Last week’s FFfT was about legacy, I hope you read it. I promised a second part to it, it is longer than usual but there’s lots to cover. Part 2 is about procrastination.
Legacy was about leaving your mark, this week it’s about why we procrastinate to do so. A big reason for it is fear. It is easier to put it off than to deal with it.
“I, for one, find writing excruciating. Some mornings, as I’m on my way to my desk, my hands actually tremble with fear. The fear, of course, is that I’ll sit down at the desk and discover that what I’ve written is claptrap. Fear inevitably leads to procrastination.” —Rosemary Mahoney
So what does procrastination have to do with Legacy. I mention last week that life is finite, we don’t want to think about our mortality, very scary. But it is inevitable. The longer we procrastinate in putting our legacy in motion the less time we have. Once again, I am not being a downer, just bringing things to light.
So how do you combat fear and therefore procrastination?
Start with a plan. What do you want to accomplish, your vision? Sound familiar? You need goals. Take that vision and break it down to small chunks.
To help you get started on your legacy take a look at the chart of life. Almost everything you want to do is represented in the graph below.
Take those pieces, or ones that are important to you and work on those pieces. Here are some questions to ask and to get started.
Paid Work
- What portion of my life do I want to devote to career and paid work?
- What have I always wanted to do, but never had the time to do, until now?
Non-Paid Work
- How could I give back to my community or to the world at large?
- Do I want to leave a legacy through a personal contribution of my time and/or money?
Lifelong Learning
- How do I want to stay current in the rapidly changing world?
- How can I stimulate my mind and my creativity?
Community
- How could I give back to my community or to the world at large?
- What do I care strongly enough about to make me take action?
Family/Relationships
- In what ways do I value my family relationships?
- What do I do to make time and space for the important people in my life? Am I satisfied or do I want to make changes?
- What legacy might I want to leave to my family?
Leisure and Travel
- What active and quiet activities will I do for fun?
- In what activities do I lose myself and my sense of time?
- Do I have enough down-time and fun in my life? If not, what will I do to create more?
Health & Fitness
- What am I doing to take care of my body?
- Do I want to take up a sport, dance, yoga or a similar activity?
- How can I make healthier choices with what I eat?
- Have I set aside time for relaxation?
Spirituality
- What am I doing to nurture my spirit?
- How am I caring for my emotional health?
- What inspires me? How can I bring those things into my life?
Keep in mind that we procrastinate in almost everything we do. This TED Talk explains why:
“I don’t want to die with the music inside.” —an entrepreneur
Have an awesome weekend.
—Vijay
Sources:
Image retrieved from http://www.lifeplanningnetwork.org/.
About Friday Food for Thought (FFfT)
I frequently attend conferences and retreats on entrepreneurship and leadership and while I am away, the J2 team picks up the slack, allowing me to learn to be better at what I do. I wanted to share what I was learning with my team, so I created the weekly FFfT emails in November of 2015 and have been writing them ever since.
Before long, the J2 staff began sharing the FFfT emails with their friends and family and now other leaders have asked to be included, which led to the creation of this newsletter. I hope you enjoy!
I frequently attend conferences and retreats on entrepreneurship and leadership and while I am away, the J2 team picks up the slack, allowing me to learn to be better at what I do. I wanted to share what I was learning with my team, so I created the weekly FFfT emails in November of 2015 and have been writing them ever since.
Before long, the J2 staff began sharing the FFfT emails with their friends and family and now other leaders have asked to be included, which led to the creation of this newsletter. I hope you enjoy!