Doing the hard stuff first

image by OpenClipart-Vectors

Are you a list person? I love making lists and checking off the tasks as I complete them.  Some would argue it’s even more satisfying than doing the task itself. Sometimes, though, to-do’s linger on my list indefinitely, being transferred to new lists, days or weeks later. Or they don’t even make it on the list in the first place. Instead, they fester in my subconscious, taunting me and my inability to complete them. 

I never thought of myself as a procrastinator, until recently, that is. Reflecting on several “difficult” tasks, I realized that I was putting them off, to my own detriment.  So last month, I decided to begin with one so-called “hard stuff” items and meet it head-on. 


In my case, the hard stuff has to do with self-care. I spend a lot of time addressing the needs of my family, not to mention completing volunteer work for several local seniors’ organizations. What I don’t do is address my needs first—you know, put on my own oxygen mask before helping others’ with theirs. Although I have written about this exact topic on several occasions, I wasn’t practising what I was preaching. 


What did I need to address in terms of self-care? The biggest issue for me was my  ballooning weight gain. Part denial, part resignation to my aging body, I believed things were beyond my control. I don’t drink, I cook from scratch, and I’m very physically active (including the recommended 2 strength training sessions per week), so it must just be the vagaries of a post-menopausal body was my thinking. 


It was time to do the hard stuff, including but not limited to:

• accept that I needed help
• step on a scale (in front of a complete stranger!)
• take stock of my food intake in minute detail
• change my behaviour
• talk about all of this

While some of you may think this list is feeble and/or not that difficult, I say to you, hard stuff is entirely subjective. This is my hard stuff and it’s been the focus of the past month. And trust me, it feels really hard. In fact, I think the hardest part of all is telling you that I’m on a weight-loss journey. In some ways, it feels like defeat that I need to do this in the first place. 


As I head towards my second month, I can happily report that the number on the scale is heading in the right direction. And while I still find many of these tasks difficult to do, I also feel a sense of empowerment as I take control of my health and focus on me first. 


In my case, doing the hard stuff first is a positive step that has helped me move beyond procrastination. For now, at least.