[2022 Reading Review] Psychology for Lazy Perfectionists

https://product.kyobobook.co.kr/detail/S000061586007

This article analyzes the habit of procrastination.

In general, I am not prone to procrastination. When it comes to assignments and work, I tend to finish them in advance and then relax. Fortunately, the results of the book's test on procrastination revealed that I am not a procrastinator.

Still, it doesn't mean that my child doesn't have the habit of procrastination. I have a habit of procrastinating, mainly when it comes to things that make me nervous and worried about not succeeding or failing. For example, applying for a company interview or taking an English speaking test. There is no such thing as perfection, but it is difficult to rush into action because you think you might need to prepare a little more than you are now.

So, I don't think I'm a perfectionist, but I read it because I felt like there were some aspects of me that resembled a lazy perfectionist.

The author says that procrastination habits can be divided into passive procrastination and active procrastination. Passive procrastination is simply putting off tasks repeatedly, saying that once you finish this task, you will start doing something else. Active procrastination refers to intentionally putting off work by thinking that starting from reaching the deadline will increase efficiency.

The following phrase from the book struck me.

People with anxiety disorders are often so preoccupied with worrying about making the 'right' choice that if they make the wrong choice, they may avoid making a decision at all.

Although it is not enough to be called an anxiety disorder, there are often cases where people postpone making a choice because they are anxious, that is, as mentioned above, because they lack confidence that they will succeed. Looking back, there were times when I hesitated and made a different choice even if I had the opportunity for an interview, wondering if it would be possible. There is no right answer. This is because it may have been a real shortcoming or a good conclusion could have come about due to unexpected luck.

So, as suggested in the book

‘It will be a challenge, but I can do difficult things’

I think we need this mindset. Positive thinking always seems to help. Although I said I felt anxious above, I think I need to banish some negative thoughts and believe in myself more.

Humans are very bad at guessing the time needed to complete a task.

I burst out laughing at this part, because it was something I could empathize with so much. When going to an appointment, even if you look at the Kakao Subway app or Naver Map, there are times when you arrive much earlier than the actual arrival time. And when it came to cleaning up the house, there were times when what started out as a 30-minute task took over an hour. So I think it's better to start early. This is because you don't have to procrastinate, and you feel at ease even if you arrive early at the meeting point.

The book is a helpful text to analyze your procrastination habits and to reflect on and understand yourself. On the one hand, the question of what to do was ambiguous. I was a little disappointed that it seemed abstract to me rather than an exact solution. Still, I had never tried to think more deeply and understand my procrastination habits, so reading the book was a great opportunity to get to know myself.