PROCRASTINATION 101

By Bea Tifton

Hello, my name is Bea Tifton, and I am a procrastinator. But we’ll get to that later.

Procrastination is a big problem with some people. They put off things that are absolutely necessary for life or adulting in general. Why? I read several articles on the Internet, so now I’m a certified expert. Just kidding. But they basically said the same things.

Woman Daydreaming
Photo by Nathan Dumlao for Unsplach

1.      Feeling overwhelmed. Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you didn’t know where to start? I just try to think of that saying, and the article even cites it, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” (I’m a vegetarian. No elephants were harmed in the writing of this blog post.) Break things into smaller tasks and give deadlines for each.

2.      Bad timing. Boy, is this a big one for me. I have two autoimmune diseases and a heart problem, so there are times when just getting the trash and the recycling out that week are major accomplishments. (No, really. I text my mother and my best friend to brag about it.) I’ve learned to do what I can at my peak times, late afternoon to evening, and to work more on my good days. It takes planning, but I give myself permission to take care of my health and my body on my bad days, too.  The experts suggest you choose your best times and do the task then.

Working In The Afternoon
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3.      Hating the task. Yes, even though I love cleaning out the litter boxes and mopping up the occasional accident from the “I’m not going out there to poop today. Have you seen how hard it’s raining?” syndrome, I must admit I would love to put it off. One solution is to reward yourself when you’ve finished your onerous to do list.

4.       Lacking focus. This one would be so easy for me. I’ve had to retire from education much earlier than planned, and it would be so easy to fall into the trap of wandering around, watching Brit Box and reading all day. That’s what some people think I do, I‘m sure. But there’s that one little snafu. Trying to keep the lights on and the fridge full takes income.  I’ve read that setting goals is the key. I have to do so myself. I even put them on my calendar as little reminders so the notifications pop up, keeping me accountable.

5.      Being afraid of failure. This one is the reason I always heard for procrastination. I am a type A personality and a perfectionist, despite the modifications I’ve had to make to my lifestyle. If I don’t turn it in, it’s not going to be rejected. That’s when I have to employ the, “What’s the worst that could happen” scenario. As a writer, I can come up with some very entertaining ones, but then I get down to a more mundane reality and realize that it’s not that big a deal, but that not turning something in or completing something around the house would make me feel far worse.

Does knowing why I’m doing something make it all better? Why, of course it does. In a perfect world. No, of course not, but it does make my overly analytical mind think, “Okay, this is why I’m doing this. Now STOP IT!” I can give myself that mental kick. 

What about you? Do you ever procrastinate? What helps you?

Sources Cited:

Frankton, James. “The 4 Main Causes of Procrastination Revealed.” Motivation Grid, June 29,     2014.

White, Doug and Polly. “4 Reasons people Procrastinate and a Cure of Each One.”           Entrepreneur,             May 16, 2017.