Are you a procrastinator? Actually, hang on — maybe that's the wrong question, since I'm sure we all procrastinate from time to time. Let me rephrase: What kind of procrastinator are you? Are the type who puts off working on a project until right before it's due, then pulls an all-nighter to get it done? Do you always turn everything in on time, but push off working on the things you'd rather not do by accomplishing other, less pressing things on your to-do list first? Do you kind of wish you didn't procrastinate at all? Well, good news: I found a flowchart that will both identify the kind of procrastinator you are, as well as help you strategize ways to minimize your bad habits.
Created by courier service Parcel Hero, the chart walks you through a number of different scenarios, ultimately sorting you into one of five different procrastination personalities: The Daredevil, the Self-Saboteur, the Ostrich, the Chicken, and the Perfectionist. Although all the situations you travel through to get to the end apply specifically to work, you can adapt them however you need to in order to fit other aspects of your life: How you deal with budgeting and finances, remembering your friends' birthdays, how you prep for a date, and so on. Here's what happened when I gave it a shot:
The first question asks you how good you are at meeting deadlines. I wouldn't say I panic about deadlines — but I do respect them, and I usually feel pressured not only to meet them, but also to turn projects in early if possible. I definitely don't cut corners, and I take my work seriously (probably too seriously sometimes); I also aim to make sure I turn out the best work I possibly can. This path shot me straight down the right hand side of the flow chart, which means I am a…
Perfectionist
Apparently this means that I will “settle for nothing less than perfection” — which is all well and good, except that absolute perfection is “essentially impossible” (unless you're Mary Poppins). That's pretty accurate; generally I won't turn anything in unless I know it's good. I'm not totally sure I agree with the second part of the description, which states, “You're ruled by what others think of you, delaying work until you can be sure other people won't criticize it.” First off, missing a deadline is unthinkable as far as I'm concerned (which means I guess I'm not really a procrastinator at all), and I don't typically worry what other people will think about it. I do, however, worry about what I think about my own work — I'm often my own worst critic, and I feel icky if I turn something in that I know could have been better.
That said, though, the tips offered for this particular type of personality are useful: “Set yourself reasonable targets that you know you can manage and do your best to meet them. Perfection is impossible, but you can learn from mistakes.” Ayyyy-men.
Follow the flowchart below to find out what kind of procrastinator you are — and what you can do to stop putting things off so much:
<img width="720" alt="What-type-of-procrastinator-are-you-V2" src="https://www.parcelhero.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/What-type-of-procrastinator-are-you-V2.png" height="4398" class="article-body-image" title="Image: https://www.parcelhero.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/What-type-of-procrastinator-are-you-V2.png"/>
Images: Lynn Friedman/Flickr; myfairjulie/Tumblr; Parcel Hero
