Procrastination: The Silent Killer

In my studies of human development, I
found that procrastination destroys more things than any other single
element. If this habit gets out of control, it ruins marriages,
careers, relationships, and self worth. Over time, it has the
capability to grow until it completely paralyzes an individual. The
effect equally devastates the people doing the procrastinating and
all others around them.

Everyone procrastinates to a certain
degree. It is a natural human tendency to put some things off,
especially those activities we deem negative. Where this habit
becomes a problem is when it becomes the default mindset. As
children, we are inclined to do things the moment that we think of
them. The "do it now" mentality is prevalent. The concept of
time is not well formed, thus the child lives completely in the
moment. Of course, as we age, this all changes.

As we mature, we learn certain
lessons. These lessons are taught in a variety of ways. However,
the overall message is that responsible people do a lot of things
they do not enjoy. To show us how this work, most of us are given
chores to do while growing up. Tasks such as mowing the lawn, taking
out the garbage, setting the table, and doing the dishes suddenly are
assigned to us. Naturally, the desire to go out and play is stronger
than the will to do these things. The reason is playing is fun while
chores are not. It is in this way that many of us encounter our
first opportunity to procrastinate,

Obviously there is a vast difference
between putting off the mowing of the lawn and not paying the
electric bill. Yet, when we follow the progression of this deadly
habit, we clearly see how one arrives at this destination. We simply
do not start out as procrastinators. However, as the unenviable
tasks that require our attention mount in our lives, we begin to put
more and more off. It starts with the lawn. From there we develop
the practice of leaving our school assignments until the night before
they are due. This action is duplicated when given a project in the
workplace. Some of us even revel in the reputation that we gain as
being able to complete things at the last moment. Unfortunately,
many of us realize that procrastination creates a great deal of
stress in our lives.

Procrastination is a habit. Like all
other habits, it becomes ingrained in us over time. The more we
engage in it, the deeper it spreads it roots. It is not uncommon for
procrastination to completely dominate someones thought process.
Instead of having a do it now mentality, the default mindset is to
put the activity off. "Later" and "tomorrow" are commonly
uttered responses when questioned about the task being avoided.

There are two factors that drive us to
procrastinate. When simple activities are put off, laziness is the
motivator. Basically, we do not want to do it. We can complete the
tasks with ease yet just cannot seem to motivate ourselves to do it.
Fortunately, this is usually a short lived situation. Once the
motivation to act returns, the activity is quickly completed.

The other motivator is fear. Most
situations where procrastination is present is based out of this
emotion. When confronted with a task, we project into the future
negatively. Our mind focuses upon how everything will not work out
for us. This creates a degree of fear. When it is great enough, we
start to put the action off. This will occur until the pain of
putting it off is greater than the pain associated with taking the
action.

Repeating this scenario is what causes
us to be paralyzed by procrastination. At first, only the most
difficult of tasks are avoided. However, as the habit develops, we
default to the idea of putting things off. When this point is
reached, the individual is most likely unaware of the severity of the
procrastination. It is operating at a subconscious level. The
result is the inability to take the action necessary to move forward.
While this persists, the quality of life decreases as all areas
become infected with this tendency.

Awareness is the beginning of the
overcoming of this tragic habit. Monitor those areas where you have
a tendency to procrastinate to bring a level of consciousness to your
shortcomings, Then take action to complete the task in spite of what
your mind is telling you. It is the key to success.