8 Signs You’re A Procrastinator

Carol writes regularly over at her website, Never… Ever… Give Up Hope. This post was originally shared there.   

There is a word that you’ll find almost always brings groans and utterances under one’s breath. People often talk about this word and wish they could remove it from their vocabulary. That word is procrastination. Many people hate to admit they are procrastinators, yet some are proud they can put things off until the last moment and still get them done.

Maybe you have monthly, weekly, daily even half-daily lists. When crossing tasks off those lists, it can bring you great pleasure. The tricky part is to be flexible and spontaneous when something fun or necessary takes priority and totally messes with your plans. To do this without getting flustered is an art! Creativity at its best. It takes practice and a lot of patience.

I have lived with the world’s greatest procrastinator for the past 40 plus years. I may have learned a thing or two about coping with HIS problem. If you happen to be one of those lucky people who live with one here are some synonyms for procrastinator and they aren’t pretty:

– dawdler  – idler – lagger – lingerer – loafer – loiterer – lounger – dilly-dallier – slowpoke – straggler – slow starter – tarrier –

If I called my hubby any one of those names, I would seriously be in jeopardy of dirty looks or worse. Hey, I didn’t write the dictionary!

My question to you is this: Who is the most stressed?

The procrastinator or the other person? I have learned not to care if he doesn’t get done what he would like to do — that’s his problem.

HOWEVER… if I want him to do something, I do have a trick that has worked for a couple decades. I honestly don’t think he has figured it out.

I never, I repeat, NEVER ask him when he would like to do something, but I always give him a choice. That is crucial. If you don’t give a choice, it sounds like nagging.

Instead of saying, “Would you please fix the door? It has not been closing properly for six months.” Get creative. “With winter coming, the front door needs to be fixed. Do you want to fix it today or should I call a carpenter?”

Instead of “I have to work late tomorrow. Could you fix dinner?” Try, “I’ll be home late tomorrow. Do you want to order in or meet me at the restaurant?”

When you do this, the procrastinator actually thinks it is his idea. So get creative in how you approach each situation or you will come off as the “nag.”

Now, here are some questions to ask yourself to see if you are a procrastinator:

• Have you spent countless minutes, hours or days searching for something you misplaced because you did not take the time to put it where it belonged?

• Have you had an argument with someone you live with for misplacing something of his or hers?

• Have you missed an appointment because you forgot?

• Have you been halfway to your destination and remembered you didn’t bring what you needed?

• Do you have piles of papers, or unopened mail that you will get to … someday?

• Do you have that nagging notion telling you to get organized?

• Have you read books and/or articles on how to get organized?

• Have you purchased organizational aids to help you and then never used them?

If you answered yes to even one of these questions, you are not organized to the point you want to be. There is a simple solution to this problem.’Now, I’m sure you are thinking, “Yeah, right.”  You’ve tried everything and nothing has worked so far.

I have a tried and proven method to get organized while eliminating all that wasted time you spent trying to get organized. I know there are countless books on the subject.  I know you can spend money on books, videos and even go to seminars to get the desired results, but I am going to give you a secret.

If you are serious about getting organized, you will get the results using ONE little secret. It is a secret my father taught me when I was a little girl and it still works today – every time!

REMEMBER — It has been said that it takes 30 days to break a habit and form a new one.

But the exciting part is that you can get results immediately. Each time you take a baby step in the right direction, it will pay off in the end.  The more progress you make, the closer you are to becoming organized.

Do you have any idea how much time you will have to do the things you want to do when you are not wasting your time trying to find something?

You may be thinking that it is easy to be organized when you are not a busy person.  Please know that I speak from a position of being extremely busy. It’s important to recognize that the busier you are, the more important it is to do things in a timely manner and stay organized. And it can be done!

My father drilled this into my psyche. It has helped me to be organized, on time, and a lot less frustrated.