Organizing

Procrastination is really a four-letter word: don’t. Why? Because the act of delaying an action is the direct result of someone not wanting to do something. Therefore, they ‘don’t’ want to mow the lawn, do their taxes, fix the broken bicycle, and so forth. It’s become epidemic throughout our society. But there’s a simple reason: human nature. After all, why would anyone look forward to doing an unpleasant act? It’s normal to do the things you enjoy. But it’s a more recent condition.

When man first arrived on the scene as a primitive homo erectus, he was forced to hunt to survive. I doubt if he got up in the morning with an empty, growling stomach and thought, “Hey, I’ll put off hunting for a few days and catch the latest episode of “American Idol” on the tube. No, he dragged his weary body out of the cave, grabbed a spear, and began the never-ending search for a meal. He didn’t have the luxury of procrastination because his life depended on it. As the eons passed and food was available from merchants and other sources, the urge lessened. A new invention had been discovered: leisure time. He could now afford to be more particular about eating habits. He could lounge around and engage in sports or games.

So the era of the big ‘P’ had begun. Today, we see daily examples of this phenomenon which oftens leads to dire consequences. Most recently, the New Orleans levies failed because the city hadn’t taken the time to reinforce them. And that brings up the key issue. It takes time to offset the big ‘P.’ You have to allocate your precious resource of time to complete a task. And who wants to do that when the mall is calling your name? Or something important like ‘The Apprentice,’ is on tv? That’s the real problem, which is setting priorities. We’ve forgotten what’s important in our lives.

Unfortunately, we can’t take a little blue pill to solve this one. The solution will take commitment and that’s something we have to admit. We loathe to tackle the hard issues of our times: global warming, the reliance on foreign oil, getting Bin Laden, and changing a burned out light bulb. These are the problems that will dog us for ages to come. But, like everything else, there is hope and a simple solution. Actually, Nike had the answer all along: just do it!

When I have a project that’s less than desirable, I grit my teeth, roll up my sleeves, and get the darn thing over with. By the time I’ve barely started whining, it’s done. I’ve discovered that most of the time, it takes less than ten minutes to accomplish the chore I’ve agonized over for two days. I’ll bet if you think about it, you’ll see I’m right. I’ve also found that more men fit this category, because they have a repair or other task to take care of, more often than women. Therefore, at the risk of receiving the wrath of men everywhere, I have a suggestion to all women. Print out this article and put it on the refrigerator door, highlighting this paragraph with a yellow marker.

A final word. If just ten percent of us would heed this advice, the world would be a better place. Home appliances would work again, weeds would be pulled, and trash would end up in the dump where it belongs. Think about how you can overcome the big ‘P’ and get moving. No, not tomorrow, right now.

Related Posts

• How is Procrastination Impacting Your Business?
• Organizing: A Series of Simple Choices
• Time is Money - Don’t Waste It
• Organization Tips - How To Get Things Done
• 10 Minute Tricks to Help You Get Organized