Do you know that procrastination is a symptom of being a perfectionist? Most people are very surprised when they hear this. It is not laziness, but it is because the person wants everything to be perfect. Laziness is never doing anything, for the simple reason that they do not care about it. Procrastination is not doing something for fear of not doing it right. I know that I have been accused of procrastination on more than one occasion, and I am sure that you have too! Learning why we procrastinate will help us to fend off that pesky, pokey beast that slows us all down.
Procrastination is waiting until the last possible minute to do something. Usually this is something that is very important, but not always. There are procrastinators in every walk of life. A student may procrastinate, waiting until the last possible moment to complete an assignment. A homemaker may procrastinate when she puts off doing the laundry until she has ten loads! A businessman may wait until the last possible minute to complete a presentation design. No matter who the procrastinator is, the result is the same. By waiting so long to do these tasks, their stress level builds up and interferes with their happiness and sometimes their success.
Usually it is from uncertainty or lack of confidence. I will say it again for emphasis- procrastinators are perfectionists! Say for example a big term paper is due, the procrastinator will worry about the paper endlessly for weeks. They will think about how to do it, and plan on a killer title and theme. After weeks go by, a few days prior to the papers due date the paper is still unwritten. Why? Well this happens from a preoccupation with the person wanting to do a "perfect" job.
These procrastinators want everything to go smoothly. They want their paper to stand apart from the rest. Eventually they must actually write the paper. Yes the planning may have helped them, but when it is all said and done, the person would have felt much less stress if they had just written it sooner.
We must remind ourselves that no one is perfect. If we were, we would be some alien species and not human. We have all heard the following quote: "To error is human and to forgive divine". We must learn to accept our flaws and forgive ourselves. My Psychology professor once told me that being a perfectionist destroys lives. Not only do perfectionists wait until the very last minute to do projects, but they also have trouble with money and even relationships.
For example, a procrastinator may put off paying his taxes. Why? Well they want to have a perfectly itemized list that achieves the very highest possible return. By waiting, planning, plotting, these procrastinators risk penalty and hard-earned money. There are also procrastinators that hurt themselves financially, for the simple reason that they want to devise the "perfect" budget plan. They wait to pain certain bills, so that they can pay others. What is the result? They get behind on all of their bills! Many of these "payment procrastinators" even have the money in the bank!
These same procrastinators often even put off committing to someone that they deeply love. Why? Well, again they want to have a perfect relationship. Perhaps they are afraid that if they are committed to this one person that they will miss out on meeting that 'perfect" person. In the meantime, they are jeopardizing their current relationship. Even if a perfectionist is able to commit, they may have unrealistic goals for their relationship. They want the 'perfect" courtship, proposal, wedding, and subsequent marriage. There is no such thing as a perfect relationship. All relationships have ups and downs.
It is easier to say we are going to stop procrastinating than to actually do it. Well there are several techniques that can help. One way is by making goals. These are goals with a time limit. For example, tell yourself that by Friday you will clean out your closet if that is something that you have been putting off. Lists also help with this.
By writing it down, we almost force ourselves to do the things that we have been putting off doing. Another good tip to beat procrastination is realizing that no one is perfect. Tell yourself that! If you have been putting off painting a room for fear of it not looking "perfect", ask yourself if you can afford a professional. If the answer is no, get over it! Like Nike says, "Just do it." What is the worse that could happen? You have to do it over again, right? Well then you better get started on it.
After a few times, you will become less obsessed with doing the 'perfect" job. In time, you will learn that no one is perfect and nobody should strive to be perfect. I am a reformed perfectionist that doesn't poke around nearly as much as she used to do. You can quit procrastinating too! Hopefully these tips and tricks will give you're the courage and know-how to kick the procrastination habit. Good luck!
