Video 4: On Procrastination 4
Now, the Panic Monster explains all kinds of pretty insane procrastinator behavior, like how someone like me could spend two weeks unable to start the opening sentence of a paper.
And then miraculously find the unbelievable work ethic to stay up all night and write eight pages.
And this entire situation, with the three characters -- this is the procrastinator's system.
It's not pretty, but in the end, it works.
And this is what I decided to write about on the blog just a couple of years ago.
And when I did, I was amazed by the response.
Literally thousands of emails came in, from all different kinds of people from all over the world, doing all different kinds of things.
These are people who were nurses, bankers, painters, engineers and lots and lots of PhD students.
And they were all writing, saying the same thing: "I have this problem too."
But what struck me was the contrast between the light tone of the post and the heaviness of these emails.
These people were writing with intense frustration about what procrastination had done to their lives, about what this Monkey had done to them.
And I thought about this, and I said, well, if the procrastinator's system works, then what's going on?
Why are all of these people in such a dark place? Well, it turns out that there's two kinds of procrastination.
Everything I've talked about today, the examples I've given, they all have deadlines. And when there's deadlines, the effects of procrastination are contained to the short term because the Panic Monster gets involved.
But there's a second kind of procrastination that happens in situations when there is no deadline.
So if you wanted a career where you're a self-starter - something in the arts, something entrepreneurial -
there's no deadlines on those things at first, because nothing's happening, not until you've gone out and done the hard work to get momentum, get things going.
There's also all kinds of important things outside of your career that don't involve any deadlines, like seeing your family or exercising and taking care of your health, working on your relationship or getting out of a relationship that isn't working.
Questions:
1. How does procrastinator's system affect Urban?
> He avoids doing work until he starts to panic and then works very hard.
2. How does the second form of procrastination Urban motions differ from the first?
> It doesn't have deadlines, so it's much harder to find motivation.
3. In situations without clear deadlines, people?need to work harder to build momentum.
4. So if you wanted a career?where?you're a self-starter — something in the arts, something entrepreneurial — there's no?deadlines?on those things at first, because nothing's happening, not?until?you've gone out and done the hard work to get?momentum?, get things?going.
5. Before Urban wrote his blog post on procrastination, he thought?there was only one kind of procrastination.
Now if the procrastinator's only mechanism of doing these hard things is the Panic Monster, that's a problem, because in all of these non-deadline situations, the Panic Monster doesn't show up. He has nothing to wake up for.
So the effects of procrastination, they're not contained; they just extend outward forever.
And it's this long-term kind of procrastination that's much less visible and much less talked about than the funnier, short-term deadline-based kind.
It's usually suffered quietly and privately.
And it can be the source of a huge amount of long-term unhappiness, and regrets.
And I thought, you know, that's why these people are emailing, and that's why they're in such a bad place.
It's not that they're cramming for some project.
It's that long-term procrastination has made them feel like a spectator, at times, in their own lives.
You know, the frustration is not that they couldn't achieve their dreams; it's that they weren't even able to start chasing them.
So I read these emails and I had a little bit of an epiphany -- that I don't think non-procrastinators exist.
That's right -- I think all of you are procrastinators.
Now, you might not all be a mess, like some of us, and some of you may have a healthy relationship with deadlines.
But remember: the Monkey's sneakiest trick is when the deadlines aren't there.
Now, I want to show you one last thing.
I call this a Life Calendar.
That's one box for every week of a 90-year life.
That's not that many boxes, especially since we've already used a bunch of those.
So I think we need to all take a long, hard look at that calendar.
We need to think about what we're really procrastinating on, because everyone is procrastinating on something in life.
We need to stay aware of the Instant Gratification Monkey.
That's a job for all of us.
And because there's not that many boxes on there, it's a job that should probably start today.
Well, maybe not today, but ...You know. Sometime soon. Thank you.
Exercises:
1. According to Urban what is the only thing that allows procrastinators to get work done?
a feeling of panic that happens as a deadline approaches
2. What is the main purpose of Urban's presentation?
to reflect on why and how people procrastinate
3. Urban suggests people to consider how short their lives are.
4. What does Urban suggest at the end of his presentation?
Knowing why people procrastinate is just the first step in dealing with it.
5. If the procrastinator's only?mechanism?of doing these hard things is the Panic Monster, that's a problem,?because?in all of these non-deadline?situations?, the Panic Monster doesn't?show?up.
Repeat & Read Sentences:
1. Our feelings about procrastination are usually suffered quietly and privately.
2. This is what I decided to write about on the blog a couple of years ago.
3. I thought about the response I got and I said, well, if the procrastinator's system works, then why this response? Why are all of these people in such a dark place?
4. It's not that they're cramming for some project. Its's that long-term procrastination has made them feel like a spectator, at times, in their own lives.
5. What struck me was the contrast between the light tone of the post and the heaviness of these emails.
