Procrastination is alluring. Just the idea of procrastination is relaxing. There is nothing more pacifying than setting the task into the future.For me, it is a siren song into tomorrows work, keeping me still while I continue being comfortable. For example,I catch the procrastination bug often while sitting and playing a video game. It gives me the opportunity to tell myself that I will take care of a task later. Later can mean many things, although, whether it means next week, tomorrow, or even after this next auto save isn’t of much consequence. The important part is I do not have to do the task now, and I can relax. It is an easy battle to lose.
What makes that battle with procrastination interesting is that it takes different forms. Usually, it is pure procrastination, when the brain decides there isn’t any tricks to play. It just sinks into the procrastination and you get to go on your merry way. Sometimes, however, the brain can get extra tricky. It can purpose tools meant to help us stay on track, such as to-do lists, to aid in the procrastination. I have had a list of to-do items that have made no movement. It is a way for us to confuse action with progress. Marking something as on the to-do list and moving forward is an easy trap to fall for. I can find myself deep in this sometimes,looking at my past ‘any.do’ experiment is a testament to that. The app is a graveyard, filled with tasks that could have been.
The biggest issue with procrastination is that it relies on a future self. The future self is the trap. It is a trickster meant to keep us comfortable. Procrastination isn’t a passive feeling, it takes constant awareness. It takes an active mind. There are opportunities to make the most of what we have, but it takes us getting through the comfortable and to deal with the now, instead of tomorrow.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 