When my times feels most valuable

I wanted to make buttermilk pancakes this morning. Correction, I wanted to eat buttermilk pancakes. I wasn't bursting with enthusiasm to make them. Isn't that how it is sometimes? You want something, but you don't actually want to work for it.

For instance, I want a million dollars, but I'm kind of just hoping I'll go to the bank and there it'll be without my having to do anything. Or how I really want to spend a summer in a luxury apartment in France, but do I want to work my tail off to earn enough to go to France...nope. But life doesn't work like that. You have to do something to get something.

If I want a boat load of money, I have to be willing to do two boat loads of work to get it. Sometimes it's all worth it. You work hard and feel proud once you've achieved the end reward. Sometimes it's not worth it, but in those cases at least you can say you put in your best effort. At least you tried.

Most of what we do is trival. It doesn't mean all that much in the grand scheme of things. I mean, me making pancakes is not going to help the world much (not unless I'm sharing). Even the hours spent working is done to stuff something in between the slots of time I've been alotted. It helps me contribute, but I'm not doing anything incredible simply by working.

The only real time I feel the time and energy I'm giving is doubled (trippled), and I really feel it is valuable is when I'm spending time with God. To the outside viewer, I'm not doing much in those moments. I'm not rushing around; I'm not trying to please everyone in sight; I'm not conquring the world, but in those moments I am doing the very best thing I can do for the world. I'm opening my heart; I'm letting him in; I'm boosting my self worth and yet humbling myself. I'm filling myself with joy, releasing my fear and sorrow, I'm conquring my demons, and I am connecting with everything he has put on this planet. All this lets me do whatever it is I'm expected to do with renewed excitment. It gives me courage to face the things I couldn't otherwise. It keeps me hopeful, joyful, grateful.

God gives me more than the world will ever give me. No matter how hard I work, the reward will never match up. And there is no possible way I can ever give to the world all that God has already given it. So while I do my trival work on earth, I remind myself to work even harder for God. Not because it will change the world, or even send me to heaven (it might not) but as a way to say thanks for all the times I didn't do anything but was still blessed by him.

Picture Credit: http://enoqi.tumblr.com/

Popping Out Procrastination

I read somewhere that one way to get rid of procrastination is to give yourself more to do. I questioned this at first, thinking about how I tend to do next to nothing when I have so much to do. But I was curious to see if it might work.

I'm generally a "busy" person. I have school work, employment work, friends to meet, appointments to keep, stuff to do. I'm also someone that doesn't put things off for too long. If I have an assignment due at the end of the month,you can bet that it will be in by the second last week at the latest. But I noticed I tend to drag my feet at times, doing nothing for days or making minor attempts at being productive. It's not that I wanted to be more busy, but I did want the feeling of getting something done each and every day. Therefore, I took the article's advice and gave myself more to do.

I started another blog, took another course, made more plans with my friends.

At first, I felt the same feeling of being overwhlemed and thus doing nothing. I also got very sick and couldn't do anything. With more on my plate, this only put me further behind making me feel stressed.

 But somehow, without my notice, I was doing more and doing better at the things I was doing. I was too busy to put it off for another day. The strangest part was, I didn't feel exhausted. Tired, perhaps, but not dead from the weight of all the things I had to do.

I was puzzeled considering I was always busy. I always had things to do. I was always telling myself to get things done, making lists of task and forcing myself to get things done. There's no force now. I'm simply doing things.

I still don't know why it works, but it does. It's not as if I'm rushing around trying to do 10 things in a day, I'm doing maybe 5 and getting them done without complaining or dread, even tasks I hate. It's as if I pop the procrastination bubble before it gets too large and makes me lag for days.

My friends who aren't procrastinators, I notice have very busy scheduals. They usually have full plates and are juggling multiple day to day routines. They work, attend class, have several hobbies, volunteer and make time for their loved ones. It's as if the body gets programed to get up and moving when the mind keeps prompting it with more tasks. You find yourself completeling things you used to put off for days.

I'm not sure if it will work for everyone. I'm still surprised it worked for me. But if you tend to procrastinate, try giving yourself a few more things to do. This is not to say you should overload yourself. That isn't healthy. But within reason, add one of two more things to your things to do list. You may find yourself getting more done.