Procrastination will Prevent You From Achieving Your Goals

It almost seems contagious! I feel as though everyone with whom I’ve chatted in the last week is caught in procrastination mode.  Is it just because it’s summer? It happens to the best of us from time to time: the task list is right there on our desks, front and center, but we seem to be doing everything except what’s on that list. Or… we don’t do anything at all.

According to Wikipedia, procrastination is the “counterproductive deferment of actions or tasks to a later time.” Procrastination can be a very big deal: numerous studies have been done on the topic and some say it’s a serious psychological problem.

Everyone procrastinates now and then: we put things off because we have too many other things on our plates, or… because we just don’t want to do them.  It’s pretty normal and most of us do this from time to time.

But how can you tell if your procrastination is a serious problem? By examining its cost to you: if your procrastination gives you an awful feeling in the pit of your stomach, if it really bothers you, if you can’t stop thinking about how you keep procrastinating, or if your procrastination results in serious consequences, then it may be somewhere outside the “normal” range. If this sounds like you, resolve to address your procrastination dilemma.  Procrastination will keep you from achieving your goals… which is probably why it’s bothering you in the first place.

So… what to do about it?  Sometimes it helps to figure out how you’re procrastinating, and then to determine why.  We’ll examine the “why” in another blog post, but today, let’s consider the how.

An empty procrastinator

What kind of procrastinator are you?  A busy procrastinator, or an empty procrastinator? If you’re a “busy procrastinator,” you find any other sort of activity to do (chores, TV, reading, socializing) besides what actually needs to get done.  If you’re an “empty procrastinator,” you don’t get anything done at all. (You may play around on the computer, or just stare at the computer screen or a page in a magazine.)

Here’s my challenge to you for this week: Resolve to learn what type of procrastinator you are by becoming a superb observer of yourself.  One of my favorite sayings is “awareness brings its own reward.”  Watch yourself  – become very aware – when you’re procrastinating, so you can learn just how you’re doing it. Even though you’re procrastinating, are you still productive, doing other things (anything and everything except what you’re supposed to be doing)?  Or are you doing nothing at all?

Getting to know your procrastination style can be the first step to getting you back on the road to productivity. 

Stay tuned… more to come on this important topic next week.