Most people procrastinate. To find out if you do, take this test.
If you ask people why they
procrastinate, you possibly may hear the real reasons. More than likely, though,
you will hear their excuses. When an excuse sounds believable, it has a
name - rationalization.
It is its believability that makes rationalizing the original mind game. It's
what you do in your thinking and feeling to explain away why your actions don't
match up to your values and plans. It is the excuse you give yourself for your
actions. It may seem reasonable but it does
not reflect the real reason.
Your lack of self-confidence
-
If you do not feel you can successfully perform a task, you are likely to delay
or avoid beginning the task.
Perfectionism - If you equate your self-worth with high performance, procrastination
protects you against the risk of failure.
Need
for Love - If you feel people will accept you
only if you perform well, procrastination protects you from rejection.
Anticipating
the Worst - If you can only imagine disaster as
the outcome of your performance, procrastination protects you from anxiety.
Self-Judgment - If you judge yourself too harshly,
procrastination protects you from feeling self-hate and shame.
Depression - If you feel overwhelmed, procrastination protects you from helplessness.
Rigid
Identity - If your image of yourself is set,
procrastination protects you from having to change.
Low Frustration Tolerance - If you have to wait for a reward, or someone else to motivate or inspire you,
procrastination becomes the means of avoiding the hassle.
Immediate
Gratification - If you just cannot stand to wait,
procrastination gives you an excuse to do something more interesting. This
is procrastination's supertool.
Passivity - If you really believe that you need somebody else to get you going,
procrastination is the waiting you do until somebody else takes over. Some
people wait their whole lives.
Hostility - If you are disappointed because life doesn't give you what you want or think
you deserve procrastination becomes the means of rebellion.
It's
not fair - If you really expect that all of your
classes, teachers, and assignments will be fair, you will have plenty of
excuses for procrastinating. The "it's not fair" mentality is
strong in college freshmen. They assume that someone will recognize the
unfairness of their situation and will rescue them. They wait and are
surprised when nobody comes to their rescue. They think that the powers that
be will recognize the injustice and set it right. Some people waste their
whole lives waiting for justice. They die angry and self-righteous.
They would have accomplished a lot, just as soon as everybody else
decided to be fair.
Nobody
knows how tough my life has been - If you
really expect others to know or care about your past difficulties in order
for you to do the work, you will have thousands of wonderful, angry excuses
for procrastinating.
Ignorance: "I didn't know I was supposed to do that."
Skill
Deficiency: "I don't know how to do it."
Apathy 1: "I really don't want to do this"
Apathy 2: "I really doesn't make any difference if I put this off."
Apathy
3: "No one really cares whether I do this or not."
Apathy
4: "I need to be in the mood. I'm
not."
Fixed
Habits 1: "But I've always done it this way and it's hard to
change."
Fixed
Habits 2: "I know I can pull this out at the last minute."
Fixed
Habits 3: "I work better under pressure."
Inertia: "I just can't seem to get started."
Frail
Memory: "I just forgot."
Physical
Problems: "I couldn't do it; I was sick."
"Appropriate"
Delays 1: I'm just waiting for the best time to do it."
"Appropriate" Delays 2: "I need time to think this through."
"Appropriate" Delays 3: "This other opportunity will never come again, so I can't pass it up."
Continue with Procrastination Busting
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