29. Procrastination

The Hardest Task is Yesterday’s

I’m busy, tired, not in the mood ….
I’ll do it tomorrow…

The nice thing about waiting until tomorrow, is that tomorrow never comes. That’s because tomorrow also has a tomorrow, and so does the next day, and the day after that.

There is no tomorrow. There is only now. Tomorrow is out there in the not real future. Chasing tomorrow is like chasing a mirage which recedes into the distant horizon at the same rate you approach it.

The future exists only as an abstract concept. If we burned ourselves cooking tomorrow we feel no pain today. Therefore why not take today’s very real pain and place it into the comfortable future? No reason at all so that’s what happens.

As the future does not exist, the past is illusory as well. Yesterdays pain does not exist today. Therefore any guilt we may have felt yesterday for putting something off to tomorrow (our today) is but a dim memory.

We have found the perfect place to hide.

Except for one thing. The tasks and problems are still there and likely getting more urgent and costly.

Here is the only way to fix procrastination:

1. Decide what you want (or have to do).
2. Figure out the price to get it (or do it).
3. Compare that price with what you are willing to pay.
4. Compare that price with what it costs if you procrastinate.
5. Decide to pay or not to pay.

If you decide to get it over with you pay the price and reap the gain (tangible result, avoiding a penalty, peace-of-mind).

Or you can reduce your goal to match what you are willing to pay. The ultimate manifestation of this is living in a box under a freeway. Costs nothing, paid nothing.

If you decide not to do it at least you made a conscious decision knowing that a price exist and must be paid for your inaction. If the price is small perhaps the task wasn’t that important after all or worth doing. You win by using your time in the pursuit of more worthy tasks and goals. And you did not procrastinate, you dealt with the situation and got it off your mind.