Page 90 - End Procrastination Now Get it Done with a Proven Psychological Approach

58 End Procrastination Now!

The double-agenda dilemma comes into play in other ways.
Do you eliminate fattening food from your diet now or wait until
you’ve gained 20 more pounds? Do you take steps to act more as-
sertive or continue to act like a doormat? Do you start on your
home maintenance to-do list now, or do you wait until the roof
starts to leak?
Those who want to get ahead while others procrastinate can
be assured that some more talented people are likely to spoil their
opportunities by putting their short-term horse interests over their
longer-term productive issues. This is sadly true for a subgroup of
people who put an enormous amount of time into education and
preparation for their careers, only to behaviorally procrastinate
when the bigger prizes are within reach.
If you want to meet your first-agenda challenges, but also
avoid the uncertainty, difficulty, and discomfort that you associate
with the activity, you have a dilemma. You probably can’t have it
both ways, any more than an alcohol abuser can drink without
consequences.
If you didn’t experience sensitivity to discomfort and react by
retreating, you’d be likely to get more done. However, it is part of
the human condition that discomfort signals avoidance. It’s easy
to fall into a procrastination trap when that happens. But you can
learn to use your fast-learning mind to train your slow-learning
horse to accept discomfort as part of a process of accruing longer-
term benefits. Part of the training is learning to bear discomfort
without retreating. Building that stamina is a big part of building
emotional muscle.
To resolve a double-agenda dilemma, you face at least three
challenges: (1) recognizing the conflict to know what you are up
against, (2) applying resources, such as organizing, directing, and
regulating your behaviors, to achieve the goal of completing and
presenting a competitive analysis, and (3) using your ability to
reason, tolerate tension, and act productively to stop discomfort-
dodging activities. (If you are interested in learning more about