Procrastination – it’s an ugly word, and something we are all guilty of at some point. The word has a dual meaning; it is derived from the Latin “procrastinare” which is “to put off until tomorrow,” but it is also derived from the Greek word “akrasia” which is “doing something against our better judgment”. This is interesting; perhaps we procrastinate because whatever we are dragging our feet on doing, is in some way against our better judgement. That, at least, makes procrastinating sound a little bit better! It also makes it easier to admit that last week’s blog was a challenge. I had the topic and the time but kept avoiding doing it.
A while back I wrote about “eating your toad early”. Still sounds nasty, but the premise is to get the things you would rather not do, done first. I usually start my FFfT in the morning; not because it’s my toad, but because getting it ready to publish is a process involving several people. I’ll draft it in the morning (usually) and send it off to editing, “cause my grammar needs to be gooder” 😊. I also tend to ramble. Once the narrative is in final draft, links are attached, and pictures and quotes identified and voted on. Often, while reviewing the nearly finished product, inspiration strikes, and I change the example which restarts the process. I admit, I don’t always make it easy. Last week I procrastinated. I acknowledged to all involved that I was procrastinating, and I accomplished a lot that day……except for the blog. I’ve noticed one good byproduct of procrastinating is it often leads to getting other things done 😊.
I did have lot to do that day and something in my schedule had to give. Against my better judgement (sound familiar?), I decided to push the FFfT away and I felt bad about it. I let myself down, I put added stress on my team with a fire drill to get it done and I almost let all of you down.
Avoidance is common among all of us, but why? We avoid tough conversations, unpleasant tasks, saying no, and sometimes we even avoid saying yes. We all have our own reasons for it and often fear is one of them, but how often do we feel relief once whatever we avoided is finally taken care of? Usually, whatever the reason for the avoidance, it’s always better to just get it done.
“Avoidance may seem like an easy way out of a dilemma at the time, but know that the issue will present itself again and again until it is faced, dealt with, and learned from.” – Randi G. Fine
What have you been avoiding that you will go back to?
Have a great weekend.
-Vijay