There are many things that I have always wanted to do with my life and I am glad I finally found to do something I love and get paid to do it.
When it comes to personal projects, those things seem to get put on the back burner for many of us. I have found that those personal projects are more significant to us than any of our regular work.
They really push us because we actually care about them. It doesn’t really matter what it is we do, whether we are athletes, engineers, photographers or bloggers, its about being passionate enough to go beyond our own limitations on something.
Just Do It!
I am not endorsed by Nike, but its a pretty good rule of thumb, especially when you are a procrastinator. There are those things that we try to put into that “better timing” basket to make the task easier, but what if it just gets harder to do instead?
We need to remember that time in our life is critical and if we don’t do things now, when will we? There really is no better time than right now to do things before the magic seems to fade away.
Our interests shift and life evolves before we even know it.
It’s Not Easy
Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and do what ever it is you need to do to get it done. A few weeks ago I contacted a new friend to try out a concept photograph that would be composited of the same person interacting with herself.
I was always afraid to attempt surreal photography, but I told myself, “What do I have to lose? If I suck at it, I am still going to learn a ton from it.” So when I finally did do it, I felt pretty darn awesome about it.
It actually turned out better then expected. That my friends, is why doing things now makes our future much more valuable.
What I Have Learned
Over the years it has been made clear that many of us procrastinate on our personal projects, especially ourselves because we notice them more. All the things we do in our life affect how productive we are.
Here are somethings I have done to make sure I get things done that I have been putting off for a long time.
- Stay Organized – Whether its your house or your computer folders, keep those things clean, organized and well labeled. It helps you remember where things are.
- Write it Down – We all get so busy and caught off guard by others and new tasks, so make sure you keep notes of things you want to get done.
- Check it Off the List – When you have a checklist of things you want to get done, seeing those goals be completed on paper is a pretty good feeling and we all need that little boost for ourselves to keep going.
- Put it in Your Schedule – For me its great to block off time for something specific so you don’t plan anything over the free time you have to do it. It helps me stay on task, especially on the weekends.
- Phone a Friend – Sometimes all you have to do is ask. You would be surprised how willing your friends can be to help you out when its for a personal project.
You can check out my latest project via the image below:
What projects have you procrastinated on, but finally got done? I would love to see/hear them!
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