Disinterested Procrastination

Do you like your life? Is there anything you'd change? If you were to die tomorrow, could you honestly say you have no regrets?

Do you get caught up in procrastinating about things you have no real interest in and then end up ignoring what you're passionate about too?

Today I'm going to explore the idea of disinterest and how it relates to procrastination.

Before we go there though, I want to clarify the two levels of procrastination (yes, there are two) then we'll discuss how a lack of interest affects procrastination at both levels.

The first level of procrastination is whole life. It's what Someday Syndrome is all about. When we procrastinate at this level, we put our life on hold and let procrastination rule our entire existence until we reach our death bed.

We look back and see nothing but regret.

The second level of procrastination is at the day-to-day level. This is the level where we don't wash the dishes, we don't say no to the bag of potato chips calling our name and we don't bother taking a small step towards our dreams.

"Aaaalex! We're salty and delicious… who cares that none of your pants fit? Come on… We're tasty. We're just what you want…"

Well, maybe that only happens to me.

The point is that both levels of procrastination require different tactics to overcome the problem.

High-level procrastination requires bold decisions, a strong sense of self and knowing what we really want out of life. Daily-level procrastination requires also requires the strong sense of self and desire, but it's more about the little decisions, the day-to-day choices about minor things.

Sure, one bag of potato chips won't matter in the long run, but add more chips, maybe some croissants and a few highly-sugared soft drinks? Not so good.

And this is key. This has everything to do with a lack of interest.

It's easy to be interested in high-level goals. I'm passionate about being as skinny as I was in high school. Do I care, however, if I eat a whole bag of potato chips in a single sitting? Not in the slightest.

Overcoming a lack of interest requires digging deep and figuring out what makes us passionate. It might mean trying a whole bunch of things, hiring a counselor or coach, or just sitting still for a while to let our internal voices tell us what we already know we need but can't admit to ourselves.

Breaking the day-to-day level procrastination habit requires dedication and determination. Satisfaction and interest come from accomplishing potentially unpleasant or uninteresting tasks, then finding the enjoyment from completion itself.

If you address the little things, you get more free time, less guilt and anxiety and therefore enjoy more of what does interest you.

And I'll discuss just how to do that in the next post.