Why You Procrastinate. And How to Stop.
A Simple Solution to a Complicated Problem
“The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit. We don’t just put off our lives today; we put them off til our deathbed,” wrote Steve Pressfield in War of Art — his challenge to the forces that resist our ability to create and produce meaningful work. And indeed, there are few more frustrating problems than our tendency to procrastinate.
Procrastination’s common because it’s easy to rationalize. We don’t tell ourselves that we’ll never accomplish our goals; we just say that we’ll work on them tomorrow.
It also comes in many forms — with many disguises. Sometimes it’s spending hours answering email while letting that complex initiative go untouched. Or maybe it’s drawing out a project longer than necessary to avoid actually putting it into the world and welcoming judgment.
But the result ends up being the same — busyness without impact. And that disappointed feeling that despite having a day full of activity, we have precious little to show for our results.
Few people enjoy this habit. I know I don’t. And I’ve yet to meet anyone outside of the DMV who was happy wasting their time on the trivial as opposed to making a real impact. As James Surowiecki described it,
