Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Procrastination Remediation

“Procrastination is the gap between intention and action.”
—Psychology Today

For all we've said the past day or so, most of us really are poor procrastinators. Heck, Cheryl at Mad Baggage got me information I needed about t-shirts in a matter of minutes. We’re nothing more than specks in the procrastination universe. To even approach a dirt heap, we would need serious training. Take the test. See for yourself. My guess is that like me, you’ll find you fail miserably.


Click here to take test

As a public service I have written this procrastination remediation. Herein lies your chance to make a place in tomorrow’s . . . or the next day’s . . . planetary system. What kind of procrastinator will you be?

Anxious Agitator Procrastinator To take on this role, you’ll need skills at fearing a task, finding reasons that you will do it wrong, assuming that the world is out to get you, and other low self-esteem issues. Training includes Overwhelmed 101; Unrealistic Time Goals 102, Indecisiveness 204, Blaming Others 302; Denial 405 and 406; Avoidance 410; and some graduate work in Victimism.

Perfectly Peachy Procrastinator To take on this role, you’ll need skills at avoiding risk entirely, knowing that if you never try, you will never fail. In this way you will live a life of a completely unblemished record never receiving a negative review. Training here includes Fear of Success 101; Underachieving 102; How-to Fly Under the Radar 203; and Don’t Look at Me 305—at which point it will be assumed that you will have long since quit showing up.

Incredibly Immortally, Impossible Procrastintor To take on this role, you’ll need to have the skills of a high flyer and a stunt driver. You’ll also have to be a high-end control freak. This is the procrastinator who does it for the thrill and does it to say, "You can’t make me. Just watch." No training is offered or needed. The prerequisite is to have come from the warped end of the gene pool and to have years of experience emulating Peter Pan while ignoring reality.

All three seem to think they work best under pressure. They’re wrong. Work they do is the same or even worse when they work under pressure as not. If you don’t see yourself in the list, you are not a procrastinator. Time to start training or give up the dream. Should you choose training, I feel I should warn you. Psychologists are describing your symptoms and ready to cure you. It will be a noble fight.

Think over your options. There is no deadline. I didn’t make one. I was overwhelmed, didn’t want to fail, and enjoyed the thrill of coming into this unprepared.

If you’re wondering about those ideas you put off because they aren’t ready, that’s not procrastination that’s creativity.

—me strauss Letting me be

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Are You a Procrastinator?
Procrastination: Top Ten Things to Know
How to Stop Procrastinating
Structural Procrastination

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe that I am the first two! How so true it all is! Yikes!

Hope that you have a great day!

Love,
Sarah

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hey you,
Thanks for stopping by.

Anonymous said...

Just to let you know, I am using your blog (and the psychological test) as an excuse to procrastinate on work I need to get done. :-P

Anonymous said...

the test seemed a bit longish, will do it later, i think:).

Anonymous said...

I scored a 16...I'm so not a procrastinator :) Of course I didn't have to take a test to tell you that...Thanks for the bit of fun!

PS: I feel like I'm in school and should add my middle name, different Jennifer. I'm used to being anything but Jennifer :) Growing up there were always a ton of Jennifer's in my class

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

HiRhein,
No worried abuot procrastinating on the test. It doesn't prove you're a procrastinator you know. Besides I have to take a nap before I'll feel like checking papaers:)
smiles,

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Jenifer 1,
I know I congratulated you late last night when you stopped by. I must has put off typing in the word verification. vntpn111

smiles,
Liz

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

jennifer#2
I had no idea there were two of you. Are you twins? From this view you do look a lot alike.

I understand about the name thing Jennifer. Parents should be required to check how many kids of the same name are already named that year before attaching one to their child. :)))))

I promise we won't make you go by Larry.

smiles,

Anonymous said...

You know, you could have given us this test tomorrow...

Pspookt!

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Oh wow,
I thought it was tomorrow.
Man...

Sorry.

Anonymous said...

Yeah and to think I could have been named Carrie Morgan (as opposed to Jennifer Marie)

Unfortunately...my dad won this naming round...and hence I became Jennifer (oh well...it is better than Larry :))

"ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hey Jennifer,
My mom tried to name me after the baby before me who died.

That didn't go over either.

New post going up in a minute!
smiles,
Liz