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How to Handle Stress-Related Procrastination 73

crisscrosses practically every avenue of life, what you learn here
has broader implications for leading a life where you feel more in
command of yourself and of the controllable events that take place
around you,
Working in an environment where layoffs are taking place can
feel stressful. However, not everyone is affected in the same way,
and you may roll with the punches of life in some situations better
than in others. That doesn’t mean that stress conditions won’t af-
fect how you think, how you feel, and what you do. However, com-
paratively, you are less affected.
You may be challenged to develop inner freedom under per-
sistently stressful conditions, such as working with difficult co-
workers and supervisors, where you are difficult with yourself, and
where you find work balance inequities. However, these conditions
can be like a fan blowing cold air in your direction. You can turn
the fan away from you, and it continues to blow. The wind may
blow, and you need not amplify your stress or procrastinate be-
cause that happens.

Stress Caused by Others

You are surrounded by a cast of difficult characters, both at work
and in other areas of your life—often, you’ll find that your relation-
ships with these people slow your ability to meet your goals or do
your job. You have names for each. You call one Joe the Deflector.
Whatever goes wrong gets deflected back to you. The fabulous faker
looks busy, busy, busy, but you are the one who has to pick up the
slack following this faffing procrastination. Old tried and true has
a familiar mantra: it was good enough for grandfather and it’s
good enough for him. One-upmanship waits for opportunities to
make you look bad. The complainer draws you in with horror stories
about not getting a corner office and having an assigned parking
space at a distance from the entryway.
You may get drawn into other people’s procrastination in-
trigues, but you don’t have to slip on this slope. Can you cause