Procrastination

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By peace | June 3, 2007

Procrastination is the thief of time. Everybody procrastinates to some degree. A chronic procrastinator does it all the time and can’t seem to control it.

Tomorrow may be a kind of friend to troubled persons and those in adverse circumstances. Tomorrow can become a kind of energy, perhaps disguised as a friend, to those who procrastinate on a regular and frequent basis. Dreams vanish, goals are not attained. Tasks and projects are finished badly or not completed on time.

Procrastination is defined as postponing the actions required to complete a task, attain a goal, or rise to the challenge of an opportunity. The required actions may be postponed to a time later than the present or to a time that never arrives. Often, important tasks go completely undone. At other times, opportunity knocks and it goes begging.

Everyone procrastinates occasionally. It has been said that to err is human. It could be just as well said that to procrastinate is human. However, the kind of procrastination under discussion is not of the infrequent, occasional kind. The procrastination of present concern is a distubing personality trait that interferes with individual satisfaction and undermines the quality of human relationships. This kind of procrastination can be referred to as chronic procrastination, the tomorrow syndrome.

Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Procrastination

working rapidly at the last minute
not enjoying recreational activities
time-wasting behaviour
feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities
inability to reach important golas in life
daydreaming and wishing instead of doing
talking without acting

A procrastinator is an individual who avoids tasks or who is avoiding a particular task. Procrastination can be a persistent and debilitating disorder in some people, causing significant psychological disability and dysfunction. These individuals may actually be suffering from an underlying mental health problem such as depression or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

While procrastination is a behavioral condition, these underlying mental health disorders can be treated with medication and/or therapy. Medication can improve an individual’s attention span (in the case of ADHD) or improve overall mood (in the case of depression). Therapy can be a useful tool in helping an individual learn new behaviors, overcome fears and anxieties, and achieve an improved quality of life. Thus it is important for people who chronically struggle with debilitating procrastination to see a trained therapist or psychiatrist to see if an underlying mental health issue may be present.

Severe procrastination and/or ADD can cross over into internet addiction or computer addiction. In this instance the individual has a compulsion to avoid reality by surfing the web or playing video games or looking at online pornography. Although these are relatively new phenomena, they are being considered as psychiatric diagnoses by mental health professionals.

Types of procrastinators
1. The relaxed type
The relaxed type of procrastinators view their responsibilities negatively and avoid them by directing energy into other tasks. It is common, for example, for relaxed type procrastinating children to abandon schoolwork but not their social lives. Students often see projects as a whole rather than breaking them into smaller parts. This type of procrastination is a form of denial or cover-up; therefore, typically no help is being sought. Furthermore, they are also unable to defer gratification. The procrastinator avoids situations that would cause displeasure, indulging instead in more enjoyable activities. In Freudian terms, such procrastinators refuse to renounce the pleasure principle, instead sacrificing the reality principle. They may not appear to be worried about work and deadlines, but this is simply an evasion.

2. The tense-afraid type
The tense-afraid type of procrastinator usually feels overwhelmed with pressure, unrealistic about time, uncertain about goals and many other negative feelings. Feeling that they lack the ability or focus to successfully complete their work, they tell themselves that they need to unwind and relax, that it’s better to take it easy for the afternoon, for example, and start afresh in the morning. Usually have grandiose plans rather than being realistic. Their ‘relaxing’ is often temporary and ineffective, and leads to even more stress as time runs out, deadlines approach and the person feels increasingly guilty and apprehensive. This behavior becomes a cycle of failure and delay, as plans and goals are put off, penciled into the following day or week in the diary again and again. It can also have a debilitating effect on their personal lives and relationships. Since they are uncertain about their goals, they often feel awkward with people who appear confident and goal-oriented, which can lead to depression. Tense-afraid procrastinators often withdraw from social life, avoiding contact even with close friends.