There’s an old joke along the lines of “I keep putting off doing something about my procrastination”. It may be funny but if you suffer from this affliction, you probably don’t usually find the subject amusing.
What Is ‘Procrastination’?
Put simply, procrastination is putting off or avoiding decisions, or being psychologically unable to take decisive action. The problem is, that it is not quite as easy as that.
The reason is that, of course, we all put off making decisions from time to time.
What’s important is whether or not this is under our direct reasoned control.
Positive Procrastination
Sometimes there is a logical reason for procrastinating such as believing, based upon evidence as opposed to anxiety, that we don’t have the required facts necessary for an informed decision.
It may also be that sometimes we’re faced with a painful decision – perhaps one that’s ‘lose-lose’ and we essentially need to choose between the lesser of two evils. That’s never a pleasant prospect and putting that off as long as possible is perfectly understandable even if sometimes counter-productive.
We may also sometimes deliberately need to play the ‘do nothing’ option when for perhaps political reasons, we can’t be seen to be favoring one side or another. In such cases, putting off a decision while hoping that the position ‘resolves itself’ is perhaps the best option. This is really notional procrastination because in a sense, you have in fact made a positive decision – not to make a decision!
All these situations may meet some definitions of procrastination but they have one thing in common – they are clearly attributable to a cause.
Psychological Procrastination
A different category entirely arises when someone is unable to make decisions for reasons that are often unclear to them. Sometimes the person concerned may not even be aware of consciously putting off making a decision but finds it difficult or even impossible to do so.
Alternatively, Ii may also be that perhaps the individual concerned is ‘falsely justifying’ their procrastination to themselves by attributing it to one of the positive reasons outlined in the above sections. For example, it’s all too easy to tell ourselves that we don’t have all the required information when in fact, we do.
In some cases, the decisions are often surprisingly trivial and not related in any obvious way to major risks or events. It may be something as simple as what coat to wear when going out or whether or not to use a certain expression in a letter.
In extremely chronic cases, which are fortunately rare, the person concerned may become very distressed by their condition and find that they are becoming almost emotionally paralyzed by their inability to make decisions.
Options For Remedy
It’s important to note that no article of this nature can be a diagnostic aid. If you are suffering from what you believe to be chronic procrastination that is seriously affecting your life and wellbeing, you must consult a medical professional.
If like the vast majority, your procrastination is infrequent, there are a few basic steps to follow that may help.
1. Keep a diary over a short period. Every time you feel that you have procrastinated either for no reason or no valid reason, enter it into your diary. Record things such as the time, situation, the names and sexes of other people involved, their ‘position’ or seniority etc.
2. After a month or more, sit down and review your entries looking for common denominators. For example, do you normally procrastinate more with co-workers that socially? Do you duck decisions where subordinates are concerned or where you have to justify them to your superiors? Do you find it more of a problem when dealing with men or women? Is it more common in the mornings or afternoons?
The basic idea of this is to try and understand what common circumstances, if any, are behind your attacks of indecision. That’s because there are some common causes of procrastination and helpful remedies will depend upon which of them are affecting you.
- Fatigue. If you’re tired or your energy levels are low, you may find it harder to make a decision. The answer may be to try exercise, to wake yourself up a bit, before you go into the situations that are typically causing you trouble. Also, make sure that you’re resting well at night.
- Emotional stability. If you are deeply unhappy with aspects of your life, this may affect your ability to make decisions in other completely unrelated activities. This has been known for centuries – e.g. if you’re unhappy in your private life this can spill over into say professional or leisure activities. The only solution is to fix what’s wrong.
- Lack of self-confidence & anxiety. If you suffer from low self-esteem, this can be a classic cause of procrastination – the fear of ‘getting it wrong’. Chronic anxiety is also a possibly serious condition that can cause procrastination. Professional help and therapy may be required.
- Recriminatory environments. Sometimes we can be ‘conditioned’ into avoiding decisions by those around us, whether in the home, socially or professionally. If every time you make a decision that doesn’t quite work out the result is that you get pilloried and verbally torn to shreds, well, here’s a surprise – you may be inclined to start ducking decisions! Solution? Change your environment!
All the above are just a sample of some of the myriad causes and possible solutions to this complex condition. Reading up some more may help you identify your particular situation and what options are available.
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