Sometimes, I get so overwhelmed with the things I need to do that I do anything but what needs to get done. This is something I’ve done all my life. Instead of tackling things as they come up, one at a time, I’ll concentrate on things that don’t need my immediate attention until I’m in full on panic mode at the last-minute. I will eventually get things done, but it’s not always my best work. (Maybe that’s the point. If I don’t give 100% and don’t succeed, I can always say, “well, it wasn’t my best work.”) Luckily, I’ve learned this about myself and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to overcome this little quirk. But sometimes, it sneaks back in when I need to be focusing the most. Today was one of those days. I had so much that needed to get done, but instead, I woke up and immediately plugged in. I surfed the net for things I didn’t need right this minute, measured rooms for more bookshelves (I always need bookshelves), and in general dilly-dallied. Basically wasting the little time I already had.
Then I went for a run. Not just any run, but a long one, and the longest I’ve done in a while. It might seem counter productive to spend the time running when I really needed to be doing other things, but I wasn’t doing the other things. It was the best decision I had made all day. Going for a run cleared my head and motivated me to do what needed to be done. When I finished my run, I poured myself a big glass of water, and before I even hit the showers, I tackled and completed one of the tasks that I was dreading. Here’s a shock, it just wasn’t that difficult.
Procrastination is a sneaky beast, especially now when we actually carry the world in our hands. Sometimes, it’s best to just put the world down, and go for a run.
Running The Extra Smile 