Procrastination: One Size Fits All

Yesterday I finished a project that I’d been putting off for a month.  What was this monumental endeavor, this Sisyphean task that I’d been avoiding for weeks?  Gluing all my receipts into a notebook.

I came to Berlin knowing that I’d have to track all my expenses to account for how I’m spending my grant.  From the beginning I’d been keeping a detailed spreadsheet for this purpose, but when it came to sticking the receipts in chronological order in a notebook, which I’m required to do, I couldn’t sit down and get it done.  It wasn’t until I wrote a to-do list yesterday and placed “glue receipts” at the top that I actually did the job.  (Honestly, it also took some self-talk like “open Excel,” “lay out receipts on desk,” etc.)

Maybe some of you can relate:  you know what you have to do and you have a good idea what the end result will look like, but something keeps you from jumping in.  Some projects are relatively simple, like organizing receipts, while others, like writing a research paper or buying a new car, can involve many steps.  The funny thing is, your procrastination habit can’t tell the difference, and all the reasons and strategies you employ for putting off something small (”check the oil”) are the same that will keep you from tackling the big stuff (”replace engine”).

My recent experience once again highlights the link between procrastination and perfectionism (and their stepchild, indecision).  Basically I was having trouble deciding whether an expense from early in my trip was legitimately expensable.  With this one receipt in limbo I didn’t want to start gluing receipts down lest I’d have to rearrange things later when I finally made up my mind.  As time went on without a concrete decision (it had to be the right decision), so did my resistance to just starting wherever I could.  Knowing that the notebook wouldn’t be just right until I made up my mind, I took the path of least resistance and did nothing.  Even when Pinar offered to do the whole job for me, I turned her down, since by that time I had convinced myself it was a really complicated task that only I could do (otherwise I would have done it by now, right?).  As paradoxical as it sounds, procrastinators are usually bad delegators.

Bottom line?  Thinking that there is an absolute right or best way to do something can be paralyzing, and the fear of making a wrong decision is closely related.  Although posts like this one may lead you to wonder, I’ve actually made huge improvements since coming to appreciate this aspect of procrastination.  Of course I didn’t figure all this out on my own.  Over the years I’ve found the following books to be great resources:

• The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play  This is a great one to start with.
• Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It   One of the best books available.
• Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article  Despite the title, this is an excellent read for grad students in all fields (procrastinators or not) with an important section on getting started.
• The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less  Thought-provoking and entertaining pop psychology on decision making.

A resource available immediately, and for free, is this short online article by Steve Pavlina.  It pretty much sums up the main points of “The Now Habit” and provides some excellent strategies you can start using right away to get things done now.