(with apologies to R.D. Laing):

I want to live, I don’t want to die, if I am not in control I might get hurt or taken advantage of, which might mean that I lose control so completely that I end up becoming weak and unable to take control and therefore will die; in order to be in control i have to do things well, i have to do things better than others or else they will take control, to be in control i have to do everything better than anybody else, therefore i must do each thing perfectly; in order to do everything better than everyone else (a.k.a. perfectly) i need to make sure i am as best prepared as possible, i need to have all the things i need, and space, to do everything i do perfectly, which is better than anyone else does them, so that i will be in control so that i won’t lose control and get hurt or taken advantage of which might mean that I lose control so completely that I end up becoming weak and unable to take control and therefore will die …

ok, you’re going to die.

so stop spending your life trying not to die, and start living until you do.

ps: btw, you may wish to consider which eternal residence you would prefer to live in when you do die. I would strongly recommend that you do NOT put THAT decision off, as i hear it’s … well, final.

I am always distracted by worries about the finances of funding the projects or doing other things that do not really count towards achieving my goals. I have learnt a lot from this wonderful clip and would make the neccessary adjustments and be more focused.

Thanks Anth, Thanks for the tips and your mentorship.

Tolu

Nice to know many others go through the same boat, and you are not alone.

Because I am so focused on my study stuff, i won’t do anything else , but end up sleeping.

It is scary and stressful, I even get raised heartbeats and feel guilty.

One pattern I noticed is that, It is when I feel that it is too challenging / lack of time that I procrastinate more.

I keep a log of what I do each day, these days, so hopefully I’ll get out of it.

Thank you for the marvellous illustration, please may I play the video clip to my students in secondary school?

I look forward to hearing from you

Regards and best wishes

Pam

Well… See, CONSCIENCE procrastination is one problem - you KNOW when you’re putting something off and need to be doing something more important than what you’re currently doing - and doing after that. But “automatic” procrastination can really be tragic, actually, if you find that every DAY you are not getting your “stuff” done, even though every day you start fresh with new optimism, hoping for a productive day.

All sorts of things can get in the way of getting my stuff done, and I guess one thing you can do is figure out what your priorities really ARE - and why exactly you are resisting so much doing what you’re always putting off. It can be a problem when you have a poor sense of time, or you’re just slow to get things happening, or if you happen to be someone who sometimes finds themself THINKING about what needs to be done, planning it, or buying what you need to plan it, etc, but ultimately not doing what needs to be done. I find it both amusing but troubling at the same time that I’ve read procrastination self-help books, and a book called “Getting Things Done”, but I think I’m doing more reading than action…

I hope this isn’t another form of procrastination, but that video really reminded me of the truth of my life! And what I want to do is be diligent about making a time-log, and accounting for ALL my time through the day for a week or two, and see where I am actually wasting time, or what the problem is! I really want to take my life back!

Thanks for the great video! A laugh, and an eye-opener.