10

Looking Ahead to Success

So, procrastination isn't so simple, is it? We've come a long way from attributing it to laziness, lack of discipline, and moral decay. And yet, your procrastination is understandable—it is not a plague that descends upon you by chance; it is a behavior you engage in for particular reasons. Procrastination represents a complex interweaving of psychological roots, biological factors, and a lifetime of experiences.

In one sense, procrastination has served you well. It has protected you from what may be some unpleasant realizations about yourself. It has helped you avoid uncomfortable and perhaps frightening feelings. It has provided you with a convenient excuse for not taking action in a direction that is upsetting in some way. But, regardless of the reasons for your procrastination, and in spite of whatever "comfort" it has given you, you have also paid a price for it.

Let's look at the costs. You've inhibited your efforts at work or school; you've held yourself back from taking risks and exploring new possibilities; you've put a lid on the natural and spontaneous expression of your ideas and emotions; you've been acting in accord with a limited view of who you think you must be. You've disappointed people you love and let down or irritated others. On top of all this, you've been paying the emotional price of anxiety, resentment, fraudulence, or despair, and—most expensive of all—diminished self-confidence.

If you are going to let go of procrastination and face your fears head-on, what do you think might happen? What if you're not perfect? What's dangerous about being successful or realizing your limits? Would you really be trapped if you made a commitment? If you stated your own opinion? Who says you can't be an individual if you do things according to someone else's timetable? You can begin to do something about your procrastination in spite of the fact that you are afraid. As Mark Twain said, "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear." It will take courage to give up the familiarity and the usefulness of procrastination. In this section, we offer a number of ideas to help you get started.

THE DANGERS OF IMPROVEMENT

If you have felt frustrated and thwarted by procrastination, the prospect of delaying less and accomplishing more may be very appealing. In fact, you might think life will improve 100 percent. Many people assume that after conquering procrastination they'll be happy, successful, and relaxed. But they don't realize that making progress also means confronting the fears they've been avoiding.

For example, if you become noticeably more productive at work, you could be promoted to a new position with even more demands and greater responsibilities. You might worry that you'd be in over your head or that you would travel more and have to spend time away from your family. Or, if you finally file your long-overdue taxes, not only will you face what you owe, but you will have to acknowledge that you, too, must play by the rules.

We would like you to consider the "dangers of improvement," the troublesome consequences that might result if you were to give up procrastination. The potential dangers may not necessarily be reasonable or logical. We're not asking you to predict the reality of what would happen if you stopped procrastinating, but rather to play with ideas about how things might change and how that might feel.

If you stop procrastinating, what new problems or situations would you have to face that you don't have to contend with now?

Take a few minutes to think over this question. Try to come up with at least five dangers that you might face if you stop putting things off. Let your imagination go. Below are some of the dangers of improvement identified by procrastinators in our Procrastination Workshops. We have grouped them according to several common themes.

My illusions could be shattered ...

What if I finally do my best, but I'm mediocre?

I might not be able to achieve what I always thought I could.

I couldn't feel superior if I found I was in the same boat as others.

There's always more to do ...

I'll turn into a workaholic.

I'll take on more and more responsibilities and put my own needs last.

I'll find there's even more to do than I thought. It will never end.

My relationships would change and not for the better ...

It's lonely at the top; I'd lose my friends.

People will compete with me and try to cut me down.

My flaws will be obvious and no one will like me.

Everyone will be envious of me.

I'll be too different from my family.

I'd lose control over my life ...

I'd have to accept a lot of other people's routines and expectations.

I'd have to learn new things and be a novice again. I'd rather be the expert.

I'll be taken over by this new culture.

People will demand more and more of me—and I can't say "No."

Life would seem boring ...