Chapter One
| Procrastination | Laziness |
|---|---|
| Procrastination is a long-term condition. It can last for years and stay with a person into the future without end. | Laziness comes and goes. The lazy person has far more control over his condition than the procrastinator could ever dream of having. |
| The procrastinator feels regret over his inaction and says, “I should have,” “Why don’t I?” and, “Why didn’t I take care of that when I had the chance?” | The lazy person acknowledges his situation with, “Yeah, I’m lazy, that’s me!” safe in the knowledge that he will act, long before it’s absolutely necessary. |
| Procrastination involves the cessation of important and even essential activities. A procrastinator may discover that he has run out of food or come home to no electricity because he hasn’t paid his bill for months. | While a lazy person may put things off, he also keeps one eye on his deadlines. He may come close to disaster, but he gets a jolly thrill after coming close to the edge of the falls, while not going over the side. |
| The procrastinator is very unhappy with his way of life and wants to change, but he doesn’t know any other way of life. | The lazy person is quite satisfied with his life and is generally as happy as anyone else. He’s apt to sum up his situation with, “It’s no big deal!” |
As we can see in the above chart, there are several differences between procrastination and laziness. The first difference is that procrastination is a long-term problem. Many procrastinators complain that they’ve suffered with the condition for years and don’t have any expectations of living any differently. On the other hand, many persons who accept that they have a lazy-streak often claim that it’s not a big an issue for them because their laziness comes and goes over time, depending upon how involved they care to be. A second point is that the procrastinator is puzzled by his errant so, why don’t I take care of them? “Conversely, the lazy person is the first to admit to his situation, because he knows full well that when he needs to act, whether he wants to or not, that he will.
In addition, many procrastinators find difficulty in keeping track of important future dates, like appointments, even when they may be
