User blog:LadyAzur/Procrastinating

One of my favorite english words is Procrastination. I knew the english word before I found out that you can say "Prokrastination" in german, too. But it's seldom used, we mostly say "Aufschieberitis" or something like that with a softer tone. We make it soft and small and cuddly as if it wasn't a bad thing anymore. "I'll do this tomorrow" sounds much nicer than "I procrastinate".

But I like how the word sounds, like an evil demon crouching in your head and sucking from your energy. Because that's what happens if you procrastinate. You'll have to spend much more energy for a task if you don't do it as if you simply finish it. Yeah, I know this already, but I still procrastinate.

In most cases it is one of my "pay bills" Dailies. I could do it in 5-10 minutes - but often it's too late or I am tired or I have migraine... you see, it's easy to find an excuse. So I edit my Daily and make it due for the next day, but not today. That's like clicking the "Snooze" button in the morning. I have to pay the bill(s) or the Daily will pop-up every day on my tasklist.

But every task on my list needs some energy. I have to read it, to think about it, what or how to do it, and when I want to do it (and do it in the end). So my brain is already occupied with the task, and it will be occupied every day until I finish the task and check it off. You know these annoying thoughts "Oh, I have to do this yet" or "I should remember that..."? Wouldn't it be easier to have a free mind?

Some people (like me) use To-Do-lists to keep a free mind. You don't have to remember all your To-Dos if you can jot them down. But if you move your tasks from one day to another (like me), you have to decide every day, if you want to do the task or if you procrastinate on it. After some days you'll have spent more time with procrastinating as you needed to simply do the task.

And if you met a really evil procrastination demon, he will make you feel guilty about it. At least you have cheated on your Habitica tasks! But there is no cheating in Habitica - you will only cheat yourself. You can avoid the damage of a Daily if you move it to the next day - but you cannot escape the procrastination demon. You can only beat him with industriousness and motivation to overcome his persistence.

Uhm... sounds familiar?

True! Habitica gives your procrastination demon a name (including a colorful pixel-picture) and sends you on a Quest to defeat it with your party members! It's much more fun to get things done together than alone!  And the rewards are worth it. Have you seen those cute guinea pigs?

Next time you think about procrastinating, try to find someone who pushes you a bit. Sometimes you just need to hear a motivated "Let's do it!" to overcome the whispered excuses of the procrastination demon. (Or a new pet egg for your collection ^^)