Procrastination Is Not Laziness: 4 Essential Oils That Can Help You Get Work Done
Not so long ago, I was on my way home and I literally drove right pass the post office with a package that was ready to be mailed out. It was right there on the seat next to me in the car. I looked at the post office building, saw a lot of cars parked in front of it, imagined the long line and just decided to keep driving home. That’s crazy, right?! I mean, the only thing I had to do was turn, park the car, get out of the car and mail the package.
Recently, I came across a New York Times article stating that “Procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem”. Basically, me not stopping at the post office is my brain avoiding unpleasant feelings that I associate with the post office, namely frustration and anger as a result of standing in a long line and waiting for a long time.
Therefore, no matter how urgent or important a task is, we procrastinate in order to avoid negative feelings or emotions such as fear, self-doubt, boredom or frustration. Avoiding these things becomes more urgent than completing the task.
Now, to be real we are adults and we can’t simply choose to not do it (at least not without some rather unpleasant consequences). Eventually, we must bite the bullet because there’s nobody else that will do it instead of us (unless you have a great husband hehe). My husband mailed the package and I love him for it! However, that really doesn’t help the problem.
Clearly avoiding or postponing something will not get it done. It will simply lead to more frustration and just thinking about it will make us even more stressed out.
If planners, time management solutions, or productivity tips don’t work, is there actually something that we can do about it? There are a few things the article mentioned but I wanted to point out those that I actually found helpful.
1. Recognize the emotion associated with the task you’re are putting off. Are you afraid? What are you afraid off? The best way to address procrastination is to know which negative emotion we are dealing with.
2. Be kind to yourself, because the worst thing we can do is beat ourselves up and that doesn’t solve the problem of us procrastinating. Let’s face it, nobody is perfect but if we admit that to ourselves it will reduce the amount of stress we put on ourselves.
3. Look at the positive side of it. That may be easier said than done, we can’t just talk ourselves into doing something. Wouldn’t that already solve the problem? What we can do is try to reframe the task by considering a positive aspect of it. For example, the positive aspect of me mailing the package would be my sister being really happy when she receives it. Another example, have you ever put off working out or going to the gym because you just don’t like how it makes you feel, i.e. pain or sweating, or your muscles being sore the next day? Every time you work out or before, try to picture how you will look in your bikini this summer or in the dress you will finally be able to put on.
4. Use essential oils to manage emotions and help you focus. I created this “Procrastination Elimination” blend specifically to address emotions often associated with procrastination. I found that every time I diffused it around the house, I felt like I accomplished a lot that day and got quite a few things done that I didn’t think I would be able to do.
Vetiver essential oil is steam distilled from the root of Vetiver plant growing in Haiti. It has a woody and earthy aroma which is very grounding and calming to the emotions and has a great ability to provide us a sense of security, it also instills confidence and can help to reduce mental burnout.
Roman Chamomile is a very calming and relaxing essential oil. Its scent is somewhat like a sweet apple. It has an amazing ability to calm an overactive mind and lower the feeling of frustration or agitation.
Rosemary is an amazing spice that is great at elevating the taste of roasted potatoes, but additionally the aroma of this essential oil can help us be more alert and focused as well as help us improve our memory.
Tangerine is a wonderful citrus oil that is uplifting to the mood, yet very relaxing. It is a great essential oil to reduce emotional stress.
Combine the essential oils in a small vial and add to the diffuser. I like to blend the oils first before adding them to the diffuser. You can watch why I recommend for you to do so in this FB Live video .
I hope you find these tips helpful. I would love to hear how these tips work for you, just drop the comment below.
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