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Pastimes : My House -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kid Rock who wrote (116)	9/5/2002 11:49:17 AM
From: Lazarus_Long	Respond to of 7689

Agreed. And she should take it back. But gurlz just don't get engineering.

To: Kid Rock who wrote (116)	9/5/2002 5:56:32 PM
From: Poet	Respond to of 7689

I take it back if it means that much to you. :-)

To: Kid Rock who wrote (116)	9/5/2002 9:59:00 PM
From: Neenny	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7689

Thought of you today!! Tomorrow... Tomorrow: Why We Procrastinate by Hara Marano There are many ways avoid success in life, but the most surefire way just might be procrastination. Procrastinators sabotage themselves. They put obstacles in their own paths. They actually choose paths that hurt their performance. Why would people do that? I talked to two of the world's leading experts on procrastination: Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago, and Timothy Pychyl, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Neither one is a procrastinator, and both answered my many questions immediately. 10. Twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them procrastination is a lifestyle, albeit a maladaptive one. And it cuts across all domains of their life. They don't pay bills on time. They miss opportunities for buying tickets to concerts. They don't cash gift certificates or checks. They file income tax returns late. They leave their Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve. 9. It's not trivial, although as a culture we don't take it seriously as a problem. It represents a profound problem of self-regulation. And there may be more of it in the U.S. than in other countries because we are so nice; we don't call people on their excuses ("my grandmother died last week") even when we don't believe them. 8. Procrastination is not a problem of time management or planning. Procrastinators are not different in their ability to estimate time, although they are more optimistic than others. "Telling someone who procrastinates to buy a weekly planner is like telling someone with chronic depression to just cheer up," insists Dr. Ferrari. 7. Procrastinators are made not born. Procrastination is learned in the family milieu, but not directly. It is one response to an authoritarian parenting style. Having a harsh, controlling father keeps children from developing the ability to regulate themselves, from internalizing their own intentions and then learning to act on them. Procrastination can even be a form of rebellion, one of the few forms available under such circumstances. What's more, under those household conditions, procrastinators turn more to friends than parents for support, and their friends may reinforce procrastination because they tend to be tolerant of their excuses. 6. Procrastination predicts higher levels of consumption of alcohol among those people who drink. Procrastinators drink more than they intend to -- a manifestation of generalized problems in self-regulation. That is over and above the effect of avoidant coping styles that underlie procrastination and lead to disengagement via substance abuse. 5. Procrastinators tell lies to themselves. Such as, "I'll feel more like doing this tomorrow." Or "I work best under pressure." But in fact they do not get the urge the next day or work best under pressure. In addition, they protect their sense of self by saying "this isn't important." Another big lie procrastinators indulge in is that time pressure makes them more creative. Unfortunately they do not turn out to be more creative; they only feel that way. They squander their resources on avoiding. 4. Procrastinators actively look for distractions, particularly ones that don't take a lot of commitment on their part. Checking email is almost perfect for this purpose. They distract themselves as a way of regulating their emotions such as fear of failure. 3. There's more than one flavor of procrastination. People procrastinate for different reasons. Dr. Ferrari identifies three basic types of procrastinators: Arousal types or thrill-seekers: They wait to the last minute for the euphoric rush. Avoiders:These are people who may be avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success. In either case they are very concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability. Decisional procrastinators: Those who cannot make a decision. Not making a decision absolves procrastinators of responsibility for the outcome of events. 2. There are big costs to procrastination. Health is one. Just over the course of a single academic term, procrastinating college students had such evidence of compromised immune systems as more colds, flu, and gastrointestinal problems. And they had insomnia. In addition, procrastination has a high cost to others as well as oneself; it shifts the burden of responsibilities onto others, who in turn become resentful. Procrastination destroys teamwork in the workplace and in private relationships. 1. Procrastinators can change their behavior, but doing so consumes a lot of mental energy. And it doesn't necessarily mean one feels transformed internally. It can be done with highly structured cognitive behavioral therapy. Hara Estroff Marano is Editor-At-Large of Psychology Today magazine and Editor-In-Chief of Psychology Today's Blues Buster, a newsletter about depression. An award-winning writer on human behavior, Hara’s articles have appeared in publications including the New York Times, Smithsonian, Family Circle and The Ladies Home Journal. She lives in New York City.