Procrastination Confabulation

I just finished reading a book called The On-Time, On-Target Manager. It was sub-titled “How a ‘Last Minute Manager’ Conquered Procrastination”. I knew when I read the sub-title that this book was for me, and besides, it was co-written by one of my favorite self-help authors, Ken Blanchard. When I was trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, after seven years teaching in Missouri and a year as a stay-at-home Mom, I stumbled upon The One Minute Manager and have been a fan ever since. For a while, I read anything I could get my hands on by this guy. His style of teaching a lesson through telling a story makes important ideas not only easy to read, but fun and memorable too. I followed the first book with Leadership and the One Minute Manager and was glad to find a book written in a similar style, co-authored by Blanchard’s co-author, Spencer Johnson, (The One Minute Teacher) when I decided teaching was truly what I wanted to do after all. This summer I read Gung Ho! and my library bag currently holds The Heart of a Leader.

Wow! This was not supposed to be a post for the One Minute Fan Club, but I’m easily side-tracked, unfortunately. I think this is part of why I appear to be such a procrastinator in the first place. But then again, that may be where the “confabulation” part comes in. As I was pondering a title for this post, I ran across this word and immediately thought “That’s it!” The definition:

The tips about priorities involve how to “triage” the four categories of activities we are faced with every day:

1. The things we want to do and have to do.
2. The things we have to do but don’t want to do.
3. The things we want to do but don’t have to do.
4. The things we don’t want to do and don’t have to do.

Propriety is about rights:

• Do the right thing.
• Do it for the right reason.
• Do it with the right people.
• Do it at the right time.
• Do it in the right order.
• Do it with intensity.
• Do it for the right results.

Commitment is summed up with the phrase “Ya’ gotta’ wanna’,” or What do you want to do? and Why do you want to do it?

I guess a big reason people procrastinate is confusing being busy with being productive. We fill up our time with loads of little, unimportant things, while neglecting the really necessary things we should be working on. For me, this maybe goes back to being somewhat of a perfectionist as well. If I can’t do something the exact way I want it done, I just usually don’t do it.

In the sidebar, where I’ve shared a bit about myself, I tell how I start things, but don’t finish. Part of my current confabulation is that I am a procrastinating perfectionist. I’m determined to get my priorities in line, somehow though, and will address my progress in future posts.

Some of the material for this post is from Blanchard, Ken et.al. The on-Time, on-Target Manager. New York: William Morrow, 2004.