Procrastination Part 2

Ok, I really do have a post about procrastination. Yesterday in my Intro to Engr class of 25 first year students, I asked students to write on an index card the one good habit they would like to form or the one bad habit they would like to break. Fully 90%, without any prompting or leading discussion, wrote down they would like to break their bad habit of procrastination. An hour later while teaching professional development to 2nd year students, I posed the same question. The result was similar with more than 70% listing procrastination.

Well. I see where they are coming from. Procrastination is ever present in our lives. It isn't anything we graduate from or ever grow out of. I think we only learn to manage it. Obviously those of us who graduated from college managed procrastination to the point that it didn't keep us from doing what was necessary to succeed.

But it is there in our lives. If I asked you to name the one thing that you need to get done that you have been putting off, wouldn't there be something? Changing the oil or getting new tires or going to the dentist or calling your grandma or ... There is something or more than one thing sitting out there that we know we need to do. Yet we keep putting it off and the more we put it off, the harder it is to approach.

The perfect example is this blog. May 18th is surely a while ago. I never intended to quit posting for several months, but the more time that went by the harder it was to motivate myself to do.

I think you get the picture.

TBL - here is a management technique. Each Sunday night, ask yourself "what is the one thing I need to do that I have been putting off?" Then commit to doing it on Monday or at least to get the ball rolling.

P.S. I had lunch with my friend Mark yesterday. He is the one who got me to come back to posting. Thank you Mark.