A Short But Accurate Definition Of
Procrastination
Author: Deon Du Plessis

We've all experienced procrastination at some point in our
lives. For some it's something that comes and goes while for
others it is a frustrating habit that often prevents them from
ever achieving any of their dreams and goals.

There are many definitions of procrastination, but they all
seem to point to one common characteristic in behaviour, or
rather, lack of behaviour. When you procrastinate you are quite
literally 'stuck' between advancing and staying where you are.
Consciously you want to advance, but subconsciously you want to
stay. On a subconscious level you are preventing yourself from
taking the very actions that you know you need to take to
achieve the results you desire from a conscious or rational
point of view. The frustrating thing about procrastination is
that although you know what you want, and even how to get it,
you still remain immobilized and 'unable' to act on it.

Probably the most accurate definition of procrastination is
that it's the irrational delay, aversion or even evasion of a
task or action. It's irrational because we cannot explain this
behaviour from a rational point of view. We can only explain
and understand it from an emotional point of view because the
reason why we procrastinate is because at a subconscious level
we have an emotional association to the task that prevents us
from taking the action. Wanting one thing and then doing the
opposite seems stupid and completely irrational, but that is
why procrastination can be such an odd behaviour to deal with
effectively.

The definition of procrastination, when translated from the
original Latin, means 'in favour of tomorrow' and although you
might 'intentionally' postpone your tasks there is an
underlying reason why you do it which is irrational, emotional
and stored in your subconscious experiences. You might want to
loose weight and even though you can see how fat you are and
how your health and vitality is deteriorating, you still can'
get yourself to exercise. Why is this? Well, on a rational
level it's very obvious that you MUST take action, but on an
emotional level it seems to painful to give up the foods you're
addicted to and to sacrifice an hour of TV-time to go and kill
yourself on the treadmill.

This association to exercise and changing your diet is nothing
but a belief and an association that exists in your mind.
Because you believe it, you will act upon it, even if it only
exists in your imagination. On a very basic level all our
actions are driven by need to avoid pain and the desire to gain
pleasure. Procrastination is nothing but this basic truth in
action. When you procrastinate you're your beliefs about what
will be painful and what will mean pleasure are what prevents
you from taking action. Since your beliefs reside mostly in
your subconscious level of thinking, you will be immobilized
even if you say you want the opposite.

The definition of procrastination as an irrational behaviour is
indeed a very accurate one and explains the frustration when you
can't seem to get yourself to act on your conscious desires.
Procrastination guarantees a life of frustration and striving.
You must overcome procrastination if you really want to make
any significant progress in your life.

Here's a new definition that you might want to adopt to empower
you to be more effective and to consistently act on your ideas,
dreams and desires:

Procrastination is a call to action. It is a signal that you
must act on the very things that you do not want to act on and
DO the very thing that's holding you back. It is the necessary
resistance you need to be able to grow, develop and gain
confidence that only comes from actually doing it. When you do
break through the short term 'pain' that held you back you come
out on the other side with an increased sense of esteem for
yourself and you start to see yourself and your abilities from
a different perspective. The fact that you are procrastinating
about something means that it hold significant enough value for
you to be uncomfortable with not taking action.

The things that are holding you back most are that which will
free you most - once you take action. What will free you most
is taking action. Not because of the absence of
procrastination, but despite the procrastinating.


About The Author: Deon Du Plessis from
http://overcoming-procrastination.com is a former chronic
procrastinator who never managed to get anything done. He now
teaches some of the most powerful strategies for overcoming
procrastination in A Course Of Action.Enroll (Free) at
http://www.selfimprovement-gym.com