Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day and Selective Sloth

My industrious children surrounded by evidence of my sloth.
I have a wonderful life.

I was reading this article from Kyria on sloth. Me, slothful? No way. But I'm guilty of selective sloth---"diligent in a few areas of [my life] while [I] procrastinate terribly in others."
I'm not guilty of maintenance procrastination, but I definitely fell into the developmental procrastination---and last year was my comeuppance. I was complaining a few weeks ago that I wished I'd felt the way I feel now last year. My colleague asked me if I would have taken the time to do what I've been working on this past year and I said no, my MO is to go full-tilt, balls-to-the-wall all out. "There you go," he said. "You have to pay the piper at some point."

The book, "Do It Now! Break the Procrastination Habit," by Dr William J. Knaus, describes developmental procrastination:
People who avoid self-development activities will normally describe themselves as depressed, anxious, immobilized, or in a rut. Developmental procrastination involves needless delays in:
  • Dealing with troublesome personal problems;
  • Taking advantage of leisure activities that add pleasure to life and create a sense of balance;
  • Improving career opportunities;
  • Developing qualities to improve the depth and quality of significant interpersonal relationships;
  • Building on aesthetic, spiritual, and educational interests,
  • Learning and taking advantage of the tools of the electronic and information revolutions.

Well, I have my work cut out for me. Happy Mother's Day!