Dear FlyLady,

Procrastination, Distraction, or Do-It-Now?  Would you please help us distinguish between these 3 ideas.  It seems to me that sometimes I see something “off track”  that looks brief while I am in the middle of a specific task.  Should I Do-It-Now, or am I letting myself be Distracted, or perhaps am I Procrastinating from the original specific task?  Is there even a guideline?  Sometimes I step to one side for a Do-It-Now task (like putting away something that is in front of me) only to discover that it quickly becomes part of a bigger task (e.g. clearing out the drawer to make room for that thing which belongs there).

Your thoughts are always welcome in my reading, and I would really appreciate some insight into this matter.

Much appreciation,

FlyBaby A.

Dear FlyBaby A,

You forgot one little word; perfectionism. Perfectionism is what causes a simple one minute “Do It Now” Task into a distraction. Let me give you an example.

Let’s say you are in the bathroom and use the last little bit of toilet paper. This is your sign that the toilet paper needs to be replenished. This is when you go to your storage closet and grab a couple of rolls. Now while you are in your storage closet; you notice that it is junked up and needs straightening. This is your perfectionism. Your focus is to put the toilet paper in the bathroom. Let’s face it! If you don’t stay focused on your “Do It Now” task; you will be the one left high and dry! Well you will have to drip dry!

When you hear yourself say, “I don’t have time!” This is your clue that you are procrastinating. But procrastination stems from your perfectionism. The complete sentence is; I don’t have time to do it right! When you hear yourself say those 4 words; “I don’t have time”; set your timer for 2 minutes and do only 2 minutes of what you said you didn’t have time to do. This is not a distraction it is what we call in the south; “Hit a lick at a snake!”

The main problem is your perfectionism. It is making you over analyze such a simple system. Two minutes is not going to kill you or anyone! With two minutes you can make a dent in most of the things that are making your home look messy!

Let go of your perfectionism and watch your home blossom!

1. Get dressed to lace-up shoes when you first get up!
2. Make your bed
3. Swish and Swipe your bathroom
4. Empty the dishwasher
5. Eat breakfast, take medications and supplements
6. What’s for Dinner? Pull it out and start your Crock Pot.
7. Then you can get sidetracked all you want!

You can do this! This simple system has helped people in all walks of life.

FlyLady