Welcome back to Philip James Travel!
These last 12 weeks of the COVID-19 “current reality” have likely caused us all to act quite differently. We have had to re-think our norms and re-adjust our routines; we had to prioritize our necessities and our luxuries, and we continue to reevaluate how we think of safety, and whether to argue with, ignore or simply accept that the behaviors of those around us are what they are. We have probably also found ourselves procrastinating - at least I know I have! I listened to a recent Ted Talk on procrastination that was quite interesting, and at the conclusion found that I had a much better understanding of this troublesome characteristic, and I learned some ways to overcome it.
So why do we (approximately 20% of the adult population) habitually procrastinate? If you suppose the answer is laziness, you’d be wrong. Think about your productivity with other things while avoiding the task that you should be doing; that’s definitely not lazy! So, if being lazy is not at the core, what’s the barrier?
We generally procrastinate to avoid negative emotions much more so than to avoid performing a dreaded task. In essence, procrastination is a mood-regulator. If the work we must do elicits feelings of incompetency, insecurity, or fear of failure, we tend to avoid that particular task to make us feel better.
What then are some simple techniques can we employ to curb procrastination? First, we can be gentle with ourselves and forgive our past episodes. Second, we can stop pre-judging the outcome of our work before we’ve even begun. And finally, if we can shift our thinking from “want” to “should” and create “to-don’t” lists right alongside our “to do” lists and stick to them, we’ve got a good chance of producing our desired outcome, and join the lucky 80% who don’t procrastinate!
Now that our weekly therapy session is concluded, you might ask how we transition from procrastination to travel? The pause on travel throughout the pandemic has certainly not been due to procrastination, but it does kind of feel like it, doesn’t it? And in the coming few months we will individually have to decide when we’re going to feel safe enough or comfortable with the new dynamics that will undoubtedly encompass our travel experiences.
We are seeing early signs of a return to travel, but we are still far off from any kind of large scale travel recovery. Last Thursday, the TSA reported processing more than 300,000 travelers for the first time since mid-March. Though it’s a preliminary indication of what’s coming ahead, it is only a tiny blip on the radar compared to the same day a year ago when TSA screened 2.6 million air passengers! There’s a lot that will be different about air travel, hotel stays, cruising and sightseeing attractions, and other activities for those who wish to travel and feel comfortable doing so. Stay tuned right here to learn more as we wade into these waters.
Thanks as always for taking a moment to visit us here at Philip James Travel. We hope you find at least a takeaway or two each week. Please contact us with any questions or travel items of interest you might like to discuss.
Keep your travel dreams alive, stay well, and be kind (and don't procrastinate).
Destination Inspiration: FIJI
Philip -