Symptoms of productivity phobia

Spiders, rats, vampires, seeing your grandmother naked – these are all valid phobias. However, there’s also such a thing as fear of productivity. Yes, it’s entirely possible that you have it even if you’re reading a blog like this. If you want to get your own diagnosis, here is a list of 5 symptoms of productivity fear:

1. You’re afraid to read this article. True, it may be because you’re afraid of what grammatical horrors I might commit, but maybe you’re also afraid that you’ll have some or all of the symptoms listed. The truth is, everyone is fearful of changing unproductive habits. Take comfort in the fact that productivity and organization is a lifelong learning process.

2. Procrastination. Some of you are probably reading this blog post to avoid working. I know that I’m writing it to avoid completing a more difficult article that’s been sitting in my hard drive for days. Everyone goes through procrastination, but some people live and die by it. How do you know if you procrastinate?

• If you spend more time than you’re supposed to on mindless tasks
• If you keep “resting” every 5 minutes.
• If you say “Hmm… I have enough time for that later.”
• If an hour has gone by and you’re still reading this article

3. You get annoyed when authority figures call you on unfinished tasks. Whether it’s your boss, spouse, or your labrador, if you hear the phrase “Aren’t you supposed to be finished with that by now?” you usually get mad and start stomping around. A lot like those cartoon characters with storm clouds and lightning appearing over their heads. If you’re offended, it means there’s an element of truth in it.

4. You dont have deadlines for tasks, or you have deadlines but you keep missing them. If you have a to-do list, sometimes specific tasks don’t get done at all. Until 5 months, years, or decades go by and you still haven’t ticked the item off your list.

5. You watch too much TV. That tube is costing you more than electricity – it costs time. Some of us sit for hours watching shows we don’t even like, shows you’ve seen a thousand times, and even infomercials. Why? If you want to get entertainment (no matter how mindless it is) put it on scheduled, moderated time. Watch DVDs instead or check out YouTube clips. Some TV stations even let you watch shows from their website. Sitting in front of the TV just makes you susceptible to eyestrain and subliminal marketing messages.