The Janus Plan: The Art of Avoidance

Someone posed a question to me recently that really caught my attention: “What do we gain from procrastination?” Why is it that certain things or projects tend to slip on our calendars or get buried deeper in a pile of things to do later?

One of the topics that Jobert E. Abueva addresses in The Janus Plan: A No-Resolutions Path to Begin Your Year with Intention is the practice of procrastination or avoidance. Here are some of the reasons he suggests.

Fear of failure. Often, we have anxiety about addressing something because we fear that we will fail. Perhaps it is because we have failed in the past? To be honest, if you have not failed, you probably have not tried something that really challenged you!

Perfectionism. Not quite like fear of failure, but an internal drive to be perfect. Seth Godin uses the term “time to ship.” At some point you need to produce, even if your final product is not perfect (from your point of view).

Overwhelm. Too many tasks or too big a project? If it’s too much to do, it’s time for triage:

What do I need to do? What can someone else do? What should not be done at all? If the task is too big, start cutting it into smaller chunks.

Lack of motivation. We have all heard the phrase, “If it is worth doing, it is worth doing well.” What if it is not worth doing? We enjoy completing those things that align with our passions and giftedness. Some other things we do out of basic need and a desire to survive. Which motivates you?

Abueva considers other reasons as well as ideas for overcoming them. If you are dealing with avoidance, I recommend him to you. Don’t beat yourself up, take action!

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