Years ago NYC-based The Learning Annex called to see if I’d be interested in teaching a class called overcoming procrastination described as “one of our most popular in the city.” Atlanta (my location) would be a good spot to try to recreate this adult education success.
I said yes. I love to teach, plus I was curious: Why do people put things off? Who are they?
Prepared for the 23 adults who had registered, I watched a sea of people (of course they never got around to registering) flow into the small room. Forty people showed up; handouts were shared; these people were great; we laughed at some of their circumstances; we hung our heads in sadness for lives unfulfilled.
It turned out to be one of the most fascinating classes of my career and the six-week class continued in popularity until I called it quits four years later. (And always the number of people who showed exceeded those registered by 30-40%!)
If you’ve pictured the down-and-out, loser crowd: don’t. These were successful, smart people:
- An attractive middle-aged woman who spoke of the thrill of seeing how far her car would go on empty. (She got stranded a lot.)
- A salesman who never got around to billing his customers. (He missed mucho revenue and his boss was unhappy.)
- A young woman (with a stunning resume of accomplishments) who hadn’t cleaned the bathroom in six years. Ick!
- A well-dressed man who hadn’t paid his taxes in about 5 years. (Turned out he was less a procrastinator then just damn mad at the government.)
What prompts this memory? A recent segment of CBS Sunday Morning show (February 21, 2010, The Whys and Why-Nows of Procrastination) featured people who have “time issues.” Now, who doesn’t have time issues?
When it comes to planning a career break or negotiating a sabbatical, I find many people have high desire, spend a lot of time thinking about the possibilities but don’t attempt even a mini-step. In other words, theyr’e stuck. “I’m going to do it someday.” “It’s just not the right time.” “I’d really like to talk to my boss about it….soon….maybe.” “As soon as the economy turns around.”
Procrastinators put off pleasurable things as well as the un-pleasurable according to marketing professor Susann Chiu at UCLA Anderson’s School of Management who cites the outstanding hundreds of millions of frequent flier miles that we let expire or unused vacation time collected each year.
- Why aren’t you preparing for a negotiation with your boss for a sabbatical, while others are?
- While individuals study up on how to negotiation a sabbatical as part of that new job they’ll go for when the talent churn begins, what prevents you from eyeing a possibility in your future?
- Why are others leaving right now on career breaks (with their bosses blessing) and you’re not?
In the psychology of “why we putting things off,” there are links to fear of failure, hedonism and lack of self-confidence. No time to consider the source? Okay, don’t.
The main reason people put things off is because they feel they will have more time in the future. The possible REAL reason you’re not going on a career break – ever – is because of faulty thinking, a haze surrounding reality, or the comfort of an illusion. Aren’t you smarter than a fifth grader?
Procrastination costs businesses over 3 billion dollars annually in lost productivity. What’s it costing in terms of living your life and keeping your talent fresh for a long successful career? Here’s an extra minute to think about it.
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