No Time to Procrastinate

“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.” – Victor Kiam

            Welcome to my “fortune cookie” house. I have inspirational quotes and Confucius’ sayings posted everywhere. They’re on my bedroom door, the ceiling, in my bathroom, in my office. This morning, I looked in the bathroom mirror, and there it was:  “Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.” – Victor Kiam…
            HMMM, so just who was Victor Kiam?  I looked him up in the Wikipedia. Victor K. Kiam (1926—2001) was an entrepreneur and owner of the New England Patriots from 1988-1991. “Upon Kiam’s death The Times quoted one of his closest business associates in later years, Jonathon Lyons, as saying that he was `a truly remarkable entrepreneur of the old kind – the kind they simply don’t make any more.’”

             Kiam wrote a number of business books:

• Going for It!: How to Succeed As an Entrepreneur
• Keep Going for It!
• Live to Win: Achieving Success in Life and Business

            I should have guessed…A great achiever, a doer….not a procrastinator.
            The quote got me wondering just who the procrastinators are, and why procrastination is something everyone seems to struggle with.

Procrastination: a behavior characterized by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time.

            I know personally it’s not one of my biggest issues, but I certainly struggle with it from time to time. Why do it now if I can do it later?  That type of attitude is the beginning of the end when it comes to getting any type of work done, whether it’s a project, a longed-for goal, or just everyday chores. 
            When I find myself procrastinating, at some point I wake up to the fact that to be productive means that I have to stop the procrastination. 
            My procrastination is often a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. Sometimes it’s the result of a lack of discipline or motivation. Maybe someone is afraid of what will happen when the task is completed. Maybe they just plain hate the task at hand and hope it will disappear if they ignore it!
            But procrastination doesn’t usually solve the problem you’re trying to avoid. For some people, it can result in stress because of guilt over loss of personal productivity. It can create a crisis when you realize that an important task didn’t get done on time, or you experience the discomfort of others’ disapproval for not fulfilling one’s responsibilities or commitments.
             These combined feelings can promote further procrastination. While it is normal for people to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it becomes a habit or way or life.
            Don’t let procrastination create problems for you. When you procrastinate, many times that undone task or project is in the way, physically or mentally, before you can move on. This can create frustration, and roadblocks, and missed opportunities.

How not to procrastinate:

1. Recognize the why: Why not do it now? Why wait? Break it down to see why to wait, write it down. Isn’t it better to do it now?
2. Don’t worry about asking “What’s more important to focus on first?”
   Instead just ask, “What am I going to focus on right now?”
3. Work hard, play hard:  Schedule some downtime in your day to just take a break and relax.  Get this done so you will have time for something that is pleasurable.
4. Find coping mechanisms, ways to de-stress yourself:
   1. make a list
   2. stay organized
   3. be realistic: don’t overload your work schedule
5. When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts necessary to make a decision. Don’t keep putting off decisions.

            Every one of us at one time or another has let procrastination get the best of us.  We let opportunities pass by because we’re not ready for them. Because of something we have not done, some thing we neglected to do yesterday, we miss a perfect opportunity…and we beat ourselves up for it. 
            Create affirmations for yourself, such as: “I possess an endless supply of creativity, energy and tolerance for any project that I commit to.” “I can always find time and energy to do what needs to be done. I do not procrastinate or forget.” (Quotations are from unknown source.)