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28 End Procrastination Now!

Like a chameleon, procrastination thinking may change with
the type of delay and where it happens. Professors who put off
writing articles may say, “I had to do more research.” In a business
setting, you may hear, “I had too many e-mail messages that I had
to answer.” You may hear passive-voice explanations, such as,
“People were slow getting back to me.” The passive voice can be
like a cloaking device to hide the specific reasons for the delay.
When procrastination is on the move, self-cons are not far be-
hind. You think, “I deserve a rest, and will get to it later.” When you
keep these diversions to yourself, they normally go unchecked.
Join me as we explore how you can defeat procrastination
thinking. Together we’ll look at the forms this thinking takes,
where it leads, and your options for changing the process. Let’s
start with examples of procrastination thinking. After that, you’ll
find multiple solutions for putting this thinking to rest while you
go about operating like the efficient and effective person you know
you have the power to be.

Types of Procrastination Thinking

The singer/actor Dean Martin captured the spirit of later thinking
in the song Manaña. In this song, Martin sings about a broken
window, a dripping faucet, and other results of procrastination. He
repeated a line saying that “manaña is soon enough” for him. The
lyricist understood the effects of a classic form of procrastination
thinking. Not much gets done when later seems better.
Procrastination thinking is a mental diversion, or a way of
sidestepping a timely and important activity. This kind of thinking
has different twists, but the message is the same. Thoughts like “I
need to let the idea simmer longer” or “I’ll get to it after I take a
nap and feel rested” probably signal that procrastination is in pro-
cess. And while taking a nap may be a good idea if you are fatigued
and can’t concentrate, it gets suspicious if, on the way to your nap,
you perk up if you have a chance to talk with a friend.