PROCRASTINATION 😴

AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

I would not consider myself a chronic procrastinator but in some aspects, especially when it comes to housework, I am the Queen of Procrastination. Procrastination in itself is mostly perceived as something bad and negative, which it usually is. As it affects most people in one way or another I want to take a closer look.

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Let’s begin with a definition (source: Merriam Webster dictionary)

procrastinate

pro·​cras·​ti·​nate | \ prə-ˈkra-stə-ˌnāt

, prō- \

procrastinated; procrastinating

Essential Meaning of Procrastinating

: to be slow or late about doing something that should be done: to delay doing something until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy, etc. He procrastinated and missed the submission deadline. He told her to stop procrastinating and get to work.

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I have a much simpler definition for procrastination: Procrastination is the gap between intention and action. I could probably stop here as all is said. But that would be too easy and also rather boring.

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There are many ways to avoid success in life, and there is one thing that most certainly stands out and that just might be procrastination. Procrastinators tend to sabotage themselves. They put obstacles in their own path. They actually choose paths that hurt their performance and life in the long run.

What is really surprising is that twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them, procrastination is a lifestyle, albeit a maladaptive one. And it cuts across all domains of their life. They don't pay bills on time. They miss opportunities to buy tickets to concerts. They don't cash gift certificates or checks. They file income tax returns late. They leave their Christmas shopping until the last minute - you get the gist.

I honestly thought it would be more than twenty percent, but then again, those are only the ones that actually realise that they are chronic procrastinators.

I also believe with all the ridiculous distracting and artificially constructed “issues of our time”, more and more people are concentrating on trivialities to deflect from their hollow lives and procrastinating to not having to be confronted with the misery of their own creation. For instance, if people would put the same effort into their careers, relationships, community service, or other useful and helpful things instead of the creation of the umpteenth gender, they would actually have a life, perhaps even a successful and fulfilled one where they would not feel the need to victimise themselves constantly.

“Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.” — Wayne Gretzky

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Procrastination is not really a problem of time management or of planning. Procrastinators are not different in their ability to estimate time, although they are usually more “optimistic” than others about it.

People are not born as procrastinators, they are made. Procrastination is learned and very much enhanced by different circumstances, especially while growing up. I do very much believe that procrastination is on the rise. Children are raised in a world of abundance and comfort (which is about to change significantly) and procrastination comes almost naturally and appears to be trained. Success and all that comes with it is a given to many without putting any effort whatsoever into it. And when it doesn’t magically appear, they are surprised, angry, and tend to again victimise themselves.

"Telling someone who procrastinates to buy a weekly planner is like telling someone with chronic depression to just cheer up.” — Dr. Joseph Ferrari.

People procrastinate for different reasons. Here are three basic types of procrastinators:

• decisional procrastinators, who cannot make a decision. Not making a decision absolves procrastinators of responsibility for the outcome of events. Often people do this in the hope that someone else will jump in and take over.

• arousal types, or thrill-seekers, who wait until the last minute for the euphoric rush. They are the adrenalin junkies of the procrastinators.

• avoiders, who may be avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success, but in either case are very concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability. I believe that these are the ones on the rise in our society.

We all know what it means to procrastinate. Often it is just something that we don’t enjoy doing. For me, as mentioned, it is housework, but also my travel expenses, and other administrative duties. For you, it may be something completely different. The point is though to not waste too much of your time waiting for the right moment to do something. Only you can tell whether you are a procrastinator. It usually involves some negative feelings when you put off a task, like anxiety, guilt, or uncomfortable feeling in your gut.

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In a world full of deadlines it is not all that surprising that we can at times feel overwhelmed and flee into procrastination. What is important is that we don’t stay there.

Often we try so hard to figure out where to put our efforts at times. Give yourself some slack, stop trying so hard to figure things out once in a while, and just be still and listen. Some might call that procrastination, and I call that pausing for a moment to give yourself an opportunity to listen to yourself and let your thoughts settle.

“The interesting thing about overthinking and procrastination is sometimes they can actually evolve into innovation and creativity in the short term. Letting an idea grow in your mind in the short term with a deadline and a plan can actually lead to innovation and creativity.” — Jay Shetty

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🎶My Song of the Week

Is Skimming Stones by Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn

For more good music, go to this Spotify playlist where you can find all the songs from the Change & Evolve Letters!

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📚My Poem of the Week

Is by Philip Larkin (1922–1985)

Days

What are days for?
Days are where we live.   
They come, they wake us   
Time and time over.
They are to be happy in:   
Where can we live but days?

Ah, solving that question
Brings the priest and the doctor   
In their long coats
Running over the fields.

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👀Impressions

Today’s impression is a book recommendation for an amazing book that has more relevance with its wisdom than ever, especially in our time and age. Ancient Wisdom For Modern Times by Reuben J. Rose. You can get it on Amazon and don’t forget to write a review. If you haven’t already, I also highly recommend you follow and subscribe to the author here on Substack - a weekly highlight - Sons of Issachar Newsletter

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Do you procrastinate often? In what areas do you tend to procrastinate? How do you deal with it?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments or send me a message. I very much enjoy hearing from you.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Yours

Tanja 🤗

Change & Evolve