I procrastinate.
A lot.
It’s not that I don’t want to arrange my overflowing closet, or don’t want to proof that 150-word invitation … it’s just that I don’t feel like it.
It’s not urgent, appealing, or motivating enough for me to dive right in and take care of it.
I recognize when I make excuses or simply ignore a task I don’t want to do – like that’s going to help with the actual completion of the task at hand!
It’s not that I sit idle either – there’s plenty of other stuff to stick my fingers in.
I just don’t do what I am “supposed to.”
No matter what brilliantly written blog posts or self-help articles say, nothing seems to spur action.
Some people’s advice is to plunge head first – take the bull by its horns, so to speak.
That way instead of ignoring the problem and letting it sit around, you will have taken care of it even before you had the chance to procrastinate.
Others say to dechunk the task into bite-sized bits, so it doesn’t seem overwhelming.
Once you can break it up into manageable sections, the sense of frustration is replaced by a sense of achievement.
Yet others advise one to steer away from perfection. Just do it – doesn’t matter if it’s not up to par.
Then there are lists.
Prioritize, evaluate, make your environment productive, set reminders, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada…
I read these pearls of wisdom, sigh, and go back to my procrastinating routine.
A little voice in my head tells me I must complete this task now.
But a bigger, more adamant voice says, I am not ready, yet.
The only advice I’ve found on the World Wide Web that tells me it’s okay to be human – it’s alright to put things off on the backburner until you feel prepared to do it, and do it well — is Tanveer Naseer’s post on How to Deal with Procrastination.
I have been meaning to pin it on my cubicle wall – right behind my computer.
Some day I’ll get around to doing that.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Mansi Bhatia
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This fits me to a T. Are you living inside my head?
The one thing I do have to learn, though, is realizing exactly what *does* need to be done rather than put off, because occasionally I find myself procrastinating on something that ends up coming back to bite me in the butt.
Love this. I have a copy of "Getting Things Done" that is sitting… somewhere… only partially read. I am learning my procrastination is necessary to the process, and just a part of who I be.
Hi Mansi,
Thanks for the wonderful mention in your piece. I’m glad to hear it resonated with you and I appreciate your sharing it with your readers.
When it comes to procrastination, I do believe it’s important to remember that while we might be stuck in neutral at times, the simple truth is that eventually we do get the work we need to do done. Worrying about not getting around to these tasks or trying to force ourselves to do something we’re clearly not in the zone to perform is far from being a productive mindset.
Thanks again, Mansi, for the mention.
Absolutely, Cynthia — it IS a process and I am tired of people telling me otherwise.
You finally realized that’s where I camp
Thank YOU, Tanveer.
Mansi,
I’m right there with you. My mantra has always been, "Why do today what I can put off until tomorrow" but I’m FINALLY beginning to realize that it’s ‘passion’ and ‘desire’ that are truly what’s needed for me to get something accomplished, checked off of my ‘list’.
Oh yeah, that and a MAJOR DEADLINE! Nothin’ like a good swift kick in the butt to get me goin’.
Life’s like a ticking time bomb. That’s something we often forget.
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