The Problem with Procrastination

Let’s face it. Procrastination is a problem- not always, but often. Waiting until the last minute can cause great anxiety and can affect the quality of work when it is attempted. If you have never taken a personality profile (such as the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator) it can be a very valuable tool in understanding yourself and why you do the things you do, including procrastinating. Visit www.multitaskingmama.mypersonality.info to see more about my personality and to take a test to understand yourself better.



I am a planner and am actually uncomfortable with putting things off in most situations. Except when it comes to writing or studying. I have always performed better “under pressure” when there are deadlines ahead of me. We are all different. If procrastination is working for you (meaning important things are getting accomplished in an acceptable timeframe) than you are fine. However, if there are things that need to be done and have needed to be done for awhile and you have consistently just not gotten around to it- then you have a problem with procrastinating.

Why do we procrastinate? For various reasons including laziness, lack of motivation, avoiding an unpleasant task, avoiding potential for “failure”, etc. I put failure in quotation marks because I believe that failure more about not trying in the first place, rather than based on outcome.

Sometimes, as women and moms especially, life can become overwhelming. There are so many demands on our time, our emotional energy, our physical presence, energy and our mind. Procrastinating can become a

crutch- if you don’t tackle a project than you don’t have to face what the task (or decision) is going to require of you, particularly if you are already feeling overwhelmed by life in general.

Sometimes procrastination comes from a place of self-doubt and overanalyzing. Again, this can be identified as an issue for you by better understanding your personality. Here is another test you can take online to better understand the motivations behind your behavior http://www.truecolorscareer.com/quiz.asp. I am a gold, blue. My personality is known as “the organizer” so you can see why this career is such a good fit for me. Understanding yourself, and what motivates you versus what overwhelms you is important in being able to overcome issues like procrastinating.

Procrastination is not always a bad thing, but if putting things off “until tomorrow” is allowing clutter to build up in your home and your life than it is time to confront the habit head on and try a new tactic. Break tasks into smaller segments that feel more manageable and not as intimidating. Give yourself credit for even small successes. Instead of writing clean the kitchen on your to do list, try writing clear/wipe off counters, do dishes, clean out refrigerator, etc. Then check off each task as it is completed. This may help you get a feel for becoming organized and empower you to continue conquering clutter and procrastination.



Happy Organizing!