phone a friend (player can choose to phone one of his/her friends if unsure about any of the answers) – Tell a friend, family member or coach about your project and ask for their support either through regular phone contact or have them stop over and keep you company. Perhaps, your friend has a project he/she wants to accomplish, as well. You can buddy up to support each other towards getting your respective projects completed.
- Ask the audience (an electronic vote by the members of the studio audience on what they think the answer is) – Ask others or ask yourself why this project is important for you to complete in the first place. What would be served by having this project complete? What is compelling you to move forward? Use the answers to these questions as motivation to help you move forward into action.
- 50:50 (removes two of the incorrect answers from the four available options) – Here’s a simple solution to being stuck. Start somewhere. Remove all of the less critical steps from your list and just do the ones which are most important starting with one which is clear and vital.
- Switch the question (player can have the current question thrown out and receive a new question) – you might ask yourself if this is a project you even want to complete. Perhaps, there is another project that would serve you more at this time. Perhaps, you would better serve this project by doing it at another time.
Which one of these lifelines would help you on a current project? What strategies do you use to get past procrastination? Share them with others by leaving a comment.
