In psychology, procrastination refers to the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of low-priority, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time. Some psychologists cite such behavior as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. Other psychologists indicate that anxiety is just as likely to get people to start working early as late and the focus should be impulsiveness. That is, anxiety will cause people to delay only if they are impulsive.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrastination

The point from this article about procrastination that most strikes a chord in me is "Some psychologists cite such behavior as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision." Pretty sure this is right on for me, although it doesn’t specify why I feel anxiety about these things, only that I do.

I would suggest that the reasons I personally feel anxiety is that I am often afraid of making the wrong choice or doing the wrong thing so that when it’s all done, I’ll have made a mistake. I seem to have a fear of action, not because of the consequences of being wrong, but because of the knowledge that I will have wasted effort. That kind of makes me feel like laziness might be the key factor here. If I make the wrong choice I’ll have to do it all again, and what if I choose wrongly that time too? It would be a never-ending cycle of doing doing doing, for nothing nothing nothing…

I am rational and practical but with a touch of emotional thrown in just to mess things up for me. :) However, I can feel that 2012 is a year for change and I see some major things on my horizon. I am determined to change my ways this year. It’s my year of doing, being, and enjoying. Forget the theory, forget the worry. Decisions have become a seesaw for me. I go back and forth, up and down, changing my mind at the slightest sign. Choices is a word that still holds connotations of finality. So, it’s a year of choices–and sticking them out.

Here’s one of my 2012 resolutions I’ve been scribbling around, in an attempt to come up with a list that will have the most staying power for me.

1) No self-help books–of any kind. Basically I’m going to read only fiction for the next 12 months. Too much self-help doesn’t really help. Analysis only takes you so far.

That’s not to say I have these issues in all parts of my life. Let’s be real. Most people have spot problems. While they have difficulties with procrastination in some areas of their lives, in other areas they deal just fine. That’s the same for me.

I’m sure there will be more to come.

Accountability is overrated in my opinion. Most often, knowing I’m accountable for something only adds to the anxiety that crops up when I procrastinate on important things. (Yes I posted this in response to a commenter’s comment today, but I had more so say…) Sometimes, in fact, it acts as another hurdle that must be overcome before I’ll actually do something.

For many people, having a schedule is a way of being accountable to oneself for how one spends one’s time. I’ve fallen into that trap lots of times. I think I’ve finally gotten past that now.

I’ve had the most success not procrastinating when I do away with a schedule altogether. An example of this is my procrastination with my job. I hated going when I felt like I needed to be working on projects that I had at home. I had a schedule and I was working (quite efficiently) on getting these things done. But every time I had to stop so that I could go to the office, or work from home (I do both weekly), I would freeze up and not want to go to work.

One day a few weeks ago, I decided I couldn’t keep this up. I nixed the schedule, told myself that my “home” work wasn’t that important and that I needed a life. The very next Monday, I found myself doing housework I had for months been putting off/doing/putting off again.

It’s been a little over three weeks, and I’m into a fairly laid back routine, and I’ve not has as clean a house and clean laundry in years! I’m wowed by this change. No kidding.

What was even more exciting was that going to work that first week wasn’t a chore. I actually enjoyed getting out of the house on the day I went into the office and I spent an extra 3 hours there that evening catching up some stuff that needed to be done.

It’s been several weeks now, and I’m feeling much more at peace with my job, and I’ve actually gotten plenty of work done on my “home” projects–more than I expected and enough to feel like I’m getting things done.

So, my verdict? Maybe accountability and scheduling your time is not the solution at all. Maybe it’s part of the problem.

One sneaky way to not procrastinate is to slip in work in small increments, doing the work when you feel like doing it instead of waiting until you have to do it.

Over on the Remote Access Computer site, I give tips and information about how I use remote access computer software to work from home. I especially like doing this because I can work extra when I feel like working but I can cut back when I really don’t want to work.

This is also very effective for household work. If you have an urge to clean your bathtubs, but your floors really need picking up, do the tub anyway.

This is actually just a way of using procrastination effectively. Stuff is getting done, and sometimes that’s just as important as getting any specific thing done. There are always going to be days where you’re not going to want to do something that probably needs to be done, but don’t take that as an excuse to go watch TV. At least if you do something else, you’ll have done something!

This tip isn’t for everyone of course, because you need to be the kind of person who actually wants to do something besides watch TV on a regular basis.

But if you can use it, this is a powerful method of beating the urge to procrastinate.

The Procrastinator’s Handbook was a great book. I read it, dwelt on it, thought about it, intended to write a review of it, but, well, I never got around to it.

The thing is, you shouldn’t let that stop you from reading a copy of this book. Even though some of my habits haven’t changed, the book has helped me cope with my procrastinating ways and helped me change several keys areas of my life that lead to procrastination. Continue reading this article »

This week begins National Procrastination Week, but what does it mean?

Is National Procrastination Week supposed to be a time of leisure when we can feel good about putting things off, or is it a time when we’re supposed to bust out of our procrastinating ways and get our stuff done?

I’m not really sure about the answer yet, so I’ll give you a choice. Pick one and follow the instructions for a productive National Procrastination Week.

1. Let things go

Take the week off. Anything time sensitive should be delayed as long as possible. Maybe you’ll get lucky and someone else will do it for you.

2. Play catch up

Schedule every day with as many of those long put off tasks as you can remember and race the clock to get them done before the end of the week. Just think. If you finish even half of them, you’ll be halfway to done.