Procrastination: A Blessing Or A Problem? (1)
“Tomorrow is uncertain. Don’t wait a second longer to do those things you’ve always wanted”
The above saying I read on Facebook this morning. I saw it as a hint to write something concerning procrastination. I resolved that some weeks ago, but postponed it till today. I can write from a lifelong personal experience. The most part of my life, I have seen it as a problem.
Now looking back, I see also some advantages. The first time I suddenly realized that, was around ten years ago. I met a colleague who postponed too. He said to my surprise at the moment: “Procrastination has a big advantage! We are working on a task shortly before the deadline, while others work days or weeks on the same task! So we have a lot of time we can use for other things”. So it can be a blessing!
So I saved lot of time ;)
I have a desire to share with others what I learned and discovered. One of the reasons I am here is to learn using the internet to do that. Procrastination is in this case not a blessing, but a problem.
I met a lot of people here, who wrestle with the same problem.
There are a lot of solutions! Not every person is the same and there is no solution, that is effective for everyone. So I will try to explore some solutions you and I can try out. I hope one of them will help you and me to overcome procrastinating to learn the lessons of WA and practicing what you and I learn.
I will not seek for the causes of postponement. Psychological archaeology has been mostly if not always, a waste of time. What I will do in my next blog about this subject is to explore some mechanisms of how procrastination works. If we know how, we will know also what to do….
It could be a help to me and others, if WA friends who have wrestled with procrastination tell how they solved it.
One of my favorite authors , Paulo Coelho once wrote:
“One day you will wake up,
there wont be any more time
to do the things
you’ve always wanted.
Do it now”.
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Is there a difference between postponement and procrastination?
Recent Comments
6
Warner, you are just going to insist that we think, aren't you? I see you have stimulated some nice discussion regarding a global ailment that must be highly contagious to be so rampant. I have dealt with it so long I should be an expert. I can see postponement, as Annie B says, as a healthy reordering of priorities by reasoning and conscious choice. I seem to find procrastinating as a less thoughtful way of putting off what I really should be doing sooner rather than later. I am hoping to just "grow out of it?" Best wishes to you.
I postpone some things if another comes up that needs my attention first. As for procrastination, for me that's deliberately putting off the inevitable of what needs to be done. I think that procrastination can be useful for say, when an answer is required relatively quickly but you may want to take time to get your information correct before you make that informed decision. It can be confusing for both sometimes to me.
Postponement may be necessary, in certain cases. Procrastination is a state of mind causing postponement without good reason. IMO
That is up to you, Warner! I believe with all of my being that procrastination is never good. Not that it cannot lead to good things by chance! I know I am not completely innocent of it, but I put every effort into keeping it out of my life.
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Some very thoughtful stuff here!