Joseph Ferrari, Professor of Psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, says his research has determined that procrastinating really has very little to do with laziness. Ferrari theorizes that there are three types of procrastinators: Thrill-Seekers - who crave the rush of putting off tasks until the last minute and believe they work best under pressure; Avoiders - who procrastinate to avoid being judged for how they perform on a project; and Indecisives - who have difficulty making important or stressful decisions, often because they’re ruminating over several choices.
Perhaps, but I happen to be someone who is a totally “self-aware” procrastinator. For example, let’s say I wake up one day and have 25 things that absolutely need to get done before the end of the day. Now, I know I can’t possibly get them all done unless I completely organize, prioritize and strategize about how I’m gonna go about getting all these tasks accomplished. The problem lies in the fact that - by the time I finally finish organizing, prioritizing and strategizing - it suddenly occurs to me that my deadline, is only 15 minutes away.
Now, one of the big issues with procrastination as I see it is that while most everyone will acknowledge that good, decent, hard work, is what really pays off in the “long run,” - the fact is, “procrastination and laziness” pay off almost “right away.” That said, while I fully sympathize with most people who struggle with procrastination, I also have to admit I’m not really all that sympathetic with folks like lifeguards, ambulance drivers, or firefighters who procrastinate. Anyway, I have a lot more to say on the issue, but I think it can wait until tomorrow.
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