Are you struggling to finish a manuscript? Maybe you have a dream to be published and you know what you want to write, but you’re not making any progress. If this sounds like you, it's likely you are procrastinating.
If you are feeling frozen, it's useful to spend some time considering what’s behind your procrastination. Identifying what’s in your way, can help get you moving. In Dr. Linda Sapadin’s book, It’s About Time!: The Six Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them, she discusses procrastinator types. The following is a quick overview:
- The perfectionist – They don’t finish projects because they need to be perfect and if it’s not done than it can’t be imperfect.
- The Dreamer – It can be fun to dream about doing something, but actually having to do the work and focus on details is another story.
- The Worrier – This is living with the cup half empty. Worriers fear change, they want to know the future. What if the cup ends up empty?
- The Defier – Does resistance to authority keep you from moving forward? Do you resent being told what to do? Many high school students who want to go away to school procrastinate filling out their college applications because their parents told them ‘to get it done’.
- The Crisis-Maker – Some people need to feel backed up against a deadline to get moving. They feel most productive and alive when working in the overload mode.
- The Overdoer – I think a better name for this type of procrastinator is the Over-Giver. It’s the person on every committee, the one always taking on the extra project. An Over-Giver always has more to do than she has time for. Did you notice I said “she”? I think there are cultural messages that have created the Over-Giver.
Knowing your procrastination style can help you uncover the root of the problem and is often the first step towards changing your behavior. So what type of procrastinator are you?
Once you analyzed your procrastination style, check out T. Forehand suggestions in a recent blog post on tips for overcoming procrastination. In a follow-up post next month, I will share the results of the survey and provide specific suggestions for each type of procrastinator.
Mary Jo Guglielmo is writer and intuitive life coach. For more information check out:
http://facebook.com/DoNorth.biz
6 comments:
Mary Jo, you read my mind and got me to focus usefully on the problem here. Guess I'm a mix of 2,5 and 6. Off to do the survey--what a wonderful way to procrastinate positively lol
I think it helps to understand the root cause of your style. Perfectionism can take many forms too - sometimes you have to turn off the critic.
I think lots of people will be overdoes combined with something else.
I agree Maggie. For a writer, turning off the critic when writing you first draft is extremely important.
6 definitley. But also a high #1. Not so much that I'm trying to make the article or book perfect (although that helps!) but I'm never quite 100% sure if the THEME of the book is right. I usually reach about halfway before I start to question the validity of the book in the first place.
Shirley you are not alone. Perfectionism breads self-doubt which results in procrastination.
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