As a high school student, I had good intentions. Every evening, as I left my locker to catch the bus, I would choose four or five books to study at home.
But one evening, my mother told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was not to bring any more books home from school. It wasn't my chores she was worried about, because I had very few. But she caught on, even before my teachers did, that I was a habitual procrastinator.
I was a voracious reader at the time. So every evening, when it was time to do homework, I read. My mother was afraid that people wouldn't understand why I had such poor grades when I studied so much.
Of course, the point was, I never looked at a SCHOOL book at home. I only carried them back and forth!
It was my homeroom teacher Miss Foley who first raised the subject with me, when she said, "Marie, you're a procrastinator."
Taken by surprise, I said, "What does that mean?" Whereon, she countered, "Look it up." I looked it up, and I never forgot its meaning.
Proā¢crasā¢tiā¢nate -- delay or postpone action; put off doing something.
Yes, I understood its meaning then and I understand it now. But, sadly, I'm still a procrastinator!
Whenever I have an important project to complete, I do all the little tasks first so I can have an uninterrupted block of time to finish my project. But, unfortunately, when the unimportant little tasks are done, the big block of time has been frittered away.
Take an example, for instance, I've been meaning to publish a book of my "This Side of 60" columns for years. It tops each day's "to do" list, but still the "little" tasks and the fun things take precedence.
On the other hand, my husband (who is not a procrastinator) has published three books since he retired. And a fourth is in the final stages of editing. Every day, his top priority is writing and editing.
The question is: Why do I procrastinate? Or why does anyone procrastinate? Time management experts say it isn't always laziness, although it can be.
The important thing is to learn how to manage your time.
Begin with a list. Next prioritize and then stick to your priorities. As you prioritize, one very important thing to remember is the difference between the important and the urgent. They are rarely the same thing!
When you make your list, be reasonable. Do you really think you can do 30 things in one day? My good friend Jeannine has a list of six things to do every day. And she completes all six by nightfall.
Sometimes it's helpful to set deadlines -- reasonable deadlines. Don't ever set yourself up for failure, because the experts say that depression can cause procrastination. Another common cause is perfectionism. Do your best and let it go at that.
And always remember, procrastination is a big word with big results. Don't let it ruin your life!
Marie Snider is an award-winning health care writer whose column appears in newspapers in 20 states and Canadian provinces. Send your tips and quotes on successful aging by email [email protected]. Visit her website at http://www.visit-snider.com.
Society on 01/25/2015