Interpreting Procrastination

Just Do It (Later)! - Translating Procrastination

‘Just Do It!’ is a phrase synonymous with Nike. For some ‘go-getters’ receiving this message may compel them to do something new, wild or extraordinary. Making things happen, for some to ‘Just Do It’, can be like a fuel that generates even more energy ensuring that they do not remain stagnant but instead keep flowing. It may be that such people are also those that complete what they start, yet that is not necessarily the case. The key for some is in igniting fires, not in maintaining them.

Insta-Life

The idea of making things happen as quickly as possible corresponds with our contemporary world. Some have labelled Generation Y and Z as those loving that sense of ‘instant gratification’. Being able to make things happen instantaneously whether it be placing a ‘like’ on Insta or googling for greater knowledge can lead to a false impression that one has a degree of power or influence greater than is truly genuine. Further, this can provide a level of faulty thinking which may lead to a sense of somewhat delusional ideas being formed because the real world has so many more challenges which do not move in instantaneous ways. Discovering that the world does not operate through such a blueprint can lead to a number of feelings forming including that of anger, overwhelm or confusion. Healthy development even as we see in the natural order of Creation involves process; it takes time, and it requires nurture and cultivation to form as it should.

What we may not be aware of when we get instant gratification, is that our mood is being trained and tamed accordingly. Instant gratification may well form an addictive behaviour. Yet what happens when life does not move as quickly? Science informs us that insta-living leads to the formation of an addictive process resulting from regular dopamine hits. Dysregulation of mood is an outcome.

Procrasta-nation

If one has lived as part of an insta-society yet life does not reward you quickly, is it possible that an outcome may be that one can feel like giving up? Is giving up the only perceived response if failure is not a desired option? Whilst not being the sole reason for its formation, a problem which can result when life does not respond instantaneously is that of procrastination. If my behaviour does not give me a ‘mood hit’, why do it? Procrastination can be a life limiting experience which can have negative impacts upon both the individual struggling and those that may care for them too.

The word ‘procrastination’ is often linked to laziness. The origin of the word procrastination comes from two different words, one which is Latin and the other which is Greek. The Latin origin creates the sense of ‘putting something off until tomorrow’. Some global cultures operate out of that sort of thinking; why hurry if there is no urgency? The Greek meaning on the other hand implies a sense of ‘doing something against one’s better judgment’; the notion here is that the choices one might make have not been well considered. At times, those interpreting behaviour may translate the action incorrectly; what effect might that have?

Interpreting Behaviour

These two meanings can, as the following illustration will reveal, play into one another:

Gunner is a secondary school student who has put off doing his school homework. His parents' assessment of his behaviour involves a ‘Latin’ twist, so they call him ‘lazy’ and ‘good for nothing’, remarks repeated by staff within his school too. No one has discussed his behaviour with him; rather they have stuck a label on him. His self-evaluation following this is that he is just a lazy disappointment. Thus, he has morphed into the design of those he is surrounded by.

Switching the story up, we will now visit a parallel universe. Here, just as there, Gunner has not been doing his homework. He has been told off at school and called ‘lazy’. His parents hear about this and decide to sit down with him and have a chat. They talk with him about the work he has to do and the impacts of not doing it. He learns that whilst he may not feel great about being told off, that he has a choice about his feelings. They inform him that he can protect his feelings if he thinks about what he is choosing to do. Gunner in turn asks when he can do his own thing, and his parents help him to realise that he will have plenty of free time still as soon as he does his work. As Gunner develops an understanding of what his procrastination is actually doing, he embraces what he needs to do today through a better sense of judgment.

May it be true that Gunner can be lazy? Of course. Yet what he benefitted from was information and education. Such information, especially during our formative years can be helpful in making more informed decisions about the impact of our choices. Indeed not receiving such training can have a detrimental effect in later life. Common sense is not really that common. Mind reading is not something most can do! Maps are required to ensure one reaches their destination. Feedback provides a map to guide choices. It is true that more information will necessarily lead to good choices. However, it may well at least encourage people to think and learn to reflect more.

Learning a new language

The notion of getting on with something right now may feel like a foreign and quite unwelcome concept. Why do something now when either you can do it at another time or indeed don’t want to do it at all! For some, putting things off until a later time is not a problem because they can get it done.

If, however procrastination is an experience that you cannot escape, maybe it's time to learn that change is possible. In the Bible, God is described as being a God of hope (Romans 15:13). Such a hope is not intended to leave you stuck in unchangeable circumstances but instead is invested upon our change and formation, for us to know we don’t have to lay in the mess of the past, but instead can learn new and better ways. Neuro-scientific research upholds a similar notion; we are people that are able to grow. I wonder, is it time to embrace a belief that your change is possible?

Another Latin phrase captures the notion with the phrase ‘Carpe Diem’, meaning, ‘seize the day’. Will you accept this as a moment to begin the work involved in discovering change? Learning a new language takes hard work, it is not easy. And yet the difficulties found of being unclear when in a different culture, of being misunderstood, and indeed not being able to get what is needed are outweighed by the benefits found in the time invested in learning how to communicate in the land one finds themselves in. If you have lived in ‘procrasta-nation’, know that there is a place where you can leave that nation behind, a place where you can achieve success. Maybe it's time for you to stop putting off the formation of a new personal culture?

Root this now

1. Choose two things which you may be putting off. On a page, make two columns, one which is headed ‘benefits to doing things later’, the second which identifies ‘the cost in delaying’. Take time to reflect, are the outcomes of delay costing you more than you had realised? Think, what options do you have right now?

2. Make a list of the things you need to do. Select three things which you think are the highest priorities from the list; ensure that these are things you have personal control to affect, rather than being things in someone else's control. From the three, decide which one is the single most important for now. Decide what steps you could take to work toward moving this thing forward in the coming week. Now choose a date and time when you will do it and make it happen.

3. Do you have connection to a trusted friend or colleague who might be willing to become an accountability partner to you as you begin to make some changes? If not, would it be wise to consider gaining professional support from a professional such as a life coach or counsellor?

References

1. Levitt, M. and J. Kenin. ‘Just Do It: How the iconic Nike tagline built a career for the late Dan Wieden’. Found at: https://www.npr.org/2022/10/06/1127032721/nike-just-do-it-slogan-success-dan-wieden-kennedy-dies. Accessed: July 2024

2. Koné, A. ‘The Need for Speed: Our Generation’s Obsession with Immediate Gratification and its Impact’. Found at: https://thedickinsonian.com/opinion/2024/03/12/the-need-for-speed-our-generations-obsession-with-immediate-gratification-and-its-impact/. Accessed: July 202

3. Gerber, R. ‘Instant Gratification, Instant Fear’. Found at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/our-health/201410/instant-gratification-instant-fear. Accessed: July 2024

4. Lieberman, C. ‘Why You Procrastinate (It Has Nothing to Do With Self-Control)’. Found at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/smarter-living/why-you-procrastinate-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-self-control.html. Accessed: July 2024

5. Gelbtuch, JB. ‘Fiestas, Siestas, and Mañana’. Found at: https://www.bricsmagazine.com/en/articles/fiestas-siestas-and-manana. Accessed: July 2024.

6. Waters, J. ‘Constant Craving: How digital media turned us all into dopamine addicts’. Found at: https://www.theguardian.com/global/2021/aug/22/how-digital-media-turned-us-all-into-dopamine-addicts-and-what-we-can-do-to-break-the-cycle. Accessed: September 2024