Psst … come here, I have something to tell you. I didn’t write this column until the day before my deadline. I procrastinated. You know, the very thing that I always yell at my kids NOT to do. And it wasn’t that I didn’t have time, either. I did. Lots of it. But every time I sat down to write and that blank page stared back at me, I panicked. Suddenly, any other task seemed like a better idea. Heck, I rearranged my sock drawer rather than writing. Did you know that there is a correct way to fold socks and place them in your drawer? I do because I researched it rather than writing! The only reason why I started writing is because my son, no doubt to get out of writing an essay for one of his college classes, asked to read my latest column. Boy, did I feel like a hypocrite when I yelled at him to stop procrastinating!
Procrastination … we all do it. At some point, we all put off doing a task that we know needs to get done in favor of one that seems more enjoyable. (Which really says a lot when I would rather sort socks than write!) But, why do we procrastinate? Some researchers have viewed procrastination as a lack of self-control. Others say it is just laziness or even genetics. There are a few scientists that amusingly link procrastination to perceptions of time and the difference between what they call “the present and future self,” aka THE HOMER SIMPSON PHENOMENA. I, of course, had to watch an episode of The Simpsons to see what they meant after reading that. It was in the name of research and not me procrastinating. (I thought if I typed that out, I would feel better about the three episodes in a row I watched instead of writing. Oops.) Anyway, I kind of get what these scientists meant after viewing the episode where Marge is scolding her husband, Homer, about not spending more time with his kids, and Homer, who is pouring vodka into a half-full mayo jar which he then proceeds to drink (I know, gross), says, “That’s a problem for future Homer. Man, I don’t envy that guy.” I can understand how this Homer theory of procrastination may explain my kids putting off doing their homework, but I don’t think my waiting to write this piece till the last minute was me leaving it for future Sharon to deal with. I mean, come on, sorting socks is not that thrilling and enjoyable. No, my procrastination most likely falls under a different syndrome scientists often talk about – The Imposter.
Imposter Syndrome is that feeling that you are a fraud, as if your success is based solely on luck and not talent or hard work. According to an article published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science, an estimated 70% of people have felt this way at least one time in their life, too. And it’s not just writers like myself who are feeling it; executives, medical students, real estate agents, marketing managers, even moms and dads can feel like they are fakes. It is easy to see how feeling this way can lead to procrastination. Why should I start a project if I feel like whatever I produce will not be good enough? The more I think about it, I think a lot of today’s kids are feeling this way, too. But the reality is that not everything we do is going to be perfect; we won’t always get As, close the deal, sell the house, land the account, write a great article. Oh, gosh … just typing that makes me want to go back to sorting socks.
But what if we, as a society, started to re-evaluate what success truly looks like? What if instead of teaching our kids that getting into an Ivy League school, making lots of money, becoming a CEO are the most important things, we taught them that just the process of trying and being a productive member of society is what matters. Would we all be less prone to procrastinate, to take chances, to try? I don’t know the answer to those questions. I do know that I think I will take another look at my sock drawer and then watch a few more episodes of The Simpsons before I try writing more about it! Some habits are harder to break than others.
