Procrastination

Procrastination is often the cause of failures and less successful outcomes in our lives. We are unwilling to put forth the effort to begin a project, make it work, and see it to its completion. Though we are aware of the sense of satisfaction that is sure to come from completing the process, the mere act of starting can be more arduous that the task itself.

It is easy to conclude that procrastination is borne of pure laziness. Who else but a lazy person would let life pass him/her by all while suffering in the process. If we assume the majority of people in our society want to take active and positive roles in their daily activities, it would be too simple to assert that laziness is the root cause. Going deeper than the surface problem, we can see that at its core, fear is the culprit.

We fear that we are not equipped to handle a situation and so we put it to the side. Maybe we are overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the project. Perhaps we are missing components to make the process go along smoothly, or we are scared that it won’t be done correctly. Whatever the reason, we prefer not to deal with it. We expect that sometime along the line, at an appropriate time before the looming deadline, we will be either blessed with a miracle to occur and the issue will disappear altogether, or we will obtain some new knowledge/skill which will make the process so much easier than before and sure to be handled. Rather, what often happens, as the deadline approaches, our stress level elevates. Though the orphaned issue should not be taking up brain power, it does; a troublesome nagging in the back of our minds asking to be resolved. Our rising fear clouds our minds and we see the situation as even more dire than before; almost an impossible mountain. If we do not snap out of our fear induced reverie, we are sure to fail.

Problem solving strategies, coupled with good organization, will allow us to tackle any problem and seek help as necessary. Once we release our ego, our need to be perfect, we open ourselves to new ways of approaching our problems and previously unrecognized avenues to our concern’s resolution will appear. The mere act of starting, putting pen to paper, induces ideas to spring forth. Once started, the project will gain momentum and once in the flow, you will find that you have always had the tools necessary to master your doubt and worry. And once finished, the project can be put to the back burner, but for the right reasons.

Take the first step with purpose and all the following steps will naturally fall into place.