There are many ways to avoid success
in life, but the most sure-fire just might be procrastination.
Procrastinators sabotage themselves. They put obstacles in their own path. They
actually choose paths that hurt their performance.
Why would people do that? I talked
to two of the world's leading experts on procrastination: Joseph Ferrari,
Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago, and
Timothy Pychyl, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Carleton University
in Ottawa, Canada. Neither one is a procrastinator, and both answered my many
questions immediately. (more after the cut)
1.
Twenty percent of people identify
themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them procrastination is a lifestyle,
albeit a maladaptive one. And it cuts across all domains of their life. They
don't pay bills on time. They miss opportunities for buying tickets to
concerts. They don't cash gift certificates or checks. They file income tax
returns late. They leave their Christmas shopping until Christmas eve.
2.
It's not trivial, although as a
culture we don't take it seriously as a problem. It represents a profound
problem of self-regulation.
And there may be more of it in the U.S. than in other countries because we are
so nice; we don't call people on their excuses ("my grandmother died last
week") even when we don't believe them.
3.
Procrastination is not a problem of time
management or of planning. Procrastinators are not different in
their ability to estimate time, although they are more optimistic than others.
"Telling someone who procrastinates to buy a weekly planner is like
telling someone with chronic depression
to just cheer up," insists Dr. Ferrari.
4.
Procrastinators are made not born.
Procrastination is learned in the family milieu, but not directly. It is one
response to an authoritarian parenting
style. Having a harsh, controlling father keeps children from developing the
ability to regulate themselves, from internalizing their own intentions and
then learning to act on them. Procrastination can even be a form of rebellion,
one of the few forms available under such circumstances. What's more, under
those household conditions, procrastinators turn more to friends than to parents
for support, and their friends may reinforce procrastination because they tend
to be tolerant of their excuses.
5.
Procrastination predicts higher
levels of consumption of alcohol among those people who drink. Procrastinators
drink more than they intend to—a manifestation of generalized problems in
self-regulation. That is over and above the effect of avoidant coping styles
that underlie procrastination and lead to disengagement via substance
abuse.
6.
Procrastinators tell lies to
themselves. Such as, "I'll feel more like doing this tomorrow." Or
"I work best under pressure." But in fact they do not get the urge
the next day or work best under pressure. In addition, they protect their sense
of self by saying "this isn't important." Another big lie
procrastinators indulge is that time pressure makes them more creative.
Unfortunately they do not turn out to be more creative; they only feel that
way. They squander their resources.
7.
Procrastinators actively look for
distractions, particularly ones that don't take a lot of commitment on their
part. Checking e-mail is almost perfect for this purpose. They distract
themselves as a way of regulating their emotions such as fear
of failure.
8.
There's more than one flavor of
procrastination. People procrastinate for different reasons. Dr. Ferrari
identifies three basic types of procrastinators:
- arousal types, or thrill-seekers, who wait to the last minute for the euphoric rush.
- avoiders, who may be avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success, but in either case are very concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability.
- decisional procrastinators, who cannot make a decision. Not making a decision absolves procrastinators of responsibility for the outcome of events.
9.
There are big costs to
procrastination. Health
is one. Just over the course of a single academic term, procrastinating college
students had such evidence of compromised immune systems as more colds and flu,
more gastrointestinal problems. And they had insomnia.
In addition, procrastination has a high cost to others as well as oneself; it
shifts the burden of responsibilities onto others, who become resentful.
Procrastination destroys teamwork
in the workplace
and private relationships.
10. Procrastinators can change their behavior—but doing so
consumes a lot of psychic energy. And it doesn't necessarily mean one feels
transformed internally. It can be done with highly structured cognitive behavioral therapy.
source psychology today
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