The effort that many of us put into not doing something or the time we spend thinking about doing something can be extremely stressful and anxiety producing. If you procrastinate, you probably worry about all the time you’re wasting as you think about getting started. You probably don’t waste as much time as you think you do, but this tendency to worry can make anyone feel harried and rushed.
Our society has developed such a fevered pitch in relation to time that busyness is the expected mode of behavior. Time should not be wasted—after all, there’s precious little of it. While this attitude can drive us into a whirlwind of doing, doing, doing, we sometimes are caught on the treadmill, rushing to nowhere.
My First Blue Tug
If you find yourself worrying about the time you’re wasting, or if you feel as if you’re rushing and yet not actually doing anything, take a moment to breathe and consider your position. Are you actually procrastinating or are you simply mulling over your approach? A certain amount of mulling is necessary before settling down and doing a project.
Observe your patterns and decide how much of your thinking time is wasted and how much of it is necessary and constructive.
Then do the things you have to do and use some of your quiet-corner time as mulling time.
As you take some steps toward finding a quiet corner, you may feel some guilt pangs. The voices in your head may tell you that you could be doing something with this time. Why not use this time, since you’ve found it, in a constructive way? Why waste it on being quiet? Indeed, if you’re an extremely busy, goal-oriented person—aren’t we all, to some extent?—you will probably encounter this resistance each time you visit your corner. Even after your search begins, some time has passed, and you’re practiced in the art of being in your quiet corner, you may continue to imagine that you’re wasting time. Don’t let this interference win out. Keep in mind that we’re all conditioned to think this way and only diligence and time will change this pattern. As you begin to experience the enormous rewards of your quiet corner, collect them, and refresh your mind with these memories each time you encounter the waste-of-time bogeyman.
from Find a Quiet Corner – A Simple Guide to Self-Peace
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