I've Read and Article Written by
Francis Wade About Procrastination and True It's Not A Problem Actually..
Procrastination: Not a Problem!
Perhaps procrastination simply isn’t the problem we think it is.
Webster’s Dictionary defines the word as follows:
procrastinate: To put off from day to day; to delay; to defer to a future time
Anyone who is skillful at managing their time will tell you that the
act of “putting off from day to day,” “delaying” and “deferring to a
future time” are required skills in today’s information age.
With technology has come an increased number of demands on our time,
and a variety of ways in which we allow ourselves to be interrupted,
reminded or prompted to make new commitments.
The only smart tactic to take is to put things off until later.
Take the simple example of checking your email Inbox.
In fifteen minutes it’s possible to scan 100 new items, while making
30 instant decisions to take further action. It’s impossible to act
on all 30 items immediately. Instead, it’s a much better idea to focus
on a single item at a time, rather than trying to split one’s
attention between multiple tasks.
In other words, it’s better to “put it off from today,” “delay” or
“defer to a future time” than to try to do multiple actions at the same
time, in the very next moment.
Why is procrastination deemed to be such a problem if, by its
definition, the action is such a benign and even useful one? I suspect
that when we call a problem by its incorrect name, we prevent ourselves
from seeing clear, common-sense solutions. The word “procrastination”
is being used to label the wrong problem.
The Real Problem
To understand the real problem, let’s look at some cases in which
actual failures occurred, and why they had nothing to do with
procrastination.
Failure #1 – A Missed Due Date: Sam’s homework was
due on Monday morning, and she waited until late on Sunday evening to
get started. After she started she found out that the assignment
required at least 20 hours of work, which she could not complete in
time. The assignment was handed in late, and her tardiness cost her a
full letter grade according to the rules stated in the syllabus.
Analysis: Most might call Sam a procrastinator, but I
only see that she has a weakness in scheduling her time. The failure
started by not properly estimating the size of the task, and continued
when she didn’t use her calendar to determine the best time to start
the assignment.
In this case what we call procrastination is actually a problem with
the discipline that time management experts would call “personal
scheduling.”
Failure #2 – Several Delays: Mike has made an
internal decision to cut the lawn on Saturday, an activity that he
despises. On the appointed day, other events intervene, and he decides
to cut the lawn on Sunday instead.
Sunday rolls around and once again he decides to postpone his date with the lawnmower until Wednesday.
On Wednesday he decides that next Friday would be better, and he once again foregoes the much needed chore.
On Friday he finally cuts the entire lawn in one effort.
Analysis: Was Mike procrastinating? Many would say yes, and they might strongly imply that he was just being lazy.
If I add in the fact that it rained on Friday, Monday and Tuesday
nights rendering the ground soft and unsafe for a cut, would it be said
that he was still being lazy, and procrastinating?
If I add in the fact that his neighbour cut his lawn under similar
conditions would you change your mind? And if I add in the fact that
the neighbour is known to be a drunkard who sometimes does crazy things
help you to change your mind again?
The problem with the way we use procrastination is that it
has come to mean much more than the dictionary definition, and now
brings with it an accusing tone filled with blame.
If we were to use the dictionary definition of the word we’d conclude
that he was simply re-scheduling. The fact is that he deferred the
activity, and according to the dictionary, he was procrastinating.
According to our common-day usage of the word, it all depends on
whether or not he was to blame for the delay.
The charge of being a “procrastinator” that we lay against ourselves and others has a become a way to cast blame.
Solutions
The negative judgements and feelings related to procrastinating
don’t come from the delays, the putting off or the postponements.
Instead they come from our judgemental minds which have decided that
something or someone is to blame. A close look at the examples above
reveal that it’s actually the negative thoughts that are producing the
guilty feelings and the blame, and NOT the actual rescheduling.
What can we do about these negative thoughts? What can we do if we continue to blame ourselves and others for procrastinating?
There are a variety of approaches that we can use, but this is my
personal favorite. Byron Katie’s methods of dealing with stressful
thoughts is the method that I have used for the past 4 years. (Her
entire approach can be found at her
website.)
Her thesis is simple, and is a good match for the problem of blame.
Stress is never caused by life circumstances, but instead it
originates in the thoughts that we have, and whether or not we believe
them.
In the example above, Sam’s assignment was late (a fact,) but her
thought that “I’m a procrastinator” would only cause stress if she
believed it.
On Katie’s site, there is a powerful and simple process. It involves
dealing with stressful thoughts by first writing them down and then
applying 4 questions and what she calls a turnaround statement (an
opposing thought.)
The result of using her process on stressful, judgmental thoughts
about procrastination is a sense of relief in which statements like “I
should stop procrastinating” might still recur, but without the stress
that usually comes.
While this kind of habit might not seem to be related to time
management, there are so many who struggle with thoughts of
procrastination that if they could get past their own thinking, it
would help bring peace of mind — which is the goal of every time
management system.
So, if you think you have an issue with procrastination, start by separating your actions from your thoughts.
Deal with your skill at scheduling if you need to. According to the
dictionary, you are probably doing the right thing by procrastinating.
If you find that you have blaming thoughts that keep returning, and
that they are causing stress, use Katie’s method to free yourself to be
as productive as you can be without this harmful habit.
Source: (
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/procrastination-not-a-problem.html)
