The Hidden Type of Procrastination: Doing Too Much

I did it again! Despite my New Years resolution and all my research and writing on procrastination, last week I found myself guilty of my #1 procrastinating habit: Trying to do too much.

Now, doing too much sounds like the opposite of procrastination, but it is an equally powerful form of putting things off. It’s the only type that I really engage in. If you also want to overcome procrastination, I’ll share this hidden form with you.

Here’s what happened—see if any of it sounds familiar:

I had a dentist appointment that started at 1pm. I figured that it would take me about 15 minutest to get there, so I’d leave my house at 12:40 just to be safe.

At 12:30 I got 5 intriguing messages in my email Inbox. “Well,” I told myself, “I’ll just take 10 minutes to go through these and I’ll be out the door right on time!” I’m sure you can imagine what happened next. Twenty minutes later I was scrambling to get my things together and get out the door.

Procrastination is often about avoidance of an undesirable activity. Sometimes, however, it is about wanting to continue something that you enjoy (rather than avoid something you don’t enjoy). I don’t particularly mind going to the dentist, but I particularly enjoy reading and responding to exciting emails from my joint venture partners. The short-term rewards always outweigh the long-term unless you make a conscious effort otherwise.

So what do I (and you) need to do differently? We can learn a lesson from the simple ABC’s: Antecedents, Behaviors, Consequences

When I got home from the dentist, frustrated with myself for being late, I wrote down:
Antecedents:
1) Not giving myself a cushion of time. My 20 minute calculation was based on an ideal scenario rather than a real scenario. Even if I’d gotten off the computer on time, I would have been late.
2) Excuse I told myself that checking and answering 5 important emails would only take 10 minutes.

Behaviors:
Checking 6 messages (a new one came in while I was checking the 5!) and responding to 3.

Consequences:
Was 15 minutes late to the dentist. Felt bad because my whole schedule gets thrown off when my clients are late. Had to wait and ended up wasting time.

Next time I was faced with a similar situation, which happened to be later that day, I just pulled my ABC’s out and refused to make the same mistakes twice.

Whenever you risk cramming too much in and putting off what you really need to be doing, think of the ABCs. You can do them proactively about being on time:

Antecedents: Decide that wild horses can’t stop me from being out the door at 12:35
Behaviors: Turn off computer at 12:30 and get everything together. Leave at 12:35
Consequences: Feel great that I’m on time and didn’t keep people waiting. Save time by being seen right away. Check emails when I get home and have more time.

Soon you’ll see that beating procrastination is as easy as 1-2-3 (or A-B-C)! Well, maybe it isn’t so easy, but it’s a habit you can break—I’m on my way there and you can be too!