Hello Bay Community,
Procrastination. Some lucky folks among us may be unable to relate, but procrastination is an ongoing struggle for many. Oftentimes, people conflate laziness with procrastination, but they are entirely separate. Mind Tools' website states: “Procrastination is an active process - you choose to do something else instead of the task you know you should be doing. In contrast, laziness suggests apathy, inactivity, and an unwillingness to act.” However, the Develop Good Habits website states the opposite: “Procrastinators don’t consciously choose to wait until the last minute. Often, things like exhaustion, anxiety, or depression set roadblocks, and they literally can’t bring themselves to get started and complete the task. For the lazy person, leaving the task unfinished is a matter of choice…”
So which is it? Are procrastinators choosing to delay, or do other factors paralyze them? I suspect it is both, and more than a few personal psychological and organic factors are at play. Regardless, the distinction between laziness and procrastination is essential. Often, the procrastinator is quite anxious about their lack of action, whereas someone operating from a place of laziness may not care about the consequences or choose
to accept them rather than do the work.
I teach one section of the 10th-grade Choices class, and the kids in my class recommended this video on procrastination. Many students voiced that they felt it accurately represented their experience. Procrastination creates suffering, and some tips and tools can be helpful if you are struggling with this problem. Just a few: start small, break the task into smaller chunks, and limit distractions. For more help in this area, please visit one of us in the counseling department. We would be more than happy to think through this problem with you!
Take care of yourselves and each other,
Suzanne, Christina and Tessa
Bay School Counseling Team
M I N D
B O D Y
Inc. magazine believes they have the 5-minute, foolproof cure for procrastination. Check it out!
S O U L
One more perspective on procrastination. Could it be related to moods?