Procrastination

Procrastination is a negative form of fear. Fear of success and/or fear of failure. The fear of extending beyond your "safe" comfort level. Some fear they don't deserve the rewards of becoming the best they can be. Fear is a bitch with many disguises. Sometimes knowing what something really is helps people to move forward.

Changeling1 said:

Procrastination is a negative form of fear. Fear of success and/or fear of failure. The fear of extending beyond your "safe" comfort level.

Click to expand...

Really? I thought it was putting things off.

When I saw this thread, I put off reading it, in case it was about me.

Matt

Bruce,
Re-read your book, Finely Focused. See the section called, "Charge the Ambush".

And yes, I've been known to procrastinate. Developing negatives, housecleaning and decluttering are my worst things, it seems. However, I just decided that I wanted to get things done and have made a commitment to doing them. I loathe housecleaning, but make myself do it or else I'll be so miserable it's not funny. I find that if I declutter, housecleaning will be easier. Despite this, I haven't gotten all I wanted to get done with decluttering done. I have to be in the right mood.

I am currently trying to work my way out of a backlog of negatives, but keep shooting and not quite finishing one format before I tackle the second format. So, for the moment, I have decided to work with the one format and not worry about the other, I'll get to it at a later date. Procrastination? Probably. However, I feel that it is merely prioritizing what I need to get done.

Diane

BBarlow690 said:

I’ve thought about putting up this thread for months now…

I’ve “meant to” make several videos for three or four years now. I have everything I need to get them done, except, apparently, the will forces. I’ve “meant to” do a photography project photographing my own land for seven years. Not one keeper to date. I’ve told myself, and others, that I’ve started a portrait project using my 8x10. Not one negative yet. I've "meant to" photograph several old barns and buildings nearby, only to pass by as the bulldozer was busy.

Anybody else procrastinate? Any recovering procrastinators out there, and if so, what twelve steps have you used?

Click to expand...

colrehogan said:

Bruce,
Re-read your book, Finely Focused. See the section called, "Charge the Ambush".

Diane

Click to expand...

Hi, Diane, and everyone else, too.

Yeah, "Charging the Ambush" works, sometimes...but lately not always. And I'm interested in the root cause as well as treating the symptoms.

This has been a really interesting thread so far, with some very thoughtful ideas. Thank you, all!

Hey, Domenico - it's not being too tough on myself...you can't critique what you haven't done! I have no pix of my land because I have almost no negatives, even though I literally have only to step out the door.

And for others: speaking for myself, I'm far from a perfectionist, as Richard Ritter will attest (I can see him rolling his eyes behind his beard at the thought).

But I am intrigued by the idea of a negative form of fear, and sucking away the satisfaction of finally getting something done.

Others are welcome to chime in. This is fun.

I don't procrastinate. I really am just lazy ... :rolleyes:

Consistent hard work pays off in the long run but procrastination has immediate benefits.

hi bruce

i know where you are coming from.
i procrastinate as well, and i am very good at it!
sometimes though, i say to myself that
i have to do something at any cost
and somehow make time to do it.

i have a few projects or things to photograph in mind ( now )
but i am a realist, and i know i have no time and not enough sleep
to do any of it, so i will jot things down and some day i will
do it ( or some of it, or maybe none of it )
... maybe i will have a deadline or i will convince myself if i don't do
"these things" there will be dire circumstances
( thing gone, person dead, situation changed )
i don't know ... maybe it will probably be in a few years ..

just convince yourself " dire circumstances " .. grand illusions, sometimes work.

good luck!

john