My friend Raju is pleased about his redundancy as it means he can start the business he’s always wanted.
“So, why is it,” he asks “that all I do these days is things around the house. I’ll do anything for anyone rather than sit down and get on with starting my business.”
Raju knows the benefits of making lists. He knows that one small step each day towards his goal will eventually lead him to where he wants to go. He’s made a list. He’s read “The Secret“, knows all about the Law of Attraction and even made a vision board.
He has periods when he feels on track. But these periods cannot be predicted and more often than not, something “urgent” comes along to distract his focus. Notice that Raju is very diligent about his distractions. He never finds himself procrastinating over fixing the oven or checking email.
But then of course, fixing the oven doesn’t pose a threat to his identity.
Where our identities are secure, we are confident go-getters.
What could be causing Raju to procrastinate?
1) Boredom
Boredom is an energy sapper. But it responds well to a bit of mental readjustment on how we see the task. “I don’t want to do this” becomes “Doing this will allow me to be/have that”.
2) Knowledge Gap
When we don’t have all the information we need, learning or developing an ability, can seem a chore. Especially when we don’t know what information we are lacking or when there are no guarantees that the effort of learning will actually pay off.
While learning is an investment of time, energy and possibly money, that knowledge stays with us and the actual process of learning keeps our mind active and exercised. As to whether or not the skill will pay off, that’s where personal responsibility and due diligence come in. Researching and talking to others helps you decide where best to apply your efforts first.
Don’t like the thought of personal responsibility and due diligence? See point 4.
3) The Hump
There’s an obstacle in our path draining our emotional energy. Maybe Raju can’t get funding without a business plan but hates having to commit his plans to paper. Surely this means giving his business over to “bean-counters” who will stomp on his creativity.
Raju knows getting over this hump would bring his energy back but can’t make himself do it. He sees it as “selling his soul”. Humps are closely related to the next cause – Meaning.
4) Meaning
Procrastination can provide deep insights into ourselves. Candid thinking clues us in on what we are afraid of and this can come as a surprise. Raju is creative. If he believes that business threatens his creativity, he will subconsciously sabotage his own business efforts because creativity means more to him.
Once Raju brings his two goals (creativity and business) into alignment, he’ll notice that not only does his business plan stop being a chore, but other areas in his life seem to incorporate more of his valued creativity too.
Procrastination due to ability and boredom is easier to overcome than the other types of procrastination. You can use lists and willpower to “brute-force” your way through them.
Procrastination due to humps you can’t get over and threats to your identity needs a bit of tender loving care. Don’t give yourself a hard time; have a think about how the procrastination is helping you hold on to something important.
When we address the stubborn forms of procrastination through what the blocks mean to us, we have the opportunity of not only achieving the task, but achieving it with enjoyment.
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image: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/alcohol_ic
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