Are impulsiveness and procrastination evil twins? Some say they are the same being in different guises.
"Have you ever seen them in the same room together?" some ask. Though they appear to have distinct differeces, these two states of being tend to have the same effect. They can act as diversions from doing what you really want to do and may lead you to take your mind off your goal.
Impulsiveness is the tendency to act on a whim without thinking things through or considering the consequences. Procrastination is finding reasons not to act on your plan for achieving a goal that you desire. According to self-improvement author James Clear, the ancient Greeks invented a word that represents both of the evil twins: AKRASIA. Its meaning is the tendency to choose to do things that you know will not be beneficial, such as running across a busy road or deciding to watch TV instead of studying for an exam.
Clear suggests that the root of this issue lies in the difference between our present self and our future self. Our present self can easily make plans for our future self, however only our present self can act upon them. For example, our future self is going to sit for an exam but our present self would rather watch TV and leave the hard work for our future self to do. We may choose to watch re-runs of shows like "Starsky and Hutch" which we don’t even like, because we like study even less.
The key to overcoming this disparity is right action. It is up to us to find a way to commit to our priorities and not act on passing whims that divert us from our goal. To attain our goals, we must cultivate a "bias for action". To avoid being run over, a "bias for thinking before acting" is required. It may sound tricky but self discipline is the answer. Once you decide to do something worthwhile for your future self, you have the power to choose to be a better friend to that future self by taking appropriate action to make it happen.
Some of us have become so accustomed to living in a state of AKRASIA that we relinquish our power to make decisions. We allow decisions to be made for us by outside circumstances. When we surrender the locus of control over our lives this way, we become passive recipients of whatever fortune dishes out; like re-runs of the 70’s cop show "Starsky and Hutch".
Impulsivity and procrastination are lifestyle approaches that actually encourage us to blame and complain rather than taking action to get things done. You may end up blaming "Starsky and Hutch" when you fail tomorrow’s exam.
By Warren Heggarty from Panorama Magazine
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