Procrastination, the first

I thought it might be nice to have a running tally of my attempts at fighting procrastination, insights gained, and so forth.

I can remember all the way back in grade school, getting behind on homework assignments and cranking stuff out at the last minute. Basically, I've been getting away with poor time management for a long time.

The first book I read about procrastination (which I still haven't finished) spent a lot of time trying to explain why they thought people procrastinated, focusing on perfectionism and fear of failure. For me, the only part that rang true was that it involved an unrealistic view of time and what can actually be accomplished before a given deadline. There's truth to that, but it still doesn't cover the tendency to avoid things even when a set time is chosen.

A few things that jump out at me personally that I've read so far:

* Lack of confidence in one's own abilities can trigger the impulse to delay
* The decision to delay vs. act is affected by multiple factors, including time left, perceived importance, ease of task, and interest in doing task
* It's more about general impulse control as opposed to rational decision making, much like addiction psychology

My wife's friend and co-worker, by what I've been told, has fought a lot of the same work and time failings as me, and recently lost her job over it. That gives me pause, much like seeing a fellow addict overdose.

I even put self-improvement in my marriage vows. My wife deserves the best husband I can be, and I can't afford to lose my job. This is serious business.