Procrastination
pro·cras·ti·na·tion
prəˌkrastəˈnāSH(ə)n/
noun
noun: procrastination; plural noun: procrastinations
1. the action of delaying or postponing something.
“your first tip is to avoid procrastination”
But this is the real definition:“
If something is hard to do, then what’s the point?” – Homer Simpson
Procrastination, I know thee well!
I have GRAND PLANS in the morning, and I can make a very impressive to-do list. If I have enough time and coffee and paper, I can pretty much solve all your problems and most of mine.
But then I go on-line (for just a minute!) to look up a diagnosis code for TMJ syndrome and end up in a Youtube death spiral…an hour lost watching “Good Mythical Morning.” Oh, the internet.
*** Side note on Good Mythical Morning. These guys taste-test pet food, make popsicles out of animal fat.(yep) Eat burritos made from literally anything and are really gross, stupid and funny. My 11 year old son got me hooked. This doesn’t say much for me. ***
But it’s not my fault. It’s the Instant Gratification Monkey that lives in my head. He wrestled control of my brain from my more responsible self…he’s terrible.
Tim Urban has a blog called “Wait but Why” and he has a terrific post about procrastination. Here is what he says about that monkey:
“The Instant Gratification Monkey is the last creature who should be in charge of decisions—he thinks only about the present, ignoring lessons from the past and disregarding the future altogether, and he concerns himself entirely with maximizing the ease and pleasure of the current moment.”
And also:
“In the monkey world, he’s got it all figured out—if you eat when you’re hungry, sleep when you’re tired, and don’t do anything difficult, you’re a pretty successful monkey.”
Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world. You can read the whole post here. and even better, Mr. Urban gives a great (and very funny) TED TALK on Procrastination. You can watch it here.
Urban also has a subsequent post where he outlines his method for beating the Instant Gratification Monkey and actually accomplishing what we set out do.
He says: “No one “builds a house.” They lay one brick again and again and again and the end result is a house. Procrastinators are great visionaries—they love to fantasize about the beautiful mansion they will one day have built—but what they need to be are gritty construction workers, who methodically lay one brick after the other, day after day, without giving up, until a house is built.”
Nearly every big undertaking can be boiled down to a core unit of progress—its brick. A 45-minute gym visit is the brick of getting in great shape. A 30-minute practice session is the brick of becoming a great guitarist.”
It’s all about bricks. One after another. Until the project is done. That’s how you beat procrastination. You can read the whole post here.
If you remember my last email about the Mortality Calculator. I’m going to die Tuesday September 16, 2042. I have a lot to do and I am really going to have to get this procrastination thing under control. One brick at a time.
Thanks for reading so far. I really appreciate it. If you know anyone who might like these posts, just send me an email – Green link below – and I will be happy to add hem to the list.
Have a great day!
***Huge “thank you” to Jake J. from Myriad Mobile for the Blog help! ***
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