Look at your to-do list. If you're like most working moms, it's very long and full of some very important things that must get done both at work and at home.
Look at the list again and be honest. Have some of those important tasks been on there longer than they should be? Are you feeling the stress of having undone tasks hanging over your head yet you can't seem to get motivated to do them? Perhaps procrastination is the problem.
What is Procrastination?
According to TheFreeDictionary.com, procrastination is "the act of procrastinating; putting off or delaying or deferring an action to a later time."
The definition of the root word procrastinate is a little more personal. TheFreeDictionary.com defines procrastinate as "to put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness."
Ouch! That definition might have hit a little too close to home.
The Costs Associated With Procrastination
Even though you'd probably rather think about this topic later (pun intended), there are some real costs associated with procrastination:
- At work - Procrastination could be holding you back in your career, perhaps eliminating you from consideration for a promotion or additional job responsibilities. After all, if you can't get your current responsibilities completed, why would your employer think you could handle more? If you're a chronic procrastinator, it may be affecting your work performance to the point that you're in jeopardy of losing your job.
- At home - Procrastination at home may mean your house is cluttered to the point that you are embarrassed to invite others over; it may mean you're habitually late paying bills and incur penalties and fines; or it may mean you miss tax deadlines each year and must file extensions.
- For your family - Your family can be negatively impacted by your procrastination if you miss deadlines for field trip forms or wait so long to sign your child up for summer camp that there are no more openings and he is placed on a waiting list. And, of course, if your procrastination negatively impacts your finances, your family will suffer as well.
- For you - What about you personally? The negative impacts of procrastination can be stressful and may be affecting your sleep, your health and your mental well-being.
What is procrastination? Procrastination is when the delaying or deferring of an action to a later time, for whatever reason, negatively impacts you, your family, your work or your home life.