Recently my brain grabbed hold of an idea and won’t let it go. It almost feels like when you have a song stuck in your head, and as soon as you think you’re past it, you find yourself humming along to the chorus at a stoplight. Luckily, instead of catchy pop song, the idea pulsating throughout my brain has had a positive impact on many aspects of my life. I’ve seen positive improvements in my diet, my ability to stay organized, and my productivity, all from this simple idea. Three simple words have almost become a mantra for me, and I try to remember them as often as possible.
Do it now.
These words are starting to change my life.
I’m the world’s worst procrastinator. Actually, I’m the world’s BEST procrastinator. This applies not only to the normal things, like project deadlines and emails, but also to mundane things like doing the dishes or washing clothes. I’m such a good procrastinator I will even delay meals throughout the day — luckily now intermittent fasting is a thing I’m just being trendy-not actually procrastinating.
Now that this mantra of “Do it now” is trying to embed itself in my skull it’s becoming much more difficult for me to put my dishes in the sink instead of the dishwasher after a meal. “Do it now” I tell myself as I finally begin to break this habit that drives my wife crazy. I used to wait a day or two to respond to my emails, and would waste precious energy thinking about what I would say and when I would say it. That pesky voice in my head telling me to “Do it now” is winning in this area as well.
I’m starting to see many benefits from developing a constant “Do it now” mindset. I’m finding it easier to control my diet as well as structure my time in a way that allows me to do the things I want to do, instead of falling into the whirlwind of being “busy” that plaques our society. My time is much more structured now than it was when I was living in a state of perpetual overwhelm and putting out fires for others.
You have to build systems and habits if you really want to reach your goals, and the “Do it now” mindset has been a huge part of that journey for me. It’s not always perfect, and there are still many times the procrastinating part of my brain still wins, but I’m beginning to turn the tide.
The strong mind will beat the weak mind if you feed it. A positive mindset can change everything. Do it now.
