I don’t like the word “procrastination.” It has some nasty sounds in it, but more importantly for me, it connotes a moral failure – not a grand one, but rather a petty little moral failure, one I wouldn’t want to claim even in an antihero sort of way. Failing through procrastination feels like I imagine Gulliver felt when he was defeated by the tiny Lilliputians. I’ve been brought down, more often than I like to admit, because I let the little moments go by while the work sat undone.
There are many sources of help in countering this tendency to put off things that need doing. I remember going to the free university counseling service when I was not writing my dissertation. What I got was a sympathetic ear and a handout. On the handout were suggestions that are pretty much the same as those I find when I Google, “procrastination help.” They are useful – admit you’re procrastinating, break down the task into smaller components, get someone to hold you accountable, schedule, prepare a reward for completion, start with minimal expectations, etc. – I have used them to good effect.
The thing that has made the most difference for me, however, antecedes these tactics. In order to summon the willingness to employ tactics, I need to have a clear understanding of why I actually want to do the thing I’m not doing. Willingness works like a wedge – I need very little of it to get things moving, and once I get the thin edge in there, I’m often amazed by how little moral courage and effort it takes to get a task done. For me, willingness comes when I get a good feel for the causal connections between the work at hand and my goals – my real goals, the ones that move my heart.
A bit of time spent imagining the way in which a particular task is connected to my heart’s desire soon manifests as willingness and motivation, enough to get that thin edge of the wedge into place. Once it’s there I can accept help, employ techniques, and generate momentum. So, daydream your way to success.
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