Responsibilities

Oh the struggles of an adult life. 

Not actual struggles, mind you, but goodness sometimes they feel like it. 

This week has been a multitude of work, money, and household stress and that inevitably comes with a frustratingly stubborn conviction that I should be lazy. Great time for it, right? Laziness when there are things to do. I'm a *wonderful* mix of hard work and no work at all, striving for perfection but not really wanting to. Sometimes it's really hard to get the ball rolling. I want to drink my tea and watch two more episodes of Downton Abbey. I want to slowly gain more weight because working out sucks. I want my house and work to descend into chaos because holding a bleach-covered sponge and dealing with one more frustrating client might throw me over the edge. Am I starting to sound dramatic? You should think so because I sure do. 

In any case, sometimes life is busy and sometimes it isn't, but there's always a time when you just really don't want to deal with it. Laziness kicks in and conquering the world seems impossible. It kicks in and doing that one little chore for the day can't be done. 

Personally, I'm exceptionally good at talking myself out of things I should do. Need to write an article? I'll do it on Wednesday. Kitchen stove needs to be cleaned? I have the whole weekend! Do it later. Oftentimes this is what I do. I wouldn't call myself a procrastinator because oh honey, can I hit a deadline, but I am an early procrastinator. I usually tell myself to do things a few days before they're supposed to be done, but that can be my downfall because then I have too much time to do it and I know it. 

My trick is to just try and get the ball rolling because I love the feeling of being productive. I am filled with such satisfaction when I walk around a clean house and feel so proud of myself when I know I've put in a good and earnest day's work. 

I know I feel that way afterward, but my goodness is it hard to start. It's that ball again. I have to get it rolling. So, I take one step at a time. If I am at home, I get off the couch or out of the bed and fix my hair first (it usually has to be fixed). I put on a change of clothes and grab the first thing I want to do. Making dinner? I get the ingredients out. Need to clean? Grab the duster. If I'm at work, I stand up and take a beat, trying to get myself out of the mindset of unproductivity. As soon as I get in the right mindset, I sit down and collect the materials I need to do one task. Maybe I need to tackle the tiny tasks like returning emails or maybe I need to write that article, but I get everything ready and just start. Once I take the first simple (oh so simple!) steps, I start to build momentum and I'm able to create a day for myself that I'm proud of. Try it out. Maybe you have to make a list, go outside, or ask for a pep-talk before you're able to be productive, but you definitely have to do something.