Is Procrastination Preventing You From Achieving Art Career Success?

As the director and curator of two online galleries in addition to maintaining this website and writing assignments, I have dozens of important projects and crucial activities to accomplish at all times. To meet deadlines I rely on many lists and other essential systems and practices that keep me on track. In my busy life procrastination is not an option.

To my disappointment I often have to remind artists several times to send us entries and materials for the online galleries and exhibitions even though they are notified well in advance. We receive a large number of submissions at the last minute — often with mistakes — because they are in a rush. They remind me that procrastination is a habit that haunts many creative individuals. Many artists tell me they suffer from it and it damages their self-esteem. They feel helpless.

Are you allowing procrastination to prevent you from achieving art career success? This article will help you. You’ll find an explanation of procrastination, its causes and many remedies.

What is Procrastination and What Do We Know About It?

According to wikipedia, procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished. It is the practice of doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, or carrying out less urgent tasks instead of more urgent ones, thus putting off impending tasks to a later time.

Sometimes, procrastination takes place until the “last minute” before a deadline. Procrastination can rear its ugly head in many aspects — from filing income taxes, to paying bills, to applying for grants, to making a doctor’s appointment…

If you are a habitual procrastinator rest assured you’re not alone. Twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators. For them procrastination is a lifestyle.

Procrastination is not something we’re born with or a trait reserved to certain professions. It is something we learn. It is often a response to an authoritarian, harsh, controlling parent. Procrastination can also manifest as a form of rebellion

According to an article in Psychology Today magazine, “Procrastinators sabotage themselves. They put obstacles in their own path. They actually choose paths that hurt their performance.”

Psychologists point out, those who procrastinate are very concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability.

Some of the reasons for procrastination are: fear of failure; fear of success; fear of change; fear of the unknown; fear of responsibilities; lack of motivation; lack of skill and lack of preparation.

Experts also point out that procrastinators actively look for distractions, particularly ones that don’t take a lot of commitment on their part. Checking e-mail is almost perfect for this purpose.

What I’ve learned is, generally speaking, the less focused professionally an artist is, the more they tend to procrastinate…  I’ve also observed, artists who enter our competitions at the last minute make more mistakes than others and therefore their entries are more vulnerable to disqualification.

How to Avoid Procrastination

“Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

If you want to avoid failure in life and your career, simply decide to avoid procrastination. The pain of trying to finish a project at the last hour is greater than confronting it immediately.  If you procrastinate excessively consider hiring a career coach who will keep you on schedule and encourage you to be accountable.

Try the Carrot or the Stick Approach
Seth Godin, (sethgodin.com) bestselling author, founder of Squidoo, and expert on effective marketing and leadership, offers advice on meeting deadlines. He wrote in a recent email: “Set up a method of reward or punishment with a third party. Money in escrow that goes to a cause you abhor. Public congratulations. Whatever the method, the point is the same: You’ve been trained since childhood to respond to external deadlines. For many people, that’s the only way to feel the magic of accomplishment.”

After you finish a dreaded task, reward yourself with a favorite activity or treat.

Finish Dreaded Tasks First
Most of us postpone a project we dislike, only to have it hang over our heads worrying about it, feeling guilty about not doing it, and finding excuses not to do it. If you just do it, you will feel a sense of relief.

Focus Your Mind on the Positive End Results
Often, the dreaded tasks are not as undesirable as we thought and will bring positive results. Keep in mind the good feelings you’ll have when the job is complete.

Improve Your Time Management Skills
Another tip is, focus on what successful artists do who don’t procrastinate. In my article Winning Traits of Successful Artists, I wrote, “Artists who are more productive career-wise understand the importance of managing time. They achieve balance between their personal and career activities. As they become better in managing time, they also avoid procrastination, which is one of the biggest reasons for business failure.”

Reduce Projects Into Smaller Chunks of Time
If you are setting aside important projects waiting for that big block of time to be available you’ll discover that it may never arrive. It is better to use the 20-30-minute strategy and tackle the project with small amounts of time on a regular basis. You may also want to read Time Saving Tips For Busy Artists and Ten More Time-Saving Tips For Busy Artists.

Confessions of A Recovered Procrastinator

I used to be a big procrastinator until I realized it was causing me too much pain, stress and anxiety. I suffered many consequences as a result.

How did I cure it? I first made the decision to change. I learned to adopt much better habits. I arrive at appointments early. I get my articles to publishers a few days in advance. I pay my bills before they are due. I place deadline reminders on my calendar in advance.  I rely on making lists upon lists in priority order.

Am I totally free of this habit? Absolutely not! I often have to remind myself of deadlines. The good news is procrastination is a habit that can be broken. If you are a sufferer of procrastination there is hope if you want to change. When you do you will reap many rewards.