How to Join Procrastinators Anonymous ... Soon
Procrastinators Anonymous defines procrastination as "the grave in which opportunity is buried." While procrastination has its bashers, some may view it as an advantageous, even essential life skill. If the benefits of procrastination stop outweighing its disadvantages, you should join Procrastinators Anonymous.
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Instructions
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1
List the benefits of procrastination to make sure you are not losing too much by doing things promptly. Procrastinators always have a full "to do" list, which means they almost never get other people's extra projects. They always benefit from the delegation game, and sometimes the projects they put off become no longer needed. Then, too, remember the adrenalin rush of working on things at the last minute. When involved in a complex project on which no one knows what they are doing, procrastinate all tasks not clearly essential. Some won't need to be done at all, and look at all the work you saved by procrastinating.
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2
Add up the negative ramifications of being a procrastinator. People avoid you, you get lots of extra "where is your project" emails (which you can delete without reading) and you probably won't be first in line for that promotion. Then again, most of the tasks you didn't get around to probably didn't need to be done in the first place. Really essential tasks--like eating three meals a day, for instance--tend to get done, leaving the nonessential ones to those with active "to do" lists.
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3
Calculate the cost of all the extra work and stress involved in abandoning procrastination. Most people worry far too much over nonessential tasks and behaviors. Count how many of the current events you worried over five years ago came to happen. That's right, pretty much none of them. This cost of promptness is another benefit you need to add to your first list.
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4
Consider whether doing things on time will make you happier. People who work hard, get things done and forge ahead like to think about where they will be in five years and what they need to do to get there. Well, five years from now they will be exhausted, still here and mad about not getting where they wanted to be. Maybe they should invest their energy in slowing down and only doing what really need to be done.
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5
Weigh all of the pros and cons of procrastination in Steps 1 through 4 when you can get around to it. Then, and only then, after considerable thought, if you truly believe your procrastinating is somehow a negative in your life, you should join Procrastinators Anonymous (see Resources).
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