pro•cras•ti•nate – verb [intrans]: delay or postpone action; put off doing something.
I have a tendency toward procrastination. It is not unusual for me to postpone things that need to be done for days on end. Does this ever happen to you?
I am certain that I am not the only one. But even knowing that I am not alone, this dreaded affliction has begun to trouble me. See the things that I am currently putting off are not just regular run-of-the-mill, need to be done kind of things. The stuff that I am slacking on at present, are things that I really want to do. The stuff that dreams are made of. The kind of things that will change my life for the better. So why am I resting on my laurels you ask? One word… FEAR.
I am completely convinced that fear is procrastination’s road dog. Fear not only rides shotgun with procrastination, but it holds that map and dictates the direction. Before I can get past procrastination, I have to get past fear, first.
The truth is, there is nothing to be afraid of. There is no worst case scenario. This can only play out one of two ways. I’ll either accomplish my goal or I will learn a lesson. Win.. win.
I’ll bet the things that you procrastinate about aren’t much different:
Laundry: If you do the laundry today all your clothes will be clean and/or you’ll find the mates to all the socks you’re missing. Win… win.
Breaking Up: If you end the relationship that you know has run its course you will either feel immediately liberated or finally figure out that he wasn’t that into you in the first place. Win… win.
Work related: If you finish that project you’ve been working on for a week, you’ll get it off your desk and/or your boss will get off your back. Win… win.
Procrastination is never the problem. Like most things it’s simply a matter of perspective. Take a look at the thing you’re avoiding (that’s right kids, another word for procrastination is avoidance… which is another blog post entirely). Think about the worse case scenario (there probably won’t be one). And no matter what you come up with… do it anyway.
Take care of it.
Get it done.
You’re going to totally free up your time and clear out your head too. Two birds. One stone.
Once you’ve looked that monkey in the eye, you’ll not only breathe a sigh of relief, but you’ll kick yourself for not doing it earlier.
Photos from Microsoft Clip Art gallery