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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
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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.
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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.
- 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.
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