There's a very funny cult science fiction series called Red Dwarf.
In it,
There's a fantastically nerdy character called Rimmer.
Rimmer is a hologram,
But that's incidental here.
He's the lowest ranking member of the crew and a fussy,
Bureaucratic neurotic coward.
He is continually trying to better himself.
As a result,
He takes loads of exams so he can be promoted to a higher class of officer in the Space Corps.
In one hilarious episode,
He creates an elaborate and complex revision timetable.
It takes him so long to create it that by the end of the process,
He has to update it again to accommodate the missing time he's created.
As a result,
He gets into an endless loop,
Always modifying the revision timetable,
But never quite getting around to any actual revision.
If Rimmer was ever to be promoted,
He would be called upon for more onerous and potentially more dangerous duties.
As he is a natural coward,
He is expert at becoming creatively uncreative,
About doing anything that might result in him having to stand up and be counted.
So if we find ourselves procrastinating,
We can see this as a symptom of a deeper malaise.
Our procrastination is almost certainly a tactic to avoid doing something we would rather not do.
This is especially true if the thing we are avoiding would expose us in some shape or some form.
So breathe in,
And breathe down.
The first key to dealing with procrastination is to acknowledge that it is in operation.
Then at least we can start to tackle the underlying issue.
The second key is to thank it for coming along,
And for giving us the opportunity to grow and evolve as a person.
The third key involves us taking some action.
And that's to think about what has caused the procrastination to arise in the first place.
Is there a pattern of external events that causes this internal reaction?
Is there something that we are avoiding?
And if so,
Then think about when it first occurred in your life,
And what happened then to make us so fearful now?
Take your time mulling over this,
And do not give yourself a hard time.
When we deal with the underlying cause of procrastination at its source,
We are then able to become superbly productive and creative.
