Regular readers of this blog will know that I struggle with Procrastination. I know that I'm not the only one, but sometimes it does feel like a lonely struggle. I see so many people around me who seem to function at a higher level. Maybe I'm just not seeing their procrastination? After all... it can be easy to hide... to camouflage... for a while.
A few weeks back, I came across this cute graphic - A Field Guide to Procrastinators - 20px - Twenty Pixels. Every single one of them resonated with me!
Let's walk through them one at a time...
The Cleaner
Well... of course. Let me declutter my cupboard... or clean my desk, or organize my books or... vacuum the house. Any of these things is very productive... and helps me feel that I have done something useful. Plus... cleaning my space does actually help me to feel in control. But... ultimately... it isn't all that productive if it drags on for hours and days.
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| From 20 Pixels |
The Panicker
I don't go here very often, but I do know this one! Leave it all to the last minute and then have a freak-out fit. I do have to say that I don't stay here all that long. There's a part of me that gets fed up with The Panicker and just says "Start Already!".
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The List Maker
Yes, yes... I know... this is me to a tee!! When in doubt, make a list! When faced with an overwhelming pile of stuff, make a list! Even better... make a spreadsheet!!! Or... ooooohhhh... find a new, shinier, better productivity app and transfer ALL of my to-do items into this new app and get them nicely organized and colour-coded and... hours go by. And at the end of it, I have done nary a thing on my list but... man... do I ever feel productive!!
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The Napper
Mmmm... not really my go-to. I tend to only nap if I'm really tired. But yes, that is what I do look like when I am napping... mouth open and drooling. Although the pet is a cat and not a dog... But napping as a form of procrastination... not really.
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| From 20 Pixels |
The Sidetracker
Oh boy... yep, this is me. Rather than working on the most urgent thing... I will work on the thing that is not as urgent... but is more fun. Or I'll work on an entirely new thing! And I can work like a fiend on the new thing and feel soooo productive but... then flip over to The Panicker when I realize how close the deadline is for the urgent thing...
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| From 20 Pixels |
The Social Sharer
OK... this is NOT me. I am not big on Social Media so I'm not going to be posting pics of myself not working. Although... I might write a blog about me not writing and procrastinating! Is that the same thing? Nah... not really? Oh... it is?! Sigh...
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| From 20 Pixels |
The Internet Researcher
OK... yes... I do get sucked into cat videos every once in a while. But on the whole... my internet research is very on-point! I can happily dig around for hours, researching my latest blog topic... or a week or a month of blog topics. Anything to keep me from actually sitting down and writing. Yep... I just need more info, more data, more certainty... before I can commit to having an opinion or moving forward on a project. Research makes me feel sooooo productive!
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| From 20 Pixels |
The Snacker
Noooo... I don't think this is me... is it? No not really. I'm not someone to go and stand in front of the fridge and look for something to nibble on. Not my mojo.
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| From 20 Pixels |
The Gamer
Also not much of a gamer! Although I can see the draw of this one. Soooo much to do in the virtual world. If I was into Farmville (or whatever)... I'm sure I could do this... Actually... now that I think about it... I used to play Age of Empires incessantly as a way to stave off work... even Minesweeper! I was paralyzed by uncertainty and I would use computer games as a form of procrastination. I do seem to have kicked that habit though. Don't play computer games. Have no interest in computer games. But... give me a new productivity app!!! Oooooohhhh...
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| From 20 Pixels |
The Watcher
Mmmm... yes... I could see this happening. Although we tend not to watch a lot of TV anymore. But yes, I have done this in the past. The next show comes on and I'm so deep into needing to know what happens that... it's easy to just binge! And the work gets left undone... just one more episode....
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| From 20 Pixels |
The Delegator
Hmmm... nope, this isn't really me either. No kids to pass things off to. No underlings to burden. If things aren't getting done... the buck stops with me. Although... I could delegate to Future Me but... we all know how that works out!
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| From 20 Pixels |
The Perpetuator
Oh yes!!! There's me!!! It's getting too late now... I will just start tomorrow.... Or, even better... I need at least 4 hours of solid time in order to work on this project and I only have 1 hour or 2 hours and... you know... that's really not enough time to do anything meaningful... so I'll push it off to next week!! Yes, because next week is wide open and I'll have tonnes of time to work on it then! Sigh.
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| From 20 Pixels |
Which Ones are You?
Just to recap... these are my Top 5 Go-To Procrastination Habits... ranked in order...- The List Maker - let's make a fresh, new list!
- The Perpetuator - tomorrow I'll have time... maybe next week
- The Internet Researcher - I need more info...
- The Sidetracker - oooohhhh... new idea...
- The Cleaner - must do laundry... must declutter... first...
I don't really do these ones... or only rarely...
- The Panicker - OMG! It's due tomorrow!
- The Watcher - just one more episode
- The Delegator - you do this, you do this... I'll rest
- The Napper - just a quick nap
- The Social Share - here's a pic of me not working
- The Gamer - just one more level-up
- The Snacker - I need something to nibble on...
Soooo... which are your go-tos? And how do you dodge them?
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