There are several reasons why some tasks or actions, no matter how complex or simple they seem, don't get completed or get postponed or deferred. The range of reasons range from a lack of resources (resource like money if you're talking about purchasing something), a lack of time (most likely because you've got a zillion other stuff to work on), a lack of urgency (most especially if there are other tasks that are of a higher priority), or a lack of determination to start what needs to be worked or finish what needs to be completed.The latter is what is termed as procrastination.
And I'm guessing we are all victims of the last reason why things remain incomplete and undone. Good ole Wikipedia defines procrastination as:
"... a type of behavior which is characterized by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. Psychologists often cite procrastination as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision."
And why am I suddenly talking about procrastination in this post today?
Well, the word came into my mind as I sat idly in front of the LCD monitor finding ways to better dress up this blog of mine and while doing so gradually noticed that there still some things (aka chores and stuff) that needed doing inside the apartment. Things and stuff which have been put off for one reason or another, but on several occasions deferred or postponed just because I was procrastinating.
I look around and see that a couple of boxes containing books and magazines (majority of which are mine, no doubt) are still tucked away underneath the staircase -- still waiting to be unpacked (since we transferred apartments July last year) to be tucked away in bookshelves that have, in about 15 months since moving in, never been built. The cable TV wire that runs along one side of the apartment continues to be a belligerent reminder that I have yet to find a ladder somewhere and do a nifty tuck of the thingy. The sofa set cushions remain as they were bought some four years ago and in bad need of new foam and upholstery (something my wife and I have been talking about for several months).
That also brings to mind that the DVD player remains unplayable because I keep on forgetting to buy a new remote control for it. The older VCD component is slowly rotting away inside the cabinet because I have yet to have it checked by an electronics repair-person more than a year since it first showed signs of malfunction. In the second floor of the apartment, my wife and I keep on saying that the windows need to be screened to keep away insects -- and yet that task too remains incomplete up to these days.
Sometimes though, the apparent procrastination is also brought about by the other reasons why things remain undone like lack of resources and time -- but we sometimes also let the time and resources come and go, completely forgetting again to work on what was needed and then make a promise again to do it next time.
On a more personal fulfillment level, I too am guilty of procrastination.
To be honest, I'm more of a crammer since my schooling days and while I might have improved somewhat as the years passed, I still sometimes end up deferring working on things and instead do other less relevant stuff (like writing this post about procrastination on my personal blog when I should be updating my income-generating blog).
And there are also times at work that I do end up deferring tasks to be done ... like sending that short email reminder, or working on a deadline-driven project. Gee, that doesn't sound so good, right?
Going back to personal fulfillment level ... yes, I too procrastinate. For example, the story I plan to submit to Neil Gaiman's Philippine Graphic / Fiction remains unfinished and truth be told, if I hadn't finished the outline a couple of months back, I would've forgotten what I was writing about already. The story that I finished (and blogged about) a couple of weeks back remains unedited. In fact, several story ideas continue to be contained in my gray matter -- these ideas should've been transferred onto paper (or in this case, into digital storage) lest I forget all about them. I've already forgotten a lot of the lyrics and chords of many of the songs I've composed since the days I've learned how to play the guitar and a couple of my blogs have not had an update for months now when I've made a promise to me-self that I will be more diligent (one blog in fact remains inactive and it has such a good potential).
Now, after writing all of these things and getting them off my chest -- will I shun procrastination?
Probably not.
But hopefully after mulling about these things and the possible consequences of my inactions (like losing the potential PHP100K first prize from the Neil Gaiman contest), my tendency to procrastinate will be lessened. Maybe I'll be more proactive, more diligent, maybe more dedicated and maybe have more will power to plod on and push through with tasks, decisions, and responsibility.
Maybe ... maybe ... maybe next time :)
