PRO in Latin means FORWARD.
CRAS, again in Latin, means TOMORROW.
CRASTINUS, derived from “Cras,” means BELONGING TO TOMORROW.
To procrastinate means putting off something that you should do today to tomorrow. It’s a negative thing; something we try to get rid of.
People procrastinate for different reasons.
If you can’t identify the right reason, you can’t find the right solution to it.
Here are 4 reasons why I think we procrastinate, with suggested workaround solutions.
(1) FEAR OF FUTURE FAILURE
People procrastinate because they are afraid to fail.
“What if it won’t work?” is a question that has poisoned billions of wells of inspiration in human history.
If you don’t take action you would not have to face the consequences of your action and thus be free of failure. But by the same token, you’d be “free of” victory and success as well.
So this kind of procrastination comes with a steep price since you’ll never forget that the reason you haven’t pulled the trigger is because you were scared you would not be able to shoot the target.
WORKAROUND SOLUTION
Who said you need to hit the target at bullseye? Why be that ambitious and arrogant?
Lower your unrealistically high expectations a little bit and act to finish whatever you can. Next time perhaps you’ll get a bullseye.
Question your assumption that this is the only chance you get and if you miss it it’ll be over. Perhaps not.
If you recognize that you can have additional chances to accomplish your goals, your fear will go down and you won’t have a solid reason to procrastinate.
(2) FEAR OF PAST FAILURE
You have failed in the past. You assume that the future will be just like yesterday. Thus, you procrastinate.
WORKAROUND SOLUTION
Question your assumption that the future will be a repeat of the past. It never is.
“The Future” is always this unexpected stranger showing up at our door one morning, arms full of options.
You have to open the door and at least see who is out there and what kind of an offer is extended to you.
You may end up not liking the messenger or the offer. That’s perfectly all right.
But you need to go to that door, grab the handle and open it. That’s step #1.
Woody Allen said, “90% of winning in life is showing up.”
If you procrastinate and do not open the door, the Messenger of Fate will go and ring the next door.
(3) THE SECRET COST
Sometimes you procrastinate because you think you know the true cost of action but you can’t share it with the world. Other people will look at you and wonder why you’re not turning the key. But you know otherwise.
You think you have access to insider information about the cost and risk of action. If you are too proud or private to share what you know with the others, you’re not going to get help either.
In those cases, procrastination may emerge as some sort of “devil’s compromise.” Not doing anything sometimes feels like the best you can do to avoid “further damage.” So, you dig in your heels and start to wait and wait and …
WORKAROUND SOLUTION
Recheck your cost analysis. Consult friends and others you trust to see if the risk you have in mind is valid. Perhaps that was a cost you paid two weeks ago but what about now?
Many things change with time, and they won’t tell you about it. Sometimes certain situations correct themselves and other trends take over while you assume that the situation is carved in stone. You never know.
When in doubt, check, ask, and re-calibrate your coordinates. The presumed “hidden cost” may be a ghost of the past already while you still hang on to its empty memory needlessly.
(4) PERFECTIONISM
I’ve seen too many people who just won’t act because it’s not yet the “perfect time,” or that they are still not “perfectly prepared.” They won’t publish a book or an article because it’s not “perfect yet.”
Some are scared if they go ahead and take action they’ll be outed as an “imposter.”
Inaction due to perfectionism is either a case of unnecessary self-sabotage or a case of arrogance and narcissism.
They live their lives sitting on their hunches on the shore, watching the ships go by as if they’ve never heard the expression “perfect is the enemy of good.”
They are paralyzed by too much analysis. They suffer from “paralysis of analysis.”
They overthink themselves into a corner. The cost of such inaction is usually regretted in the future. They end up talking about what they should’ve done if they only could’ve done it, etc.
It’s a sad spectacle really to see such human potential wasted because of perfectionism.
WORKAROUND SOLUTION
Remind yourself that nothing ever done in life is perfect. If things, projects, and systems could be perfect then there would be no need for help files, troubleshooting guides, repair people, or a customer service desk.
No software, for example, is perfect; that’s why they keep releasing new versions and Release Notes.
No battle is perfect. If you read the histories of past battles, you’ll see how tenuous most battles were; how they could’ve gone both ways but for a detail or two, or the last-minute decision of one intuitive commander.
Just permit yourself to commit an error, not a willful error of course but an inadvertent mistake built into the nature of any project and any process.
Know in advance that it will not be perfect, but it will be an authentic expression of your existence; it’ll be your authentic voice saying “Here I exist on this earth with all my warts and imperfections!” Then leave the rest to the angels of fortune.
Be humble and count your blessings for coming up with even the most imperfect solution or plan. Then pull your hat down on your nose and lean into the winds of tomorrow.
Humility, the courage to exist, and contributing your best work to this blue marvel of a planet are the only solutions to this kind of procrastination.
Until next time…
(For more personal empowerment and communication solutions feel free to visit my bookstore at https://payhip.com/TechComm)
(Drawing © Ugur Akinci 2023)