Twelve Causes and Cures for Procrastination

By: Rob Hubert

Anyone who runs a blog knows that blogging comes in fits and starts, especially if your plate is already full. From my perspective the same thing applies to anything that you commit to. That's why a blog post on procrastination can be of value. Procrastination is a form of resistance that can creep up on you and sabotage your goals. A fellow blogger and friend of mine John Place wrote a post for his blog titled "11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination". I was going to read it earlier in the year but I kept deferring it. Here's an excerpt:

And in the midst of all this chaos, we convince ourselves that none of our varied obligations is so pressing as to require our time right now. In other words, procrastination’s short-term benefit is a feeling of control and peace. We tell ourselves, “I’ll do the laundry tomorrow. Right now, my life is right as rain, and I’m taking a break, thank you very much.”

John identifies eleven common reasons for procrastination and I'm adding number twelve.

Rebellious Procrastination is when you procrastinate in order to gain the upper hand in a relationship. This can happen with your boss, your co-workers, a project manager or even with your spouse. A typical example maybe not providing a deliverable on its due date, when you know that someone else is being accountable for the deliverables. This maybe the worst reason for procrastination because it is extremely self serving. Team Players don't rebel and they don't miss deadlines, because the whole team loses. If you are a Rebellious Procrastinator, people may not like you and you may not understand why they don't like you. it's time to evaluate your behaviors and your relationships and bring a heightened awareness to procrastination and how it affects your life.