My daughter, Amanda, is a delightful young lady. She's helpful, smart, driven, funny, and has too many wonderful qualities to list. For the most part, she's pretty organized too. Procrastination, however, is something she has to work on conquering.

Just recently, she was up until midnight frantically working on part of a school project that she had five weeks to complete, but didn't begin until two nights before it was due. The day after that, she was up late again watching required videos for her summer job that she had to view before a scheduled training session. She knew, three weeks ago, that she had to watch these six hours of videos, but waited until the night before to begin. One of her favorite phrases is, 'I'll do it later.'

I have to say, she always gets whatever is it done before deadline. But it's not without anxiety, a headache, sleep deprivation, and a bit of crabbiness as well.

And yes, she knew what she had to do, so that wasn't the issue. She also had a beautiful schedule pinpointing dates and mini-goals, so that wasn't the problem either.

In a heart-to-heart conversation with her, because the consequences of her procrastination this time around included a considerable (almost insurmountable) amount of rush work for her, she agreed that this is a problem she needs to work on and fix.

When it comes to tasks and projects that are not due for weeks, it seems like the due date is going to take quite some time to arrive. It's easy to feel like you have near-forever to start it. So, why not kick back, relax, and do something fun until the work needs to be done?

The problem with this kind of thinking is that we, as humans, grossly underestimate the time it's going to take to complete something. Things that we think will take 5 minutes take 15. Things we think will take a few hours often take an entire afternoon. And as we all know, time flies. Things that seem so far away almost always creep up on us way faster than we expected.

So, instead of working on our tasks, projects, and goals, it's easy to enjoy doing something more fun. In other words, we accept the rewards without earning them.

My advice to my daughter, and to anyone I'm helping with procrastination, is this.

1) Begin. It's never too early to start something, especially a major project. Once you come up with your plan...the plan that gives you ample time to calmly work on whatever it is...BEGIN. Then, continue working on your goals a little at a time day by day, preferably before working on anything else...or, at minimum, at your scheduled time.

2) Work first, reward second. This also means doing the work BEFORE reaping the rewards. NO surfing YouTube videos, scrolling through Instagram, chatting with friends, or otherwise lazing around until you've put time and effort into your work each day.

There are only two results of following this revised plan, if the schedule you came up with to begin with provided ample work and completion time:

RESULT ONE: You get the project done on time. Great!

RESULT TWO: You get the project done AHEAD of time. Even better...now that the project is done, if you choose to laze around a bit, you'll be able to do so.

I'm actually very confident that, after this most recent procrastination fiasco and my conversation with Amanda, that she has learned a very important lesson and that something similar will not recur...or at least, not with such a vengeance.

What project have you been procrastinating on? Why not make your plan and begin? It's much better to have whatever it is done, than allowing it to linger on your list.

To fast-forward to getting organized today, visit:

getorganizednow.com/rd-ifo.html

Do you feel like, no matter what you do, you can't seem to get organized?

Perhaps your clutter is always getting ahead of you, or your TO DO list is a mile long. Maybe you can't keep up with your tasks, or your paperwork is out of control, or your email has become overwhelming. Perhaps you just can't figure out where to store things. Maybe you find yourself procrastinating, or having trouble prioritizing.

No matter what your organizing challenges are, they are all causing UNHAPPINESS, STRESS, EXHAUSTION, OVERWHELM, and FRUSTRATION...and those are five things you definitely don't need in your life.

If you've been struggling to get yourself and your home organized, It's NOT YOUR fault. There are huge, little-known, obstacles that are preventing millions of people, like you, from getting quickly and permanently organized.

The nice thing is, I have the perfect solution for any organizing challenge you're dealing with, and it will help you get permanently and automatically organized.

It's called my 'I'm Finally Organized Toolkit' and it includes literally EVERYTHING you need to get organized now! Learn more here:

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I know you want to get started on your organizing journey, and I'm excited to help you begin as quickly as possible. In light of this, when you get your hands on my I'm Finally Organized Toolkit BEFORE FRIDAY, MAY 31ST, 11:59 PM, you'll get a whole bunch of amazing, COMPLIMENTARY BONUSES...

* What You Need to Know to Become Super Organized
* Hilarious Versus Smart Clutter Tips
* Get Organized Now! Favorite Reader Tips
* 365 Words of Wisdom to Motivate and Inspire You
* 50 Super Cool Ways to Organize Your Home and Your Life

Begin getting organized today. It's one of the most wonderful things you can do for yourself...it guarantees an easier, happier, more joyful life! Visit:

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GON Ask Maria When I organize, the next day it's back to a mess...help!
getorganizednow.com/ask-maria-next-day-mess.html


In ADDITION, on my home page, you'll also find lots of NEW and featured STUFF including...

Decisions, decisions... If you have trouble making decisions, or you know someone else who has this challenge, you'll love this featured comic of the week

To Do Lists are the theme of the week. Check out the two new quotes I posted related to this theme

Facebook Feature The unproductive cycle of procrastination. Don't procrastinate...check it out today

GON Monthly Checklist: May Last chance to view before the new month's checklist is available

GON Challenges: May Final week of my Organizing Outside challenges. Meet the challenge for Week 4 this week.


Access all of the above on my home page. Visit:
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'Procrastination is like going to a fancy restaurant and filling up on bread and not leaving enough room for dinner.'
--Richie Norton



I'd love to hear from you.

Comments, suggestions, or just to say hello. Just REPLY to this email with a short note.

And remember...Being organized creates a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life!

Warmly,

Maria Gracia
Get Organized Now!

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