The Art of Part-Time Procrastination

I had this great idea for a column last week—I was in the middle of rushing through my work, having a minor panic attack as my son chased his pet rabbit around the room behind me, trying to stop his infant sister from pulling its ears (Poppy is a very gentle and tolerant bunny).

I was typing away, thinking, “How did I not think this through? Why didn’t I get this work done sooner, so I could enjoy this morning coffee and the mirth of my children without having a brain aneurism?” I was also wondering why I had let the rabbit out, but that’s a story for another day. So I began researching procrastination, probably to procrastinate from my work, and I realized that I wasn’t a procrastinator, really. I was just a mom, trying to work from home with babies. I’m really not that bad, considering. But I did learn some interesting facts.

The most riveting tidbit touched on the possibility of failure. One article identified three types of procrastinators, one of which was labelled as an “avoider”, which is defined as “…one who may be avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success...they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability.” Isn’t that wild? Most of us are so close to success, and yet, so afraid of failing that we put it off, allowing it to eat into us, pulling us down, when we could be great, if our brains would just kick it into gear, and overlook the judgment of others. Crazy, right? But I’m fairly certain that there is not one person out there who has put something off for fear of failure—I have. So here’s to spring—and getting some long overdue projects wrapped up.