Procrastination. We think of it as a dirty word. Our culture has led us to believe that people who procrastinate have no willpower or are lazy.
The truth is that all of us procrastinate some of the time. Let’s face it, there’s always something better to do than what you’re supposed to be doing. For as much as I enjoy writing this newsletter, I can think of a thousand half a dozen things I’d rather be doing.
Procrastinators are not lazy people. They’re not just sitting around doing nothing. They’re running around doing something else. When I was in grad school, with assignments coming out my ears, my laundry was always done, beautifully folded, and put away. In my life before or since grad school, my laundry has never been so lovingly cared for.
Procrastination is not something that can be “cured.” There are always a number of things that we could spend our time on. Technically, you’re always procrastinating on something. Procrastination can work to a certain point because often when we are avoiding one thing we are doing something else that needs to be done anyways. That whole laundry thing in grad school did help me in the quest to win friends and influence people.The problem comes in when there’s a task that we’re not doing that affects our functioning. If I had continued to procrastinate on school assignments, I wouldn’t have graduated. All that effort, time and money (not to mention self-respect) lost.
Twenty percent of people, that’s one in five of us, rate themselves as chronic procrastinators (source: Psychology Today article. Procrastination: 10 Things to Know http://psychologytoday.com/rss/pto-20030823-000001.html ).
Think about the things you tend to procrastinate on. How important are they? If they’re not very important to you, maybe its time to let those things go. If you believe they are important to you and you still can’t get going, read on.
Procrastination can happen for many reasons:
· You’re feeling overwhelmed by all the things you have to do
· You don’t know where to start
· You don’t know how to start
· High expectations or perfectionism cause you not to start at all
Tips for overcoming procrastination: · Figure out why you’re procrastinating on a task. A few weeks ago I wrote about how my husband and I were procrastinating on doing some home renovations. The problem was in the decision-making. What if we were wrong? Well, what if? The reality is that, even if a couple of decisions didn’t turn out to be the best ones, what we would end up with was going to be way better than where we were at.
· Imagine how you’ll feel once the task is complete. Put yourself in the position of being done. How will that feel? Pretty good, I bet.
· Turn the project into a series of smaller tasks. If looking at the big picture overwhelms you, don’t look at it. Make your action plan and focus on the one task before you.
· Be accountable to someone else. Tell your partner, your friend, your coach, that this is what you plan to do. Make a date to follow up with that person.
· Create a deadline. When you make your deadline, reward yourself.
· Consider a coach. I offer a complimentary 45-minute consultation to help you figure out whether coaching is right for you.
Whew! Finished another newsletter…and just under deadline. As a bonus, my laundry is all done too.
Until the next chapter,
Lisa
