What is procrastination? Procrastination is putting off doing things we need to do, want to do or feel we should do. My dictionary defines procrastination as:
1 - To put off doing something until a future time.
2 - To postpone or delay needlessly.
We procrastinate about anything. Cleaning the car, doing the dishes, dieting, writing a resume, exercising on a daily basis, learning something new; anything that requires effort can be and is procrastinated about. We also procrastinate about things that will bring us pain. Going to the dentist, looking for a job, repairing a broken relationship or taking a chance on something we want to do are all examples of things we procrastinate about to avoid pain.
We all employ "pain and pleasure" as a motive for everything we do or fail to do. In other words, we like to experience pleasure so we do things that will bring us pleasure and we do not like to experience pain so we do things to avoid pain. Psychologists believe we will do more to avoid pain than we will do to gain pleasure. Procrastination is not always bad.
Sometimes we have a legitimate priority to exercise, but too often we employ this option to "postpone or delay needlessly."
Procrastination can cause us to feel the pain of anxiety, guilt and regret. Anxiety is a painful and disabling emotion. When we know that we must do something unpleasant or suffer a dreadful penalty, we suffer even more by putting it off until the last minute.
I compare it to fighting dragons; we know the dragon must be fought, we know we must fight the dragon, but we are afraid, so we put it off. What we do not realize is, the longer we wait the more our fear of the dragon grows. When you know you have to do something unpleasant go on and do it, get it out of the way.
Sometimes we procrastinate past the point of opportunity and find it is too late. Usually this leads to regret, but if we lose an opportunity to do something we needed to do and it caused pain for someone we love guilt will raise its ugly head.
Guilt is a dangerous emotion. It is a killer! Guilt, whether real or imagined, is the most damaging emotion we can experience. Psychosomatic illnesses are the weapons guilt uses against us. Guard yourself and the ones you love from guilt and procrastination.
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