Procrastination ...the Thief of Time
What is Procrastination?
- Putting off doing something that could be done now until a later date and time
- Putting off essential tasks in favor of doing non-essential tasks
Big Costs to Procrastination
- Health - insomnia, compromised immune system, poor diet, increased alcohol consumption, sleeplessness
- Relationships - team(s) at work and home can be destroyed
- Finance - 40% experience financial loss
The lies that are told
Procrastinators sabotage themselves. They put obstacles in their own path. They actually choose paths that hurt their performance. Procrastinators tell lies to themselves, such as:
- I'll feel more like doing it tomorrow
- I work best under pressure
Procrastinators actively look for distractions, particularly ones that don't take a lot of commitment on their part (e.g. checking e-mail).
The Root Cause?
Typically we procrastinate to avoid an activity, event or behavior that we fear will give us pain in some form or another.
Many theories behind procrastination include:
- we are afraid to fail
- we are afraid we will succeed
- we are afraid it will be a waste of time
- we are afraid we don't have enough information
- we are afraid we will miss out on something more pleasurable
Common approaches that don't work
- Willpower
- Positive thinking
- Self-affirmations
How do you bridge the gap?
Gap? What Gap needs to be bridged? The Gap between what you know you should do and when you get around to doing it.
Twenty (20%) percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. One out of five procrastinators jeopardize their jobs, credit, relationships and health. It's a big deal, and not an easy gap to close. It can be done with help.