Who doesn’t love procrastinating? It probably happened to you a dozen times (not to say more). You have to hand in a project for school, or you have to finish the plan for your boss, but you wait until the last minute to even start! We know it’s bad, and sometimes even unhealthy; suddenly spending all these hours in one sitting to reach your deadline cannot be good, right? We all know it, but somehow we still manage to procrastinate.
At one point in my life, I was so inclined to procrastinate that I wondered if it was even possible to get rid of it. After I read Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, I decided to implement some of the suggestions. It turns out that you can stop procrastinating and here are 3 simple tips that worked for me!
How to Stop Procrastinating
Track your results
Think about one successful person in what you want to achieve. The ones that “make it happen” usually track their results. If your goal is to run 4 km a day, you have to know how many kilometers you can run today, and you have to track your results every day. If you have to hand in a ten-page essay in 2 weeks, you need to set yourself a certain number of pages to write every day and track it. Tracking what you do and when you do it tends to give you the discipline you need to achieve what you want. In the long run, it gets quite motivating to see your progression towards your goal and how close you're getting to it.
Track your time
Have you ever wondered how long you spend on each of your daily activities? Surfing the internet, watching Netflix, exercising, eating, reading, working, etc. If you want to succeed at achieving your goals, make a habit of tracking the hours you spend on any of your daily activities. This way, you can see how much of your time is spent on really productive work (that brings you closer to your goal) vs things that are unproductive (not contributing to your goal at all). It seems simple, but we want to increase the time we spend doing productive things and minimize the unproductive.
You can track your time the good old fashion way with a pen and paper. But you can also track your hours with a mobile app like Hours (iOS) or Jiffy (Android). With an app, it's alot easier to track your time as you can just press a button to record your session. It’s simple and efficient! Don’t worry, you don’t have to track every single move you make. If you know you will spend less than 15 minutes on something, you don’t have to write it down. Once you have some details about how you tend to spend your time you can then adjust your activities in a way to maximize your time towards productive things.
Track your Fun
Fun is important. If you start making better use of time after you’ve tracked it, you should not forget to have fun and relax. If you work productively, you will continue to give yourself some “off” time. From an outside point of view, it might look like procrastination, but it’s not. For example, you can allow yourself to watch your favorite tv show as a reward for being productive at what you wanted to do. In that sense it is not procrastination, fun becomes a necessary activity for you to be able to achieve your goals!
Military Dad Defends His 4 Little Daughters When Strangers Make This Rude Remark
Military Dad of 4 Daughters Defends His Girls When Strangers Make This Rude Remark
Austin von Letkemann is the military officer strangers feel "sorry" for — and the reason is infuriating.
Whenever the devoted father leaves the house with his four children, strangers can't help but notice the officer in uniform is holding hands with 4 adorable little girls. They will tell the traditionally "masculine" and "all American" dad they feel sorry for him, because he has no sons. This dad makes one thing very clear: They are his daughters, they aren't a burden.
In a passionate video, von Letkemann took to Instagram to share with his followers that the only thing that's "difficult" about being a girl dad — is clapping back to these sexist remarks over and over again.
They Mock His Daughters To Their Face
When strangers approach Austin von Letkemann and his four daughters, they don't always realize that their comments are being overheard. They seem oblivious to the fact that his girls understand every word. Von Letkemann describes how people will approach him and, without thinking, make remarks like "I'm sorry" or even joke about his lack of sons. What they don't realize is that these comments, intended to be light-hearted or humorous, can be deeply hurtful to his daughters. These strangers are not just disrespecting von Letkemann's choices as a father; they're also sending a message to his daughters that their presence is something to be pitied. It’s a message that von Letkemann won't stand for, and he's speaking out to defend his girls from these insensitive remarksSaying "Get Your Shotgun" Isn't Funny — It's Sexist
Another common comment that Austin von Letkemann encounters is the old "better get your shotgun ready" trope, often delivered with a smirk or a wink. This line is typically intended to suggest that a father with daughters should be on high alert to protect them from potential "suitors," implying that they are objects to be guarded rather than individuals with agency.
Von Letkemann finds this line of thinking outdated and sexist. In his viral Instagram video, he points out that these jokes are not just stale — they're damaging.
By suggesting that his daughters require armed protection, the joke reinforces the idea that women are inherently vulnerable and need to be shielded from men. Von Letkemann argues that instead of promoting this narrative, society should focus on teaching respect and consent, challenging these sexist tropes at their source.
Watch Austin von Letkemann's Video:
"If I Had A Fifth Child, I'd HOPE It Was A Girl" — One Dad's Message For Other Parents
Despite the constant remarks about his lack of sons, Austin von Letkemann is clear: He wouldn't trade his daughters for anything.
In fact, he told his Instagram followers that if he were to have a fifth child, he would hope for another girl. This declaration isn't just about doubling down on his pride in his family — it's a pointed response to those who see fathering daughters as a misfortune.
Von Letkemann's stance is a powerful one, rejecting the notion that a family is incomplete without sons. He encourages others to question the assumptions behind these comments and to appreciate the joy and fulfillment that his daughters bring. By sharing his story, von Letkemann hopes to create a more inclusive perspective on fatherhood, one that values daughters just as much as sons.