We all procrastinate something: cleaning our room, working on that project, talking with that person, studying for the examination, writing this article, etc.
But there
are master procrastinators, people with a diploma on the subject
who know the right moment to get distracted (I have just finished a Mahjong
game!), who know the right technique or tool to use and postpone what they
should have done long before…
And then
there is this map of procrastination, used to illustrate this article! I
think it gives a (funny) idea of what procrastination is, but I will focus this
article on the following aspects, or map landmarks:
- Comfort Zone.
Maybe I am wrong,
but I think the main reason we procrastinate is because for some tasks, we have
to come out our comfort zone. The name is not correct, as it means an area of
security and confidence. The solution is to increase your self-esteem and,
in this way, your self-security and confidence.
- Social Media
Forest. It is a very
dangerous distraction since it may take hours from one person and they won’t
even feel it. The worst is that gives a sense of happiness and even
accomplishment! To forbid yourself to navigate social media does not work so well
until you find other sources of happiness, but there is something you can do
and it is to find a trail in this forest and restrict yourself to it; for
instance, only checking social media once in the morning and once in the
evening.
- Daydream
Beach. Ah, yes… our
mind wanders away effortlessly. To come back from that daydream is a big
effort, so it is better to just relax there… NO, no, no… Self-control! We daydream
because something is not giving us what we need for that moment and, even
though it is hard, self-control is the solution, maybe from a meditation
practice from which there is a clear sense of accomplishment too.
- River of
Excuses. For every delayed
task there is the perfect excuse or justification. The reason is that people
are inherently good and they procrastinate not because they are bad people,
trying to undermine something… The strong solution is to improve a sense of
responsibility, but without tension, by align the task with purpose and values.
- Mountains
of Distractions.
Did I tell you I just played a game online WHILE WRITING THIS ARTICLE? For me,
this is the easiest of all the aspects to be solved because the name is right and
distraction is not what many people think it is. It is a mountain that has to
be climbed and it requires effort to get distracted. Find happiness, joy or
peace in the task you are doing, in other words, enjoy it, and if you really
feel like have a distraction, consider a relevant break, something that
will make you feel better.
- Sea of
the Unknown. The last
two landmarks in this map point to hidden reasons we procrastinate. The first
one is the fact we don’t know what we are doing. Maybe we do know, but the
results are not clear or the reasons behind are unclear. Best solution ever is CLARIFY
everything you do, trying the best to be aware of the different dimensions of
those activities.
- Isle of
Good Intentions. The
second landmark can be interpreted as an anomaly or a paradox, because good
intentions are… GOOD, right? The idea of an island comes from the fact that
many times, because of good intentions, a person accepts to do a task they
cannot do and as a consequence, the person gets isolated from the activity. So,
let’s keep the good intentions, but it is important to have a balance
between intentions and reality, including the personal capacity for doing
something.
Hope this
will help you to come out of the Land of Procrastination a better
person.
