Don’t procrastinate your life away!

Many of us lead a dull and unproductive existence which we are bound to regret towards the end of our life. Sooner or later, we will recite our own endless litany of "I could haves" – "I could have been more educated, more successful, more fulfilled, more loved, happier, richer, etc." and "I should haves," "I should have done it while I was young; I should have acted fast; I should have grabbed the opportunity, etc."

If we look at our lives, one habit surfaces as the most self-defeating and counterproductive. It is the habit of procrastination. Procrastination is a major deterrent to living a full, highly effective, vibrant and successful life. It is one of the major failure anchors that keep us from achieving our goals and realizing our fondest and wildest dreams. Studies show that about 85 percent of people procrastinate and 20 percent fall under the category of chronic procrastinators, those desperately entangled in procrastination’s incapacitating web.

The Mañana Habit

Procrastination is the act or habit of postponing an activity or its completion to a future time. It is also referred to as the mañana habit or the tomorrow trap. The net results of procrastination are wasted time, missed opportunities, poor performance, low productivity, self-deprecation, low self-esteem and increased stress.

Procrastination is allowing low-priority tasks to get in the way of high-priority ones. Instead of facing a task of great importance, you opt to do something of lower significance that’s easier, more comfortable, and even frivolous. It is socializing with friends when you know that an important deadline is due, watching a movie instead of reviewing for a school exam, buying something unimportant instead of paying off a major, overdue payment. It is letting things get worse – postponing a much-needed medical checkup, not confronting your mate about relationship problems, or leaving something that you have started unfinished.

Why We Procrastinate

When we perceive tasks as difficult, scary or bothersome, we conveniently shift into our procrastination mode. Postponing a task is the easy and cowardly way out of our duties and responsibilities. We procrastinate because:

1. We are lazy. "I’m too lazy to even start. I want to take it easy first" or "Oh, I don’t feel like doing it. I do not want to deal with it yet."

2. We are afraid. "Oh, no. It’s so scary and frightening!"

3. We are not yet in the mood. "I don’t feel like doing it yet. I’ll just wait till I’m in the right mood."

4. We hope to be better at it at some future time. "I will have to get ready for it. Let me practice first."

5. The task is unpleasant. "Oh, it is too difficult. I can’t even begin to think where to start."

6. We don’t realize the value of time. "It’s okay. There’ll be plenty of time for it in the future."

7. We hope that fate would do it for us. "The right time will come. Bahala na! (Let fate take care of it!)"

Rationalizing Our Way Out

To rationalize our procrastination, we have become experts at coming up with a hundred and one brilliant excuses. This process is referred to in jest by clever psychologists as a disease called "excusitis." Here are some typical rationalizations we declare to defend ourselves whenever we procrastinate:

• It’s all right to eat, drink and celebrate; I’ll just start my diet tomorrow.

• My health problem isn’t that bad. This pain will be gone in no time.

• I am overworked. It’s not fair.

• It’s okay. I’m sure I’ll have another chance to do it.

• I’ve got too many things to do first.

• Oh, that’s life. Win some, lose some.

• To make things worse, we have also developed a complimentary disease called "someday-itis." We say:

• Someday when I have the time, I will.

• Someday when I have the money, I will.

• Someday when I have the energy, I will.

• Someday when the economy is better, I will?

Sure... if that someday comes. Don’t bet on the sun shining tomorrow. It might rise for someone else, but not for you.

Battling The "I’ll Do It Later" Blues

If procrastination plagues your life, and as a result your career, finances, education, health or relationships are in danger, you must take control of this self-defeating habit. Although some people perform well under the pressure of a deadline, there is nothing like planning and finishing your tasks in an organized and less stressed way. You will not be as harassed and will be doing your heart a big favor by avoiding the unnecessary psychological and emotional tensions as well as the arterial blockages that come as a result of procrastination.

So how do you beat the "I’ll do it later" blues?

1. Act on it. Just do it and finish it!

2. Set a deadline for your project. Be strict and enforce it.

3. Put yourself in the right mood. Psyche yourself up for it.

4. Do the hardest task first. Everything else will be easy after it.

5. Erase all negativity towards the task. Think of how good you’ll feel if you get it out of the way.

6. Delegate. Have someone do it for you! Pay him if you must.

Remember Parkinson’s Law ? "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." Setting a deadline for your goal puts your task on a definite time frame. This will impose a positive pressure on you to finish it on or before the due date. Delegating work and responsibility to somebody else is another vital technique that you can use to lighten your load when you have a number of projects going on.

The 12 Failure Anchors

Procrastination is just one of the 12 major failure anchors that I discuss in my success seminar "Make Your Impossible Dreams Come True!" Knowing why people fail in life is a key factor to your personal and professional success. By identifying the negative and non-productive things people do, you can learn to avoid them and equip yourself with the proper techniques and solutions to live a fuller and richer life.

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I’d love to hear from you! E-mail deeperdoor@yahoo.com (no attachments and chain letters, please!). Should you want to forward this article, be sure to mention the author Dero Pedero and acknowledge The Philippine STAR. The reprinting, recording or publishing of this article in any form including the Web requires copyright permission from the author. For inquiries regarding my seminars, e-mail DeroSeminar@yahoo.com or text/call 0920-4053233.