Anti-Procrastination Process

I mentioned on the Check-Ins Forum that I've come up with some steps that seem to be helping me stop procrastinating (when I actually get myself to engage in this process). I thought I'd share it here:

When I see something on my to do list that causes me anxiety or other discomfort when I consider doing it, or when I realize I am procrastinating about doing something, I write down answers to #1-6 and do #7-8:

  1. What is the worst that could happen if I do the thing I’m anxious about?
  2. What is the worst that could happen if I don’t do the thing I’m anxious about?
  3. If I don’t do it, are there alternatives? (e.g., delegate it, don't do it at all, do something else that addresses the same thing)
  4. Acknowledge that I truly have the power to choose whether to do it or not (bearing in mind that sometimes I feel as though I am trapped, but this feeling does not reflect reality—I might not like any of the alternatives, but I have the power to choose among them and maybe to create new alternatives as well).
  5. Remember that this is an opportunity to demonstrate Who I Really Am and Who I Choose To Be. [This is a reference to the Conversations with God trilogy by Neale Donald Walsch]
  6. Decide whether to do it, not do it, or do an alternative.
  7. Spend five minutes on what I decided or remove it from the list if I decided not to do it.
  8. Acknowledge, celebrate having done the 7 steps above.