I have this really terrible habit of leaving things till the last minute, despite how organised I like to be. I'm such a procrastinator. Take this blog post for example, I'm typing this up instead of revising for an online quiz that's due by Monday night. It's not that this is more fun than learning about management theory, it's just that this is anything but what I should be doing - which is learning about management theory.
The University of North Carolina has an interesting handout regarding procrastination, including reason why we procrastinate. I found this little tidbit of information, which I believe sums it up perfectly for myself and a few people I know:
Procrastination and perfectionism often go hand in hand. Perfectionists tend to procrastinate because they expect so much of themselves, and they are scared about whether or not they can meet those high standards. Perfectionists sometimes think that it is better to give a half-hearted effort and maintain the belief that they could have written a great paper, than to give a full effort and risk writing a mediocre paper. Procrastinating guarantees failure, but it helps perfectionists maintain their belief that they could have excelled if they had tried harder. Another pitfall for perfectionists is that they tend to ignore progress toward a goal. As long as the writing project is incomplete, they feel as though they aren't getting anywhere, rather than recognizing that each paragraph moves them closer to a finished product.
I would describe myself as a perfectionist, especially considering I get incredibly frustrated if things don't work out exactly the way I want them to. After reading through the handout from UNC, I think I'm really starting to get a better understanding of my own habits. I don't like what I'm discovering either, but I suppose that's a good enough kick in the pants to get me changing the way I do things, and the way I see things.
Wow, it's all about the self-discovery this year for me, isn't it?
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