I had lunch with a friend today who said that someone had told him that people who procrastinate are lazy. Procrastination is one of the topics I have been studying for my presentation on Time Management. If a person has ADD or ADHD and they procrastinate it is probably because they can’t selectively focus their attention. They get distracted by all stimuli and can’t figure out how to get started and will approach the task in a disorganized fashion. That does not mean they are lazy or unmotivated. It takes a superhuman effort to begin concentrating on a new task. Refocusing is painful. They may do great after they get started. Other possible reasons for procrastination are that the person dreads the task. They may not understand how much time the task will take. They may want to wait until the last minute, when the adrenaline gets flowing and be a hero and pull it out at the last second. Sometimes people procrastinate because they really feel the task is not really important or they don’t understand the repercussions that might come from not doing the task. They may see a task as too large and overwhelming and have not been taught to break large tasks down into manageable bits. Many times they are just living in the now and want to do something else at this moment. It is also very likely that on their “to-do” list they have started with the wrong task. For example: if you need to do those taxes, the first task on your calendar might be do locate and check off all the supporting paperwork. If you sit down to do the taxes at the last minute and haven’t done the first task, then it will be overwhelming and you will be up late and not working at your prime. Think of a task you have been putting off. Do any of the above possibilities fit your situation?
