Requiem For A Procrastinator

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Dearly beloved,

We are gathered here to celebrate the passing of Procrastinating Jerod Morris, as we also mourn the many lost opportunities caused directory by his incessant and pervasive habit of putting things off.

Procrastinating Jerod Morris passed on to another plane yesterday, July 13th of the year Two Thousand and Eleven, some 29 years and 364 days after his birth. 

Image source: GordonAndTheWhale.com

On his death bed, Procrastinating Jerod Morris had these final words to say:

I lived a good life, a happy life, and certainly a life devoid of great shame or excessive regret; but unfortunately yes, there was some regret. These few regrets came from things I always wanted to do, that I always meant to do, that I knew should do, but that somehow I always found a way to push off until later.

Now, as I head towards this bright white enlightened light, I no longer have any future time to put things off onto.

You see, 30 years of age was always the deadline, the horizon; and I never spent much time looking past that. Thirty years old always seemed so far out there, and it always seemed like I had so much time; so, so what if I don’t do something now? I’ve got all the time in the world to get it done before 30.

Or so the jackwagon inside of me thought.

But now my time has come. The requiem for the procrastinator has begun, to be followed soon by the renaissance of a more proactive man.

As 29 years and 364 days turns into 30 years and no days, the horizon on Procrastinating Jerod Morris has finally reached the foreground, it has invaded the present. The checks have come due. The piper is demanding his money. Yet I have no plan for the present nor the future, and I cannot repay my debts.

So I must move on, and allow Jerod Morris to do the same without me.

In unloving memory, we lay Procrastinating Jerod Morris to rest today.

In memoriam, Procrastinating Jerod Morris’ next of kin, Proactive Jerod Morris, has asked that in lieu of flowers or donations, everyone dishonor the memory of the fallen by choosing at least one thing that they could put off until tomorrow and instead do it today. Cross it off the to-do list early.

It’s not what Procrastinating Jerod Morris would have done, but perhaps after taking inventory of the unfulfilled potential of his days, it is what he would now want.

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(You can turn off the creepy music now…)

Remember that it is never to late to change, and it is never too late to turn a bad habit into a good one. Humble yourself with the realization that you want to change, or need to change, and then take pride in making it a reality. That’s what I am trying to do with my nasty little habit of procrastinating.

I have finally realized that I’ll never get all I want out of life if I keep putting off the nuts and bolts activities that may not always be fun, but that are nevertheless necessary. Sometimes short-term sacrifices have to be made for long-term gains; the mind of the procrastinator does not always see that.

For anyone else looking to have their own requiem for the procrastinator inside them, feel free to share your story below. Or just share something you did today (or rightnow) that shows your commitment to a procrastination-free life. Sometimes the simple act of sharing an activity or experience, and then being lauded for it, can help reinforce the desire to do that activity again.

I’m sure I won’t be perfect in not procrastinating. A certain challenge awaits. It will not surprise me when the vampire of Procrastinating Jerod rears his ugly, lifeless, no-good head in my direction and tries to distract me; but I’m doing my best to prepare for it with specific strategies (which I’ll share soon) to ensure I’m not just doing the same things all over again.

Because doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result is nothing more than insanity.

And in a lot of ways, allowing yourself to excessively procrastinate is the same thing.

I’m ready to take some real steps to change that about myself. Who’s with me?

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* – Song credit: Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell off the Requiem For A Dream soundtrack.