Back when I was in University, I elevated procrastination to an elegant form of art. Around the time every semester when I was supposed to be producing term papers, I would find just about any excuse not to do them. I would do the requisite scheduling of time to get them done, and lock myself in either the school library or my bedroom so something would get done.
As it turns out, I would have been better off going to the pub (where at least I would have had some fun) because those long lock-down periods produced either:
a) a thorough reading of the complete poetry works of Ezra Pound (more fun than managerial economics) when I was locked in the library
b) the cleanest bedroom ever, if I was relegated to home.
Luckily, twenty-five years later I’m starting to understand procrastination for what it is: a total and complete lack of discipline. Dr. Piers Steel recently wrote a book called The Procrastination Equation to help further understanding of this systemic problem. According to Steel, procrastination affects 95% of the population (I assume the other 5% are buddhist monks who spent upwards of 20 hours per day in meditation).
Dr. Steel spent about 10 years researching procrastination for his book. He probably could have gotten the research done in five years, if he was more disciplined, but I’m sure his room was as clean as mine was as a university student. Interestingly, he tags coffee shops as a huge enabler of procrastination. Add to this ubiquitous internet, television, video games and other people, and it’s remarkable we don’t all live in a catatonic state that Captain Christopher Pike found himself in in the original Star Trek series.
On this week’s podcast, Jed and I talk about why you might find yourself procrastinating, and what you might do about it. Here’s a hint: Nike had it right – Just Do It.
I’ve also pasted in a video clip below that’s a bit longer than normal. It will be perfect if you’re putting something off, and you want a 3-minute reprieve from actually doing something. We know we have a loyal following at Wily Manager, and if we can’t help you with your challenges, we’d like to enable you having fun while you wallow in them.
Now… I better get back to my writing – before I head over to the coffee shop.