Patience or Procrastination - Do You Have These Habit(s)?

Sometimes I call procrastination by a term that feels better - patience . It’s time to clarify.

What is patience?
The dictionary says:
(a) quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence; to work with patience.
(b) an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay.

That’s pretty straight forward. I am patient most times, sometimes overly patient. Patience can turn into procrastination, then frustration, and even overwhelm when several projects are unfinished.

What is procrastination? comes from Latin word which means “forward to tomorrow”
The dictionary says:
(a) to defer action; delay; to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.
(b) to put off till another day or time; to postpone, prolong

It’s easy to procrastinate when we dislike or fear a task or situation. Or if there is something more enjoyable and attractive to do at that same time.

Procrastination leads to using excuses to shield ourselves from feeling guilty, and it helps us rationalize our actions. In addition, we lose vital energy and enthusiasm. Some excuses we use:
- Better late than never.
- I work better under pressure (so we let things go until the last moment).
- I believe that if it was worth doing, it would have been done already

If only they were effective, huh.

Here’s an area I procrastinate that causes frustration, waste of time when I can’t find what I need. There’s a small table next to my computer where I put notes and pieces of information gathered while on the phone, personal info that’s important, emails, phone numbers, ideas and thoughts. The information pile grows like “Miracle Grow” fertilizer on plants and flowers. Add to that the phone, recorder, daily planner, notebook….

Now the pile needs attention…. can’t procrastinate any longer. Waste of time caused by accumulating info rather handling it immediately.

Solutions for procrastination:
-- Do unpleasant tasks first thing in the morning, and get them out of the way.
-- Set realistic “To Do” list with reasonable completion dates, so don’t get overwhelmed. Have a plan.
-- Break down larger projects into smaller, achievable tasks
-- If need to be motivated, just start right now, which will lead to the next step, next step, until you build the momentum that motivates you to continue

Final Thoughts:

“Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.” Napoleon Hill

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – That is patience.”

How will you practice patience today? Start with just one situation.
What procrastination habit will you eliminate today? Just one.

Barbara Filla
Passion Branding Community.