This week’s Pearl of Leadership Wisdom is on….

Procrastination – Part 1 – Causes of

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them” – Aristotle

I’ll just…

I’ll just make sure this email’s gone, first…I’ll just make a quick coffee, first…I’ll just return that phone call to my friend/Mum/new girl in accounts with the swimming pool-blue eyes…I’ll just have another fag, first…Oh! Is that the time? See you tomorrow.

Procrastination, the curse of the nation…

Why do we do it? Or, more accurately, why do we not do it? Why do we procrastinate? Maybe you don’t, in which case I imagine you are so successful that one of your PAs is reading this for you, and is now reaching for the delete button because he/she knows this is not relevant for you.

I’m busy! I can’t be a procrastinator…

Busy doing what? Running around doing exactly what you want, when you want, in the way you want…I’ve seen pretend busy done at expert level in every organisation I’ve ever worked in.

I’m as successful as I want to be…

I’m happy…I’m not ambitious….really? Good for you. For some, yes. For most, I don’t believe you. It’s more like simply accepting your lot. Coming to terms with your situation. Things are “OK”. Your life is…“OK”. This is called complacency.

Fear…

… of failure, of success. Whatever you can think of…someone’s fearful of it. Or more accurately, has failed to manage this emotion effectively.

I really don’t feel like it…

Oh diddums. I was listening to Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour the other day, as you do, and there were some ideologically pure feminists on…you know the type of person – educated but stupid. Who needs to think when they’ve got an ideology? Basically their argument was that having sex with your partner when you don’t feel like it is a form of rape. They didn’t say “rape”, but that’s what they meant. Girls!!! Get a grip. Do it until you feel like it….don’t wait to feel like it. (Some of my male friends have told me that they have sometimes pleasured their partner when they’d much rather be doing something else, or maybe it was…much rather be doing someone else. I’ll check.)

Which type of procrastinator are you?

Next week – how to overcome procrastination – this huge limitation that keeps your future just there – in your future.

Mark