Hello Procrastination, Hello Perfection ~ My Old Friends…
Just when I thought I was progressing nicely with my Procrastination Recovery, I seem to have fallen off the wagon. Maybe something like this has happened to you – or a client – at one time or another. Of course, many of us are all too familiar with procrastination. So, let’s take a closer look and see what is really going on, OK? You just might see something for yourself or your clients in this.
It’s Sunday as I write this MuseLetter. I’d love for it to be a complete day off. I know the wisdom of having a day off. Time to relax, renew and refresh for the week ahead. Thing is, I still have 3 things left to do for the week. Why are these things still hanging around on my to-do list? Procrastination. They are:
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Give my grand-doggy a bath (my first time giving him a bath, although he’s had many of them)
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Write at least one muse letter
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Do a big homework assignment for an online course that’s due tomorrow
Taking a look at the list and breaking it down, I began to notice a pattern. The bath wasn’t really procrastinating, I was looking for a groomer, but they are all booked out several weeks. Even though it will be a stressful few minutes, he’s a small dog and it should be relatively easy.
The second item on my list is writing a MuseLetter draft. Writing relaxes and renews me, so writing it was going to be a reward for item #3. So what’s left on that list? #3.
By process of elimination, I discovered that what I was avoiding was the big homework assignment. Big surprise, right? This is our first assignment for the course, and the instructions and material we have been given so far is fuzzy at best. This is technical, analytical coaching stuff, and it is important that I learn and get it right.
Aha! There it is. What’s really going on here is perfection masquerading as procrastination. For me, the two go hand in hand. In fact, when I am doing this, I like to call it doing the “procrastination/perfection tango.” Did I mention I am also a recovering perfectionist?
What happens is I procrastinate just long enough to put pressure on myself with a deadline, push to get it done, and then I have an out if it’s not perfect. How could it be perfect when I didn’t have enough time? Not pretty. I have come a long way, but I’m not – ahem! – perfect. And, that’s more than OK.
Letting go of perfection makes room for all kinds of amazing things to happen. It also creates breathing room.
I see this same dance in my clients, and perhaps you do too. Or maybe in yourself? So, what to do? Stop the music, and stop dancing this particular dance. Find some new music that feels better and then get back in action…