“Don’t leave for tomorrow what can be done today”
And yet, why do we still procrastinate? Here I am, sitting down to write about procrastination when I should really be finishing my tax return…
I’m a big fan of checklists— I write down everything I need to do and then dramatically cross it off when it’s done. It gives me that satisfying feeling that I’ve done something meaningful with my time. I have to admit, sometimes I even add tasks to the list after I’ve completed them just so I can cross them off with the same dramatic flourish. It’s actually a bit crazy, because the important part should be “getting it done,” but sometimes it’s the “crossing off” that feels like the real reward.
I’ve even written things like “go for a walk” or “read” on my list—activities I enjoy and don’t need extra motivation to do. In those cases, my list serves as a sort of “permission” to enjoy those things (even when my tax return is still waiting).
It’s interesting how I play these little mind games with myself (and I’m assuming I’m not the only one). Why do I do this? Why do I try to manipulate myself? And, perhaps the bigger question: Why does it seem to work? How can we trick ourselves even when we know it’s a trick? And why do we sometimes need to do this in order to tackle the tasks that simply need to get done?
Why do we find it so tempting to put things off even when the tasks aren’t that bad to begin with? In fact, they often get harder and more complex the longer we put them off.
With that in mind, I’ll get back to working on my tax return now…