Right now I’m in bed and on my phone instead of getting up and starting my day. I felt the need to stretch my hips so I got into child’s pose, and this made me think: when I’m procrastinating or wasting time, I could get my momentum going by doing some sort of “productive” task while I do the unproductive one, so that I don’t feel like a complete failure.
Now I’m thinking of other times I’ve done this:
Watching a show so I switch to my iPad and go wash dishes at the same time
Eating junk food but still drinking water with it, not pop
Not going outside, but still opening the window or using my Happy Light
Not exercising but doing some sort of mini movement, like 5-10 squats
Not doing a full, formal yoga practice but doing some easy poses on my bed
Not sitting down for a meditation practice but doing a quick breathing exercise or reminding myself to be mindful
Not wanting to shower but washing my face at least
Not wanting to brush my teeth but doing it for 30 seconds instead of 60-120 seconds
Instead of washing dishes, I’ll organize them so that they’re not as daunting for next time I look at them, or I’ll fill some of them up with water so they’re easier to wash later
Decluttering at least, so that organizing and cleaning later is easier, and to ease my anxiety / over-stimulation
Not making a meal but making sure I still eat (by making an easy meal or drinking a nutrition/meal-replacement shake)
And now I’m thinking about ways this technique does work, but can actually sometimes hinder me (by giving me a sense of accomplishment that overrides the feeling of necessity for the main task). These work for me sometimes, and they’re not “bad,” but sometimes they do more harm than good.
Not doing homework but going through material making sure I have all my homework and deadlines written in my assignment-tracking app
Not actually working on my business but planning stuff (and not being specific enough in my plans)
Setting a reminder to do a task but not following through
Doing a tiny bit of work and spending the rest of the day doing what I want
Self-compassion is the only way to improve, but sometimes what we think of as self-compassion is really a lack of personal responsibility/accountability in disguise. It’s a fine line. How much avoidance is too much? What is being kind to ourselves and what is enabling? What is a break and what it slacking off? I think, if something you do today hurts yourself tomorrow or long-term, it’s probably not the right move. Taking care of yourself includes taking care of your future self. Our self-compassion is incomplete if we don’t include our past, present and future selves.
“Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
“If you fulfill your obligations everyday you don't need to worry about the future.”
