Bad habits…

This is Day 4 of the Self Actualisation challenge. The topic is write about a habit you wish you didn't have.

Ah, I thought this one will be a cinch.  While I really don’t drink, have never actually smoked more than a few puffs and don’t gamble, I have lots of other bad habits.  Problem is which one to choose?  Which ONE out of the many do I wish I didn't have?

Should I write that I like to keep things?  I kept all of Boy Child clothes from Size 0000 and up and even after Girl Child wore them I still kept them? The only reason they are no longer in my house is because of the devastating Victorian Bushfires in 2009, commonly referred to as Black Saturday.  I donated 6 huge garbage bags worth of outgrown children's clothing.  It would have been more be my cousins have girls younger than my Girl Child and they get hand me downs of Girl Child’s clothes.

Should I write about the pile of clean washing on a lounge? It seems to grow exponentially every few days and even when it’s folded it never seems to go anywhere.

Should I write (once again) about the fact that I love chocolate and seem to have redeveloped my coffee habit?  I had cut back on both but it seems that they have insidiously crept back in to my life.

Image from Dreamstime

 

I will spare you all of those and talk about the thing that is the root of all evil many issues in my life.  My ability to procrastinate.  That is what has helped cause the mountain of clean washing and the re-emergence of the coffee and chocolate into my life. That is what caused Op Anniversary to fail dismally the first time around. And explains how I had somehow kept years worth of outgrown children’s clothes in my house.

So, I procrastinate.  A lot.  So that is the bad habit that I wish I didn't have.  Because if I didn't procrastinate so much the mountain of washing would be put away, OP Anniversary would have been a complete success and I would be wearing my wedding ring for the first time in 7 years and perhaps I would feel comfortable enough invite people over.

I just did an online quiz and apparently I am….

A Perfectionist.

You are the perfectionist procrastinator. Perfectionists fear failure or not doing a good enough job. They suffer from too high standards. Lest it be less than perfect, perfectionists have trouble starting or finishing a project. However, if the procrastinator does not get an "A," the fact that he or she did not give him or herself enough time to properly do the project excuses the procrastinator from not having done a perfect job. "If I had started earlier..." is a common lament from the perfectionist trying to excuse him or herself.

Yes, I can see that.  If I don’t try, I can’t fail (or can’t screw it up) is exactly how my brain works. I really  need to to do something about this because both Boy and Girl seem to have the same trait.

So what are your tips to beat procrastination?  Are you like me and don’t start something in case it’s not right or not perfect? How have you beaten the procrastination bug? I need help!