Procrastination: What type are you?

I was going to write a blog on procrastination…but now I think I might have to wait a while and write two! Not because I’m putting anything off…oh no, not I!…merely because there is so much to say on the subject.

Procrastination was this week’s BLT topic and provoked a lively discussion, with everybody falling over themselves to provide personal examples of dithering, avoidance and inertia – so much so that it was almost contagious…but let’s not go there for now.

Procrastination: Definition

To delay or postpone an action; to put off doing something.

Procrastination isn’t a new issue – in fact, it’s practically timeless. The word derives from the Latin procrastinare; ‘pro’ (forward) and ‘crastinus’ (belonging to tomorrow). The ancient Greeks also had a word for it – akrasia – although that hasn’t really caught on as much!

Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week

Spanish proverb

The Four types of procrastinator

1. Anxious: this person creates unrealistic expectations then worries about fulfilling them, so delays to avoid failure.
2. Fun: this sort of person gets bored quickly, so tends to jump from one task to the next and doesn’t take consistent action in one direction long enough to yield meaningful results.
3. Plenty of time: this person leaves deadlines until the last minute (students are particularly culpable!). Restricting the time available is the only way this person can focus on the task in hand.
4. Perfectionist: strives for perfection and hence is always critical of their own work. This fear of failure means that he/she is often unwilling to start tasks in the first place.

With addictions, the first step on the road to recovery is to admit that you have a problem. Whilst nobody is suggesting that procrastination is akin to an addiction such as gambling (although it would be quite an effective remedy come to think of it!), identifying your ‘dominant procrastination type’ will allow you to develop combating strategies (more of that in Procrastination – Part 2)

When it came to books dealing with procrastination, Eat that Frog! was deemed the go-to book on the subject.

Eat that Frog! (Brian Tracey)

“There’s an old saying that if the first thing you do each morning is eat a live frog, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’re done with the worst thing you’ll have to do all day. For Tracy, eating a frog is a metaphor for tackling your most challenging task – but also the one that can have the greatest positive impact on your life.

Eat That Frog! shows you how to organize each day so you can zero in on these critical tasks and accomplish them efficiently and effectively. The core of what is vital to effective time management is: decision, discipline, and determination.”

Amazon summary

Conclusion

So, next time you feel inclined to take a hike in The Mountains of Distraction…or a quick paddle round The Isle of Good Intentions, stop and think about why you are procrastinating – only by knowing yourself first, will you be able to take steps to put things right – see Procrastination Part 2.

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time

Marthe Troly-Curtin