Page 51 - End Procrastination Now Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach

Perspectives on Procrastination and Awareness for Change 19

within and around you during procrastination and do-it-now ap-
proaches to problems. You apply what you learned about making
a radical shift from a self-absorbent to a self-observant perspective.
You think about your thinking. You make your goals clear to your-
self. As a means of self-discovery through productive efforts, you
guide your actions through self-regulatory thoughts to discover
what you can do to reduce procrastination by increasing your ef-
forts to promote productive actions.

Positive Actions for Change. On a situation-by-situation basis, map
and track what you do when you procrastinate. Identify what is
similar and what is different from situation to situation. Connect
the dots between do-it-now activities and procrastination and out-
come factors. These may include type and quality of accomplish-
ment. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What type of stress do you experience when you are in a do-
it-now mode of operating? (This usually involves a produc-
tive form of stress, or p-stress.)
• What type of stress do you experience the longer you put off
a pressing and important activity? (Procrastination tends to
be coupled with various forms of distress, or d-stress.) What
do you conclude from this information?

Phase 2: Action

Action is your experimental component for change. You actively
test ideas to see what you can do to promote visible products from
your work efforts and conceptual and emotional changes from
reflecting on the process that you used to produce positive results.
In this stepping-stone phase, you put one foot in front of the other
to test your ideas against reality. While words in books on how to
drive a car can tell you what to do, really learning to do starts by
getting behind the wheel. You may never be a perfect driver, but