My husband and I just completed a road trip from Atlanta to Kansas City and back.  Somewhere along the way, I saw a sign that said, “Someday is today!” and many years ago I came across the saying, “Someday isn’t a day of the week!”  I love both of those quips and my mind sort of camped out on them for a bit as we traveled down the road.

All of us are prone to put things off at times.  Our reasons are as varied as we are and our excuses for putting things off can be rather elaborate.  Some of us have a greater tendency toward that malady than others.  In fact, some of us are chronic procrastinators.

The Dominant (D) type personality typically isn’t afraid of a challenge and prefers to “attack” a task and get it over and done with so that they can move on to the next task.  And, nothing feels better to them than to be able to check those things off their list.

However, one thing that may cause them to procrastinate is when they face a situation or task they surmise they may not be able to “win” at doing.  D’s don’t typically like playing anything if they don’t think they can win, so if a task seems too daunting or is one for which they lack the necessary skills to do adequately, they are likely to put off that task as long as possible.

The Inspiring (I) type individual is prone to putting off things that don’t have an element of fun to them or a task that would take a lot of time to complete.  I’s like short-term projects, so the thought of doing something long-term tends to de-energize them and gives them reason to procrastinate.  And, certainly if the task does not have an element of fun to it, they will not be motivated to even start it.

Of all the personality styles, the Supportive (S) type has the greatest tendency to put things off until another time.  One of their mottos seems to be, “Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?”  Or, maybe this one: “I’ll do it when I get around to it.”

For the S-type, the thing that seems to cause them to drag their feet the most in starting a project or task is the “how-to”.  If they are unclear on how to do what they need to do, they are very hesitant to start.  And, if it is a task they must do alone, it may become one of those things they put off until tomorrow.  They much prefer doing tasks with someone else, or better yet, a team of people.

The Cautious (C) type personality is driven by rules and doing the “right thing,” so if they have determined that the task at hand is something they “ought” to do or is the “right thing” to do, they are not as likely to put it off.  However, they are also agenda and schedule driven, so if the task they are asked to do isn’t on their self-made schedule or agenda, they may be resistant to doing it and want to put it off as long as possible.

One thing is certain; procrastination can cause all of us a good deal of stress no matter what our personality style.  When we put things off until a later time, they seem to compound because life doesn’t stop until we decide to do them.  It then becomes easy to reach the level of overwhelm, which only serves to complicate the matter.

But, since this is a self-inflicted malady, it is something that we can eliminate by adopting and utilizing the mantra, “Someday is not a day of the week!  Someday is TODAY!”

I am a speaker/trainer/coach and I would love to speak at your next event or help you maximize your potential. To find out more, go to www.align90.com

 

Tags: Personality