The only thing that stands between me and my business is me...
I touched on an interesting article in my last blog about procrastination, and I really think its a huge barrier to starting a business (and huge barrier to 1000 other things). "I'll do it later" is always so much easier than "I'll do it now"; but what happens between now and later?
I have no idea.
To be perfectly honest, procrastination scares me. Here I am on the dawn of my summer with a list of things that I want to do. The only thing that stands between me and getting it done is - well, procrastination. Its not like I need to do anything on my list; there's no one grading me...
So I propose (on the recommendation of John Perry) that we embrace procrastination. Make use of it. Become good procrastinators. there's no reason why procrastination can't be a good thing - it's like a bunch of free time that you didn't schedule for. So what am I doing to get things done now?
First, I made a list of things that I like to do and that I would define as productive. They are things that do need to get done and that can be done in smaller chunks. So, things like:
- Writing this blog
- Some primary research concerning one of my summer jobs
- Packing my room up (in little bits) so when move out comes I'm not screwed
- Power napping
- Physical Activity
- Reading other blogs
When I do procrastinate, I make a careful note of what it is that's sucking my time up. Browsing the internet is probably number one on the list, but there are others too. In terms of the internet, I got this great tool, called Leech Block for Firefox, that allows you to put controls on when you can & can't access a web page.
Nothing works better than just unplugging my computer though.
I also have some GTD (Get Things Done) software that's actually very cool and working better than I expected. I'll talk more about that later.
With me on my side, the only thing that stands in my way is 1000 other things. But I'm ready to tackle them. What are your guys' thoughts on procrastination?
P.S.: Search "Procrastination" on the Google Blog search and see how many students are blogging about procrastination!
Comments (1)
Hi Nathan. I've realized that if you're a procrastinator, you're a procrastinator. Even if you try to be a keener and do your work ahead of time it's hard to rationalize the efficiency gains vs. doing other, less productive, things that satisfy your immediate needs - e.g. web surfing/chatting/socializing. After all, the earlier you do something the likelihood is you'll probably end up spending more time on that task rather than maximizing your efforts (re: you feel incongruence to your ideal working habits).
The way I've dealt with it was to embrace it - just as you said. If you have an assignment due Friday, and today is Monday, you could set up the outline for your work at first, maybe, but really you're not motivated to do it. Where's the time crunch, passion, and sheer excitement that goes along with procrastination if you get it out of the way early. Frankly, starting it early is not exciting - it's now an assignment that has turned into a boring chore.
Ultimately, I've noticed that creativity, focus, dedication, and the passion to get it done in a time crunch pays dividends in the long run - e.g. you learn time management, but most importantly how you prioritize. Although you may lack certain quality (e.g. marks) because of the last minute throw together since you were too tired at 4 am to proof read it more than once. But the way I've figured out is that you may as well just do other, more pressing/exciting, things now and recognize that you're a procrastinator and that you prefer to do less pressing things later. My solution: do a little bit at a time, just enough to satisfy your conscience, and then really bang it home when the pressures on down the stretch. You'll get the best of both worlds.
Procrastination - enjoy it, live it, and be open to reason.
Cheers,
Matt
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