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| (Photo by S Sepp) |
First of all, some things just can’t be “caught up.” Doing seven hours of meditation on Saturday to make up for all the one-hour sessions you missed for the rest of the week just isn’t the same.
Think of meditation (or whatever your
spiritual practice is) as spiritual nourishment. Would eating a week’s worth of meals in one fell swoop have healthful
results?
Psychology Today
ran an article (first published in August 2003 and last reviewed in July 2010 – time lapse hopefully not due to procrastination…) titled “Procrastination: Ten Things to Know.” Before
the list even began, writer Hara Estroff Marano made one thing perfectly clear: “Procrastinators sabotage themselves.”
After talking with “two of the world’s leading experts on procrastination” (yes, there really are such folks), Marano learned that 20% of people “identify themselves as chronic procrastinators.”
What this amounts to is that income taxes are postmarked after April 15th and Christmas
shopping competes with Midnight Mass.
It may also result in a compromised immune system (from all that last-minute stress), resentment (from those who inevitably have to pick up the slack), and insomnia (from all that extra
worry). Telling oneself such lies as “I work best under pressure” or “I’ll be more into it tomorrow” only makes things worse - as does turning to alcohol (drugs… fill in the blank) for motivation.
What – then - is the problem? Why not just leap off the couch right now?
Experts say the problem is threefold: “thrill seekers” may be looking for that zero-hour “euphoric rush”; “avoiders” may fear failure, preferring that others criticize their effort rather than their ability; and “decisional procrastinators” (those who can’t seem to “get off the fence”) might wish to avoid the responsibilities of taking a stand.
Resource
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/procrastination-ten-things-know
Copyright June 17, 2012 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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