Because we expect ourselves to be perfect.
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.
Yikes. There are about 20 projects I'm wanting to undertake, and of course I'm getting nowhere serious with any of them, and suddenly this seems to point out why.
Argh. Well, at least now I know, and, if G.I. Joe is to be believed, knowing is half the battle. Now where has that other half gotten off to?
One of those things, though, is posting to this blog, which hasn't been going all that well. But now that we have wireless at the house (huzzah and hurrah!), I should have a bit more opportunity. So help me out here by poking me about this thing, okay? I'm reaching out to you, O blog community. The life you save may be your own. Or mine. Or something. Whatever.
4 comments:
I like that a lot. Moreover, tracking down student plagiarism sources is a great way to procrastinate. I had a student one time who ripped off an Italian website on medieval canon law and in order to nail her, I got caught up pretty well on the current state of diritto canonico on the internet.
Wow. I had never heard that before, nor had it ever occured to me, but it does make a little bit of sense to me. I think that because I was always so good at school and it came so easily to me, I would always put things off until last minute. It seems that the more difficult my classes and assignments got, the more I procrastinated. I assumed it was because I was overwhelmed or daunted by the task, but maybe it has more to do with this little gem that you found. Interesting....
I have heard this before. I have heard it referred to as frustrated perfectionism. My sister is a classic example of this. She has incredible potential, but moves slow as cold molasses. It is really hard on self-esteem, and she is always down on herself for not getting things done. I hope you are right in that knowing is half the battle, and hope you are able to relinquish the other half to the Lord so He can help you overcome it.
I have to say I am in agreement with the fact that knowing is half the battle, and I am discovering that making a whole-hearted determination to address the situation takes care of the rest. We are making great headway with some issues in our lives simply by being committed to change them. It is wondrous to behold how God is working on our behalf once we take the initial steps toward freedom.
In my opinion, which is totally uneducated and may be worth exactly what you are paying for it, I think that frustrated perfectionism is rooted in the sin of pride. The desire to be right is a natural human trait, but amplified many times in the perfectionist. The good news is, that once identified and addressed, any sin is surmountable.
If our righteousness is only because of Jesus, which scripture says is true, then our ability to be perfect outside of Him is non-existent. By attempting to be perfect or right all the time, we are denying His finished work of perfecting us. In His opinion, we already ARE perfected! What a gift!
Was that a good enough poke?
TM
Christina,
Indeed. The whole article (available here (which I include so I can't be accused of plagiarism) is interesting, and also includes this paragraph, which sounds like it also hits you (and me, to some extent) where we live:
"Because it works.
Unfortunately, procrastination helps reinforce itself. When we avoid doing something we dread (like writing) by doing something we enjoy (such as watching TV, hanging out with friends, etc.), we escape the dreaded task. Given such a choice, it's no wonder that many of us choose to procrastinate. When we write a paper at the last minute and still manage to get a good grade, we feel all the more compelled to procrastinate next time around."
Ornery's Wife,
Ouch! That is a good poke. I think I'll print that out and tape it to the top of my monitor to goad me when I am lazy...
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