Procrastination vs Wellness Break

Recently I had a discussion with a relative concerning the word ‘procrastination’. I had written that procrastination is a type of self-hatred; a quote I took from Robin Sharma’s The 5 AM Club. That statement resonated with me because I tend to procrastinate a lot. I procrastinate when: am:

•             I am tired;
•  I don’t want to do something that I do not like or I find boring;
•  I am unhappy;
•  I am overwhelmed.

However, I tend to pay for my periods of procrastination by having to push myself to complete a task that MUST be done by a particular time. Sometimes, I must give up sleep to meet my deadlines. In addition, I sometimes end up doing work that is below my own self-imposed standards. So, I know that I shouldn’t procrastinate!

My relative told me that sometimes procrastination can be a form of self-care. I don’t agree. If I take a self-care break, this is a time to rejuvenate and re-energize. It is time that I deliberately choose and not a random act of me not doing something that should be done.

Definition of Procrastination and Self-Care

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines procrastination as: to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.

Definition of Self-Care

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “self-care” as simply, care for oneself.

One thing that is clear to me is that I do procrastinate A LOT. I need to start working on this because when I put off doing something because of procrastination, I feel really guilty and beat myself up. I need to get to the point where I can conquer this beast.  To do this, I MUST face the reasons why I procrastinate. Some of these factors are:

·     Boredom – some projects and task are so unfulfilling, I put off doing them;

·     Unrealistic Timelines – setting timelines to complete a project that is unrealistic;

·     Fear of Failure – I am a perfectionist, and I will often delay doing something if I think I will not do a great job, or that I will fail;

·       Distractions – I hate admitting this but sometimes the lure of social media or a reality TV show will distract me from what I should be doing. I am an addict of Bar Rescue and crime series such as Dateline: Crime with Camron Hall, Scene of the Crime with Tony Harris and a gamut of legal/court shows. Yep – I have a love of forensics and law in my veins.

I am working toward developing better habits to help me manage the procrastination bug, such as:

•            Being deliberate in the types of projects I accept; 
• Setting better goals and action plans to achieve my goals for a task. This may call for breaking these down into micro units;
• I do lists, but rarely follow through to the end. I need to make my lists realistic so sticking to my to-do-list is not something to dread;
• I will face the fear that is keeping me stuck;
• I will give myself permission to make mistakes (I am human) and extend grace to myself when I fail. As a Christian, I believe in extending grace to others, so why not to myself.

Developing a habit takes time. The experts say an average of 21 days, but everyone s different including me, so we will see.

Note: It took me a month to complete this post. I procrastinated because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say and how to say it.