Amidst finishing up my novel for NaNoWriMo (that I essentially didn't finish--more on that later), undoubtedly, I wanted to curl up in a ball on my bed and just watch Youtube videos and productivity shoots way down and subsequent long-term disappointment escalates.
1. I'm not good enough
I learned this relatively recently, and it's so true; it's something I have to remind myself not to think and say to myself because personally, I groan at the thought of doing something I feel I don't have potential for--whether that's a relationship, a hobby, or even a job.
When school and/or work gets in the way, it's kinda hard to get in your creative mindset, that when a time arrives to do something fun, you prefer to sleep and catch up on Netflix shows instead. What's productivity when you have a console or software that has all of your favorites in a selective mode?
You're setting yourself back and ignoring all the possibilities that could be with this attitude. You honestly don't know if you're good enough until you put yourself out there and stop comparing yourself to the other people who may or may not have made you believe that you're not good enough.
2. This bed is so comfortable
I don't know about you, but as soon as I rest on a very comfortable bed or couch or . . . floor (if I'm very desperate and tired), I tell myself that maybe a quick nap would do me best. And next thing I know it's time for my class--on the next day. And I panic because I did shit for homework, I didn't wash up, and now deja vu sets in.
My suggestion: If you're going to take a nap, or if you're already in bed, IMMEDIATELY set a timer for 10-25 minutes. I know. 10 minutes sounds like so little time. But, in essence, unless you want to fall into deep sleep after 30 minutes and have your body paralyzed, only for you to wake up in a state of a panic because you accomplished nothing, I suggest 25 minutes max. Once you're in deep sleep, there's no going back (well, yes, you can, because that's the cycle in "sleep cycle", but you know what I mean--hopefully).
So set a timer and get up accordingly; the latter will take quite a bit of will-power, but it is manageable if you're willing to put in the effort.
Even a 25-minute nap can boost productivity; it's enough. After all, a nap is better than no nap.
As soon as you're up, wash your face and get to work.
3. Five more minutes
Chances are, you wish you had more time. I personally experience this weird juxtaposition of loathing how long the day feels, yet I wish I had more time to get shit done.
Chances are, you just don't want to start the day . . . yet.
That's fine.
Setting up an alarm an hour earlier than you usually wake up changes your routine a little bit and offers you an extra hour to get your shit together. Additionally, refusing to hit that snooze button requires a lot of will-power to get done, but it is manageable. If you could avoid the snooze button altogether, your alarm wouldn't be so annoying, now, wouldn't it?
4. It's too late
Have you heard the expression "better late than never"? Yeah, well, I believe it's true. It's like saying "better to try than to not try".
Would you rather think what if's? Perhaps this is a bad justification.
You'll be surprised how flexible and accommodating deadlines could be, depending on the circumstances. Sometimes, supervisors or bosses or professors, if you're on their good side, can do you a favor past a deadline.
In terms of things outside of school and work, it's never too late if you don't do something about it when you get the chance. The entire movie and book of Something Borrowed could have been hashed out in several minutes if Rachel had just told Dex how she felt in law school instead of six or so years later, when he had been engaged to her best friend. You seriously have to have read the book or seen the movie to understand this, but it looks something like the gif below of Rachel McAdams in The Notebook. There too is a rain scene in which Rachel, in a panic, says that she shouldn't have left the bar that single-handedly started the broken relationship between Darcy and Dex. He responds that it's too late. Well, no it's not too late, Dex because you could call off the wedding with Darcy and deal with the consequences because you're too scared. Plus, you don't have to marry the person you're engaged to, even when you're at the altar.
Rachel thought that she wasn't good enough in law school for Dex to even notice or even be attracted to her. See where these excuses took her? Apparently, they took her to an affair and, well, I'm not spoiling much because they affair happened within the first twenty minutes of the movie.
I think you could tell that I'm a bit bitter about Something Borrowed. And you're right; I am. That's why it's one of my favorite movies.
5. I'll do it later
Will you? Will you really? Yeah, you ain't gonna do it later.
6. I can't.
I don't claim to know your circumstances. Many times we feel inhibited by our age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, whatever the case may be.
I simply can't deal with myself saying this; I've said this so many times, particularly when I was younger. There are still so many times that I say this now. . . as an adult because I have drilled it into my head that I have insurmountable limits. For example, I don't drive, so it gets pretty fucking shameful when I have to ask my siblings or dad to drive me places because I don't want to seem like a burden to them. That said, there are times when they won't take me anywhere because they're pissed at me or because of their schedules. I could take an uber and risk spending money I don't have or I could learn to drive, neither of which I really want to do. Other times (a majority of the time), I don't have access to Wi-fi. If that speaks to you as well, well, welcome to the club, honey.
It's hard not to say "I can't". I understand. But think of the many people who have pushed boundaries and achieved what many people thought they could not do: It's perseverance; it's discipline and tenacity. It's any movement that has existed in this world. Not procrastination, giving up, or not even starting.
7. I don't want to
This is, I believe the simplest excuse someone could make, and it probably encompasses all of the other excuses one makes because if you really cared about something, you'd prioritize it instead of doing it later or saying that it's too late. "I don't want to" essentially says everything from "I don't want to now" to "I don't want to ever." There's a spectrum.
Getting out of your comfort zone is a good thing. As for sex, though, I don't want to means what it means and everything should stop right there; there's a fine line between "Let's do this" and "I don't want to".
When it came to writing my novel, it never seemed like a good time to buckle down and type at it, because life and school got in the way, even though I did actually have enough time to finish it. I just apparently didn't want to do it at those moments.
Did you agree with any of these excuses? What other excuses do you make and what do you advise we do to resolve them?
