Procrastination is all about time.
Procrastinators underestimate the overall time required to complete a task, start tasks at the last minute, and complain that there is never enough time to do everything.
Latest research reveals that procrastination is strongly connected with your time orientation.
What's time orientation?
According to Philip Zimbardo, author of The Time Paradox, there are six main "time zones" where people can live:
Past Positive:
People who are focused on the Past Positive live with much consideration to the past because of the joy they experienced before. They like remembering "good old times" and they often think that life was better some years or some decades ago. They base decisions on what has happened before, not what is happening now or may happen in the future.
Past Negative:
Some people are concerned about the past as well, but with more negative focus. They fear that some bad things they experienced before will happen again, they focus on regret, failure, and things that have gone wrong.
Present Positive (Hedonistic)
People who are focused on Present Positive always seek pleasure and move away from pain.They don't have much care or consideration for what's happened in the past, nor what may happen in the future. That's where the habit of procrastination really flourishes, because these people think short-term and constantly choose instant gratification over long-term results.
Present Negative (Fated)
People who are focused on Present Negative feel that it doesn't pay to plan because life has been handed to you and is somewhat pre-determined (fated) by your religion, current level of wealth, socioeconomic status, etc.
Future Positive
People who are focused on Future Positive tend to trust in decisions about the future because they assume that what they choose now will pan out as expected. These people are big fans of goal setting and most of successful individuals fall into this category.
Future Negative
People who are focused on Future Negative are usually called pessimists. The don't trust in decisions because they can't assume that what they choose now will pan out as expected in the future.
So, what's your time orientation?
I personally believe that we tend to spend most of our time in one time zone, but we can train ourselves to shift between the time zones as needed.
Focus on the Future Positive when setting your goals and working on your action plan. But don't forget to switch to Present Positive from time to time to enjoy some pleasurable moments
CAclubindia
