Written by Florence Doisneau
“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today”. I heard this quote and applied it faithfully most of my life. Yet, I learned only recently that Benjamin Franklin authored this phrase (thank you Skully). Despite the fact that I appear to be on the top of my tasks most of the time, a battle within rages as I fight against a tenacious and strong enemy: procrastination. I am clearly not alone to face that enemy. What phases me though is when I hear someone say:“the problem is that I am a procrastinator”. Have you ever heard this excuse before? Or maybe you used it yourself. The main problem with this excuse is that it puts procrastination in the wrong place because it defines the subject through that lens, normalizes that behavior, and it becomes an acceptable reason.
Procrastinating is not an affliction we are to take as a justification for our lack of progress. Procrastination is the inner struggle that every one of us have to face. I doubt that either one of us has been burdened with a procrastination gene. Some of us face the tendency to procrastinate and overcome it while others succumb to its mesmerizing tune. You know that voice that talks us out of getting up right away in morning or to get moving and exercise. Yes, that same voice that talks us into getting an extra serving because we will make those healthy choices tomorrow. We convince ourselves that we can get away with it and that it is inconsequential to tackle this or that task later. We lure ourselves in giving in to our lowest instincts against our best judgment trapping ourselves into a vicious cycle that ultimately erodes our self-confidence, decreases our success rate, and affects our happiness.
George S. Clason makes the point clearly in his book The Richest Man in Babylon that “you cannot arrive at the fullest measure of your success until you crush the spirit of procrastination in you”. Procrastinating is failing to invest in the present moment for the future unless pressured by an imminent deadline, which causes a lot of stress. In certain cases the deadline is not met, which amounts to a missed opportunity and even a stain on one’s reputation. Needless to get in the detail of the consequences of procrastination nor insist on describing the experience. I trust we are all too familiar with the anxiety and the frustration that accompany it. The point is to be clear on the fact that it is not rare, quite the opposite, it is an important challenge to take on and that successful people have also battled at some point or another. It is defining in itself. Our overcoming the effects of procrastination is indispensable to achieve our full potential.
Rather than seeing our procrastination as an affliction, let us see it as a character building exercise. We do not have dragons to slay to prove ourselves, nonetheless we are in the habit of letting procrastination barre the way to our success and fulfillment. Defeating our own sabotaging habits is in itself an immeasurable investment in our personal development. Similarly, as we practice resistance training to increase our muscular strength, choosing to push ourselves past our procrastination will transform our life and increase our self-confidence and our self-esteem. Rabbi Daniel Lapin distinguishes lower-character people from higher-character people. He addresses this theme in several of his podcasts as well as in his book Business Secrets From The Bible. Among the many subjects he covers, his works underlines how Ancient Jewish Wisdom pointed out the importance of the mind governing the emotions and the body, and how applying oneself to follow the mind is indispensable to develop one’s character as one remains on the higher road.
Certainly, we may get lost. Defining objectives is the first step to decide how to prioritize our tasks. Without regular re-prioritization we may miss out on opportunities. Possibly, we can let unproductive habits set in. Defining boundaries and standards are indispensable to judge whether we are congruent with our short and long term objectives. One place to be vigilant is on our use of time. Time is the resource that cannot be replaced, time lost is never to be recovered. Hence, our procrastination is what eats away mercilessly at that precious time resource.
In a nutshell, plenty of places offer us information on the origin of our procrastination and provide us with many tips to deal with a variety of situations. What I am offering you to consider is to reframe your approach to your own tendencies to procrastinate from a place of helpless defeat to your opportunity to strengthen your mind. We often speak of our desire to become a better person. Overcoming procrastination is a specific place to address. We all face it and what sets us above average is our succeeding in getting over ourselves, rolling up our sleeves, and tackling that which holds us back before paralysis analysis sets in. This is what it takes to be a serious professional, a dependable spouse, a reliable friend, and an estimable person.
