Procrastination, Like Death And Taxes

Do you know people who don't procrastinate?

I know a few, and they are very annoying. They are the kind of people who did their homework the minute they walked in the door, or get their taxes filed ahead of time. I suppose one of the reasons I took relatively well to journalism was that it's the kind of job that prevented procrastination. At least at the day or hour of deadline.

But I've always known deep down that people who don't procrastinate suffer from less stress. So I've been searching ages for a way to stop the madness, and make life a little easier. I'm probably shouldn't admit it, but I've read whole books on the subject.

And I know I'm not alone -- in procrastinating, that is (not reading books about it). It's inevitable, like death and taxes. Everyone's got the thing they procrastinate about. And people always tell me that there are things they badly want or need to do -- so why can't they just get on with it?

I wanted to share something groundbreaking I just stumbled upon. I was reading a book by Oliver Burkeman, called The Antidote (which, ironically, I will review some other time). There's a section where he reveals an awkard truth about procrastination. He says:

The problem is that feeling like acting and actually acting are two different things. A person mired deep in procrastination might claim he is unable to work, but what really means is that he is unable to make himself feel like working.

And so the problem really lies in the misconception that in order to do something you actually have to feel like doing it. And that is a real problem. How often do we feel like doing admin tasks or going to the gym? Or even going to work?

Which leads me to the conclusion that in order to get anything really productive done I either need to be required to do it (going to work) or have a deadline (taxes). But I think there are a few other options:

Habits. If you want to do something on a regular basis or for the long term, like work out, write or learn how to sail, you have to build a structure around it. I've experienced this with the habit I've formed of going to yoga on a Sunday. Sometimes I wake up on a Sunday and think, I don't really feel like going to yoga today. But then, I realize that it's Sunday, and going to yoga is just what I do.

And I'm sure if you have any interest in writing you've been told about how all those famous writers wrote a certain number of words or worked for a certain number of hours in a day. Beause that's how work gets done.

The other option is non-attachment. And that's when you tell yourself something like this: So you don't feel like it? Too bad. And then you do it anyway, and once you start, usually everything is fine. That's when I find it's good to focus on the physical. For example, if I need to write something I'll focus first on opening up Word. That's all I'm doing, opening up Word!

I hope you'll find this little bit of insight on procrastination as valuable as I have. It hasn't helped me get my U.S. taxes done yet, but here's hoping.

Related Posts:

• Hesitation Builds Resistance
• Book Review: The Now Habit