Hey !

My parents-in-law are currently visiting their kids here in Lipa for a few weeks.

After we moved here in 2021, stroke of luck + cool weather that three of my wife’s siblings and their families are now also living here, with her elder sister just recently moving in with her family for this school year.

So her parents decided to just come over and have a reunion. 

Sakto lang din, birthday ng wife ko September 1, and my mom-in-law September 4. So it’s essentially several weeks of eating out, traveling to different hotels, and more eating out. 

Right now I’m at this hotel with this crazy toilet. 

the wash icon looks like a dog's snout with a little stubble lol

Over lunch yesterday, my mom-in-law told us a hilarious memory about how handy I was to have around when I first started dating my then-girlfriend Jeans. 

She said marunong daw ako sa mga repairs and stuff like that. Nuks.

My wife quipped, “hindi naman marunong yan a!” 

So I ended up confessing to my byenan na back then I was just trying really hard to impress her and get her approval. 

We laughed hard about it and I don’t know what came over me but I went to her and gave her a high five, and she high-fived me din!

OMG kinda cringe but also funny 

Now, I’ve been with Jeans for 10 years as her boyfriend, and 8 years as her husband. So safe to say na legit na ako sa mom-in-law ko.

She also remembered me all those years back na magaling DAW sa repairs at matulungin sa DIY projects whenever I was around them. 

In reality, I didn't have a clue! Google and YouTube is my BFF lang. hahaha

Looking back, I realized I was doing the same thing early in my freelance career too. Just like my story yesterday about trying something new, I sort of put on an act like I had it all together as a new freelancer. 

Inside, I constantly stressed about work and money and procrastinated on important tasks.

But I was too ashamed to admit it to anyone, even myself. I thought it meant I was lazy or unmotivated.

The truth is, as Pinoys, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to provide for our families. The stress can easily become too much.

Was also a big procrastinator dati. I still am these days, but to a lesser extent na. 

It was simply my habit of avoiding work to get temporary relief from that pressure and worry. It had nothing to do with actual laziness.

Once I reframed procrastination as a stress-driven habit instead of a personal flaw, I could start to change. 

Just like coming clean to my mother-in-law brought us closer.

Now when I catch myself avoiding work, I use 3 simple techniques to disrupt the habit and here’s what’s worked for me:

First, acknowledge when you’re stressed. 

Say to yourself "I'm avoiding this because I’m worried about something." This was a game-changer for me.

Stress ebbs and flows every day, normal lang yan, pero sometimes if too much na, nag-trigger pala sya ng procrastination. Getting conscious of your emotions is key. As an added hack, you can use a smartwatch to track your stress. 

Next, do a quick 5-4-3-2-1 countdown to disrupt the procrastination urge. This activates your prefrontal cortex so you can regain control. Learned this from Mel Robbins in her book The 5-Second Rule. 

It’s a simple yet powerful technique that can radically change your life in just five seconds. By counting backward from five and making a decision to act, you can overcome procrastination, fear, and hesitation. Ganda rin ng dulo ng book, got emotional sa part na yun.

Finally, just start working for 5 minutes. Studies show that a small start makes it easier to continue longer. Avoiding work, not doing work, is the real problem. 

Embracing these steps has really improved my productivity as a freelancer. It's by no means perfect and I still have bad days, but I no longer beat myself up as a "procrastinator."

I simply look for the stress, acknowledge it and gently refocus.

I know hindi 8 pages yung email natin for chuday, pero I hope this gives you a laugh and maybe a new perspective too! 

We're all in this together, after all. 

Don't be afraid to be honest about stress and your own habits. That's the first step to positive change.

Let me know if you found this helpful! Please pay it forward by sharing the opt-in page found below with others who may benefit.

Osha, Happy weekend!

Shoden "Swimming Pool is calling" San

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