Paauwerfully Organized - Overcoming Procrastination

It's About Time:
The 6 Styles of Procrastination and
How to Overcome Them
by Dr. Linda Sapadin

Book Overview by Kathy Paauw

Chronic procrastinators are not lazy; they simply need to cultivate a more natural and fluid transition from mental activity to physical activity, while allowing an appropriate amount of time and energy to complete the task. To do this, the procrastinator first needs to understand the inner conflicts that produced the procrastination pattern. This book provides a quiz to help the reader understand which procrastination style or combination of styles best fists them, and it offers suggestions for changing how you think, speak and act, based on your procrastination style. Here is a review of the six styles.

Style #1: Perfectionist. Reluctant to start or finish a task because they don't want anything less than perfect.

Personality Type: Critical
Thinking Style: All or nothing
Speaking Style: I should... I have to...
Acting Style Flawless
Psychological Need For: Control

Style #2: Dreamer. They don't like details. This makes ideas difficult to implement.

Personality Type: Fanciful
Thinking Style: Vague
Speaking Style: I wish...
Acting Style: Passive
Psychological need for: Being special

Style #3: Worrier. They have an excessive need for security, causing them to fear risk. They fear change, causing them to avoid finishing projects so they don't have to leave the comfort of the "known."

Personality Type: Fearful
Thinking Style: Indecisive
Speaking Style: What if...?
Acting Style: Cautious
Psychological Need For: Security

Style #4: Defier. A rebel seeking to buck the rules. By procrastinating, they are setting their own schedule -- one that nobody else can predict or control. More subtle forms are called passive-aggressive.

Personality Type: Resistant
Thinking Style: Oppositional
Speaking Style: Why should I...?
Acting Style: Rebellious
Psychological Need For: Non-conformity

Style #5: Crisis-Maker. Addicted to the adrenaline rush of living on the edge.

Personality Type: Over-emotional
Thinking Style: Agitated
Speaking Style: Extremes - "Unbelievable"
Acting Style: Dramatic
Psychological Need For: Attention

Style #6: Over-Doer. Says yes to too much because they are unable or unwilling to make choices and establish priorities. They have difficulty making decisions. Prime candidate for burnout.

Personality Type: Busy
Thinking Style: Compelled
Speaking Style: Can't say "no"
Acting Style: Do-it-all
Psychological Need For: Self-reliance

The last chapter deals with the process of change. The author suggests the following steps:

"On Your Mark" stage - from denial to awareness of the problem. When in denial, it is common to put the blame for troubles elsewhere. To get past denial, you must become more conscious of self and understanding what you do and who you are.
"Get Set" stage - from awareness to commitment. It helps to imagine what life would be like if you didn't procrastinate. Then begin the transition of moving from ambivalence toward a serious commitment to change.
"Go" stage - conquering the procrastination habit. She shares suggestions about how to think, speak, and act positively.

This book is full of concrete ideas for overcoming the many obstacles that come as a result of the various styles of procrastination outlined in the book. She provides comprehensive insight and solutions for those paralyzed by procrastination. Click here to order this book.

TEN TIPS TO HELP YOU OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Break larger projects into manageable "bites" and create a timeline for yourself to accomplish these smaller tasks.
Remember that each project expands to the time allotted to it, so set a limit for yourself: I am going to return all my phone calls in an hour. I will file papers for 30 minutes. I will spend 15 minutes picking up around the house. Set a timer. You will be amazed how much you can get done when you focus your time. My clients report that they are much more efficient and effective when they set a time limit for specific tasks.
Check your self-talk. Do you frequently say, "I gotta.," "I should.," or "I have to."? Replace this self-talk with "I choose to." and recognize that you are at choice about what you do. If you don't choose to do it, don't do it!
Eat a live toad first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. Tackle that "toad" -- the task you have been putting off, the one that is hanging over your head -- because it will lift an immense load and you will feel much more productive.
Train yourself to trim the F.A.T. When papers come into your office or home, give yourself these three choices: File, Act, Toss. (Note that "I'll just put it here for now" is not one of the choices.)
Relieve yourself of the stress caused by all of the clutter in your home and office by setting up some systems to manage the paper in your life. A good filing system and a tickler file system are essential elements. For instructions on setting up an effective tickler system, click here. My clients report that the tickler file system makes a huge difference in their ability to effectively manage paper and prevent important activities from slipping through the cracks.
Make a weekly appointment with yourself to plan your coming week. During your planning session, schedule important activities and tasks so you have a concrete plan for following through with your intentions.
When planning your time, include both urgent (time-sensitive) and non-urgent but important activities in your plan. An example of an urgent activity might be a meeting or a project with an upcoming deadline. A non-urgent activity might be exercise or relationship-building - something important but not time-sensitive or deadline-driven.
Make appointments with yourself to get administrative work done, such as paying bills or catching up with your reading. Treat this time as you would an appointment with someone else.
Take 15 minutes at the end of each day to put things away and look at the calendar for the next day. Gather what you need ahead of time so you will be prepared for tomorrow.

Tips provided by Kathy Paauw, Paauwerfully Organized

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