Procrastination: Putting an End to “Putting It Off”
How often have you said to yourself that tonight you were going to straighten your desk, read that book or get one of those “to do’s” on your list done? But you’ve just had dinner, you are a little tired, you say to yourself, “Maybe I will just watch the news first.” Then it is the a game show you enjoy watching sometimes. Then there is that detective story that you just love. Before you know it the evening is gone and you got nothing done. That task will just have to wait a little longer.
Procrastination is a sly thing. Sometimes putting things off is not serious, sometimes it is serious. It can quickly become a habit.
One thing you need to remember, putting off until later may be too late, especially if it involves relationships. Waiting to let someone know how much you care about them could be disastrous. Too often we lose that person to someone else or perhaps to a tragic or early death. Then it is too late.
Chronic lateness is a form of procrastination as well. It could be lateness to meetings, appointments, social engagements, and the like. It could be tardiness in getting things done on time or meeting deadlines. The consequences over time could be very costly. It has even been known to be the cause of some divorces.
Procrastinators are not time conscious and cannot manage their time very well. One reason could be a feeling in inadequacy or incompetence. By putting things off they don’t challenge their self-worth. Rather than doing something badly, they just don’t do them at all. The fear of criticism keeps them from even starting the project or task.
Most self-improvement books approach the subject of procrastination from an egotistic point of view. They say you should not worry what other people think or say. Just do what you want.
The truth is, the root cause of procrastination is often due to a lack of concern for others. If a person is really interested in self-improvement, he probably isn’t a procrastinator anyway. He has “bigger fish to fry.”
Procrastination is a form of avoidance. In order to overcome it one must see the reason or value of doing the task and its relative importance among the many things one must do or wants to do. This involves setting priorities.
Self-advancement can be motivating only to a point. For something to be worth doing, not being put off, it must involve more than just self-interest. It must have a real purpose by being done.
So the next time you wonder why certain things you intended to do get put off so often, ask yourself:
- Are these things really important?
- Will they serve a useful purpose?
- If so, what is preventing me from doing it?
As to chronic lateness, experts believe the habit is learned early in life, usually from other members of the family. That carries over to school, work, and relationships. To break the habit of being always late, one should move up the deadline mentally. If the appointment you need to go to is at 7:00 p.m., aim for 6:30 or 6:45. Even if you are late by your mental deadline, you should be on time for the appointment.
By changing your attitude and determining exactly what is important, you can put an end to “putting it off.” Don’t expect this to be a simple change in your life, you have to actively make the decision to avoid procrastination.