Share thisA manager’s procrastination tendency raises its ugly head, commonly, when planning for a new project. “Paralysis by analysis” becomes the mode of operation—or non operation. As a manager, your job is to get things done. Don't let procrastination keep you from getting there. If you think that procrastination is a problem for you, you have to deal with it. Take this quiz to help you determine how much of a procrastinator you are.
Instructions: Below are descriptions of procrastinating behaviors. Circle a number on the five-point scale, according to how characteristic of you the behavior is. 1 means you almost always act that way; 5 means never. Respond as you really are, not as you think you should be.
Many procrastinating managers avoid planning, saying they just don’t don't have enough time.
Others over-plan, consider every possible thing that might go wrong and then head back to the drawing board, again and again and again. Sometimes, they simply can’t bring themselves to stop planning and start doing.
Sure, you do need to give yourself ample time to plan for a new project. But it’s easy to use a meticulous planning process as an excuse for not getting the job done. Some procrastinators get so caught up in the planning process that they lose sight of their goal—to complete a project.
While it is a serious mistake to shortcut planning, it’s far worse to do too much planning because you don't know when to stop—or are afraid to stop. How can you realistically know when enough is enough?
To answer that, you must carefully consider the risks involved. What’s the worst that could happen if your plans fall flat? If it’s a question of a program that can cost the company a million dollars and maybe the loss of important customers, then extreme care in planning may be justified.
On the other hand, if the risks are relatively small— say, a dozen hours of wasted manpower— well, you could probably live with that.