Procrastination Protects The False Self
It’s a form of narcissism.
People procrastinate because it allows them to avoid reality.
When a project is completed, that’s it. It’s done. Errors and all.
The story you wrote is as good as it gets. The college applications got you into certain schools, and not others. The employment search landed you an offer at one firm- but not the one you really wanted. The novel you wrote either did well- or it flopped.
Finishing a project is where the buck stops. What happens next is called “reality.” It’s where the cold hard truth of the fruits of your efforts is presented to the world, for better or worse.
Procrastination is a way for people to avoid reality- but only in their own minds.
Procrastination gives people an excuse for why their novel flopped, or their screenplay didn’t sell, or why they didn’t land an offer from the school or employer of their choice.
Procrastination affords them the lie that “if I had only had more time, things would have turned out differently.”
The procrastinator rushes the night before a project is due to complete it. He stays up until 2 am. There, amidst cups of coffee and crumpled paper and scribbled notepads, the project finally gets done.
