PROCRASTINATION – THE THIEF OF TIME

 

      "Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week." – Spanish Proverb.

 

Procrastination has been a habit for many. Things that must be done now are postponed to tomorrow and even later. It is not uncommon to see people postpone what they need to do. A typical example is the resolution to do regular exercise – walking, running, cycling or going to the gym. Every day, we decide to start exercising regularly, and when morning comes, we postpone it to the next day! 

 

We must remind ourselves that 'someday is not a day of the week'. What can be done 'any day' will never be done. Someone remarked – ‘Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill.’Procrastinators are very good at convincing themselves why the job may be done later. But little do they realize that procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried.

 

Waiting is a trap. How can we expect results from someone who always plays a waiting game? One may come up with reasons (not logical most of the time) for waiting, but it should be remembered that the result is vital, and reasons hardly count.  Hon. Abdul Kalam once said : “इंतजार करने वालों को सिर्फ उतना ही मिलता है जितना कोशिश करने वाले छोड़ देते हैं ”. (People who wait get only what doers have left !)

 

We have heard this several times – Time Flies. But who is the pilot? – WE. The buck always stops at us. Procrastinators are the worst pilots since they waste time waiting and inaction. As Martin Luther King said: "Very soon 'not now' becomes 'never'.

 

It would be apt to recall Steven Covey's book – 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People'. He has come up with four insightful quadrants. 

 

The four quadrants refer to the work:– 1—urgent & Important   2. Important & Non Urgent  3. Urgent & Non Important 4. Non Urgent and Non Important.

 

Most influential people stay in the second quadrant. They do not procrastinate and finish the vital job right away. The procrastinators find themselves in the first quadrant as they allow essential things to become urgent just because they delay doing the things. People in the first quadrant are anxious, tense and restless because of the pressure of deadlines. 

 

The question is – why do people procrastinate? 

 

Some people have this habit. Their attitude to delay is irrationally stronger than their drive to act. They like to be this way. 

 

Many times, people find a job on hand challenging (apparently). Rather than taking it on, some people delay the action on the job. Procrastination stems from apprehension about doing a tough job. We need to remember - it is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. The best way to beat this is to break the complex task into small parts and take it on bit by bit. Very soon, we will find ourselves finishing the job we once dreaded.

 

Another reason for procrastination is – 'Fear of Failure'. Procrastination is the lazy cousin of fear. When we feel anxious about an activity, we postpone it. Fear of failure is so intense that some avoid it, although they know the need to do it. Do what you must do – don't worry about the consequences.

 

'Fear of Criticism' ails many. If we are too concerned about others' opinions about our work, we might not do it or postpone it. If we enjoy what we do, it should not matter what others think - Do It.

 

Some suffer from 'Perfection Syndrome'. They want to do everything perfectly. They wait for the right moment, which may never arrive! It often leads to putting things off because they feel they must do something better or do it right. Their approach is 'All or Nothing'. Making mistakes is a vital process of learning. Not doing things for fear of committing errors is the retrogressive approach. How shall we learn if we do not make an error? The need is to go from 'All or Nothing' to 'All or Something'. 

 

'Low Self-esteem' is another determinant of procrastination. When we have no confidence in our ability, and self-doubts clutch our minds, we hesitate to perform the task we need to do. It would be best to remember– only we can help ourselves with such an attitude. Find inspiration from any source, spark motivation, and stop comparing ourselves with others. We have to 'Believe in ourselves'.

 

It would be worth looking at what is termed Creative Procrastination. Recall the fourth quadrant of Steven Covey – Non Urgent, Non Important. It is a creative procrastination if we become aware of this quadrant and consciously try to avoid such time wasters. (Spending a lot of time on mobile/ computers – WA, FB, Instagram, playing games etc.) If we want to be more productive, we must learn to be a creative procrastinator.

 

We are all aware of the famous story which depicts procrastination the best. It goes like this - There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

 

Let me end by quoting Bhagwat Geeta (28th sloka of chapter 18) –

"The mind is a perpetual procrastinator – it postpones our resolutions     

 to someday, then some decade and then some lifetime."

 

Are you listening?