Jeffery Combs - The Procrastination Cure: 7 Steps To Stop Putting Life Off

This appendix will provide you with a series of 40 true-or-false questions to assist you in identifying your current level of procrastination, as well as give you a clear understanding of what steps are necessary to execute your recovery plan. Take this quiz while youre in a relaxed environment where you can contemplate and answer the questions objectively. At the end of the questionnaire, youll be able to evaluate whether youre a procrastinator or a producer, and youll be able to determine if your procrastination borders on being chronic, or if youre a moderate procrastinator. Are you ready?

1. I return phone calls promptly. T/F

Does it take you a long time to get back to people, or do you do return phone calls promptly? Do you let your phone calls pile up in your voicemail, taking several days to get back to them? Or perhaps you dont ever get back to them at all. If youre really in the game, youre the kind of person who returns all phone calls promptly.

2. I make decisions quickly and promptly. T/F

Do you pontificate, hesitate, levitate, or meditate when it comes to deciding? Do you agonize over your decisions? Do you ask other people for insight on decisions youre about to make, or do you decide quickly? Do you promptly let go of the decisions you make? Do you doubt and undoubt, do and undo the decisions you make? Do you toss and turn because of what you did or didnt decide?

3. I never incur late fees for credit cards or overdue bills. T/F

Do you pay credit card bills on time, or do you let your statements stack up in a drawer until its overwhelming? Do you only pay the minimum due on your credit card statement, thereby incurring interest fees? Are you charged late fees for past-due bills? Are your finances organized so that you are aware of when a bill is due?

4. I do my Christmas and birthday shopping promptly and ahead of time. T/F

Do you wait until the last minute to buy gifts, or do you plan ahead for upcoming events? Do you operate in crisis mode? Do you send Christmas cards after Christmas? Do you send belated birthday cards, or do you miss birthdays altogether?

5. When I cook, I do my dishes quickly, not letting them pile up in the sink. T/F

Do you clean up after yourself, or do you allow dirty dishes to stack up in the sink and overflow onto the counters? Do you dry your dishes and put them away immediately, or do you let your dishes air dry in the sink, leaving them there until the next time you use them?

6. I dont delay starting on projects I have to do. T/F

Do you put off your honey-do projects until they become honey-I-dont-dos? Do you wait until the weekend, the end of the month, the end of the quarter, the end of six months, or the end of the year or until you can no longer get your car in the garage? Do you have good intentions at the beginning of a Saturday and then suddenly find that youve procrastinated the day away? Or do you go out and start a project, completing it so you can take the rest of the day off?

7. I pay my bills as soon as they arrive. T/F

Do you pay your bills right away, when they arrive? If youre like me, you pay the bills the very day you get them, even putting the stamp on the envelope. Do you allow your bills to compound? Do they pile up? Do you forget about them? Do you stuff them in a drawer? Do you lose them? Do you have a system for paying your bills, or do you wait until the very last minute when youre in chronic crisis mode?

8. I dont miss concerts and sporting events because I remember to buy tickets ahead of time. T/F

Do you wait until the last minute to buy tickets for concerts or sporting events, only to be disappointed because all the good seats are already taken? Or do you purchase them ahead of time, getting the best prices, the best value, and the best seats?

9. When there are recurring tasks that I should be doing (such as prospecting, marketing, and general business tasks), I dont avoid them because of perceived pain. T/F

Are you able to set a time, jump right in, and enjoy what you do? Or do you spend time avoiding the pain, inventing reasons to put off what you perceive as unpleasant? Do you go ahead and do what you say youre going to do?

10. I set regular dental checkups and medical appointments and I keep these appointments. T/F

Do you avoid the dentist because of perceived pain, putting off regular checkups until you really are in pain? Do you get regular physical checkups, following through with tests and bloodwork your physician recommends? Are you proactive about your health, or do you operate in denial?

11. When I travel, Im at the airport well in advance of my flight. Im never late, and I never miss my flights. T/F

Are you on time for your flight, or do you create adrenaline by frantically rushing? Do you arrive at the airport at the last minute? When theres a long line for security, do you fidget, worrying that youre not going to make your flight? Do you absolutely have to run to the gate? Have you ever been the last one on the plane, not because the planes delayed but because youre delayed? Or are you prompt, conscientious, on time, and relaxed when you arrive at the airport?

12. Im able to park my vehicle in my garage comfortably without a lot of clutter getting in the way. T/F

Do you have floor-to-ceiling clutter in your garage? Does one (or more) of your cars have to sit outside your garage because your garage is full of stuff?

13. My workspace is neat and orderly; its a very comfortable place from which to produce results. T/F

Is your desk clean and tidy, or is it an absolute disaster? Is your office in chaos? Would you be proud to let someone see your desk, or are you embarrassed to have anyone in your office?

14. I make lists, completing and crossing off items in a timely, relaxed, precise manner. T/F

Do you write down a list of what you intend to accomplish on a daily basis? Or do you resist making lists? Are you out of control? Do you forget what youre supposed to be doing? Do you end up being late, missing appointments, and relying on others to remind you?

15. I am good about organizing my errands, necessitating as few trips as possible. T/F

Do you run around like a chicken with its head cut off? Or do you efficiently plan your errands? Are you constantly going back and forth, picking up items that you forgot, or are you thorough and organized with a routine and a system?

16. I answer questions quickly without having to think about the answer. T/F

Do you answer questions decisively, or do you hem and haw until you can come up with an answer? Are you a person who can answer a question directly, or are you a person who tells a story?

17. I seldom repeat a question when someone asks me one. T/F

Have you trained yourself not to repeat a question? Or do you repeat the question someone asks you so you can stop and think about how to answer perfectly? Can you receive a question and then just state the answer, or do you have to think about it, repeat it, and take three to eight seconds to answer?

18. I seldom say um when answering a question or starting a sentence. T/F

Um is not a word; um is a sound. Do you fall into the habit of using this sound to buy yourself time, or are you decisive and congruent enough to drop this sound from your vocabulary?

19. Im detailed and prepared when I shop, and I seldom forget items. T/F