Someday Syndrome is defined as: not doing what you want to because you don’t know what it is, because you’re procrastinating about it, or because you have too much stuff getting in your way.
This is me at the moment. I still haven’t got my new website complete. I’m holding off sending a pitch because I’m not sure its perfect enough. And my podcast? Well, I’ve just not had chance to breathe so how can I possibly record a podcast.
Thing is, we ALL suffer from a hearty dose of someday syndrome from time to time. It’s life. And life often gets in the way. But then you clear the blockage and you just get down to work. But if you’re stuck in the middle of a someday funk then here are some ways to get yourself out of it…
Ask yourself this important question – Is it because you’re busy that you’re putting things off or because the project in hand isn’t really you? The Happiness Project number one Happiness Commandment is to BE YOU. If you’re doing something that doesn’t really fit in with who you are then it’s better you realise that right now and ditch the idea so you can find something that suits you and your skills.
Get rid of clutter. I had a mammoth decluttering session last week. I got rid of 80% of my clothes – I was so sick of seeing loads of stuff clogging my space that I just had no need for anymore. And oh. my. god. did it help. When your space is cluttered then usually your mind is too.
And it’s not just physical stuff that counts as clutter. Negative thoughts also count as clutter. Work on getting rid of any negative attitude you have surrounding a project or task.
Actually get clear on what you want. Yep, you’ve got an amazeballs idea but until you get super clear on what it is you want then you may as well forget about progressing. My favourite trick is to move away from the computer, get a notebook, a cup of tea and a colourful pen and sit down and just write notes. I can’t function as well when I’m sat in front of a screen.
And make a plan. Planning can feel like action, but really it’s not really any different than talking about things so set a time limit on your planning. Because until you actually do something, you’re still procrastinating.
Do one thing at a time. I’ve mentioned before that I’m a “scanner” so doing one thing at a time – for me – seems an impossible task. However, when there’s too much going on at once it’s overwhelming and what happens when we get overwhelmed? We don’t get anything done. So ignore other tasks and just concentrate on one thing at a time.
Outsource. If you’re a control freak then its time to let go of the reigns a little. Get help, if you think there’s something that you can pay someone for to do things a little quicker then do it.
Be uncomfortable. Judith Sills in her book Comfort Trap, or What If You’re Riding a Dead Horse? talks about how we might be terribly unhappy, but we’re comfortable so we don’t do anything about the unhappiness.
So you have a choice… Comfortably in pain and unhappy or uncomfortably blissful?
Don’t just look at the end. Celebrate your progress. If you’ve done that blog post or sent out a marketing tweet – that’s cool. Celebrate it. It’s not always just about the end goal but rather the steps we take to get there.
and finally…
Keep going.
i can really relate to this , sounds just like me
i am so guilty of putting things off. I need to sort my room out so bad at the moment and throw away some clutter.