Procrastinators Anonymous
Procrastinators Anonymous is an almost exclusively online 12-STEP Program for procrastinators modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous. Procrastinators Anonymous is specifically directed toward chronic procrastinators, those individuals for whom procrastination has become a destructive way of life. Procrastinators Anonymous is also one of The Primary internet resources for chronic and compulsive procrastinators.
Procrastinators Anonymous focuses on addressing chronic procrastination (also referred to as compulsive avoidance) as an addictive behavior similar to [...] addiction or compulsive gambling.
Signs of Compulsive Procrastination
While many people procrastinate once in a while, approximately 20% of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. As outlined by Procrastinators Anonymous, the signs of compulsive procrastination (an individual need not have all of these signs to be a chronic procrastinator) include:
1. Disappointment is a way of life. We constantly disappoint other people and ourselves by not keeping our promises. 2. We have enormous difficulty getting started on new projects, or transitioning from one project to another. 3. We have a very poor sense of time, chronically underestimating or overestimating how long a task will take us to complete. 4. We have difficulty organizing projects by breaking them down into steps; we don't know where to start, even when we're willing to start. 5. We are surrounded by clutter and disorganization in our homes and work spaces. 6. We are regularly late for appointments. 7. We are acutely aware of what we should be doing, or think we should be doing, and oddly out of touch with what we actually want and need. 8. We feel uncomfortable saying "no" to requests from others, and instead express our resentment through the passive resistance of procrastination. 9. We suffer from Demand Resistance, causing us to do anything and everything except the one thing we most need to do. 10. We are short-term thinkers, focusing on short-term pleasure while ignoring long-term well-being.
Recognition of Procrastination as a Serious Problem
Though procrastination is often treated as a minor complaint, Procrastinators Anonymous makes special note that chronic procrastination is no laughing matter. Procrastination causes lawyers to be disbarred and small business owners to lose their businesses. People's lives fall apart and are destroyed due to procrastination. Indeed, members routinely note on the Procrastinators Anonymous forums that they feel empowered by simply finding others who recognize that procrastination can be an extremely serious and debilitating problem.