Maybe later. Dealing with procrastination.

It is Sunday. I am working on my blog that I need to post tonight.  Ironically the blog is about procrastination and I have left it unfinished until today.  Anyway…

If you have been a veterinarian or veterinary technician for more than a day you know that clients procrastinate. They notice a problem with Fluffy on Wednesday morning and call for an appointment just before closing on Friday night.  You prescribe antibiotics for their dog’s ear infection to be given twice a day for two weeks, and they return with a more severe infection in four weeks, because they didn’t finish the prescribed course of medication.  They bring in their pet with a problem today, then refuse the diagnostics and medications choosing instead to watch and wait.  It makes our job so difficult, so why do they do it?

Procrastination is about fear of failure and every human being does it. Procrastination comes from our fear of making the wrong decision, so we avoid making decisions at all.  Our clients fear that if they bring the pet in “too soon” we may say that the pet is normal. They fear that wasting our time and their money will embarrass them, so they wait a few days to see if the pet gets better.  We procrastinate calling a client with bad news, talking to a problem employee or writing up a record on a long involved case.  When we procrastinate or avoid our problems they snowball into larger issues we could have avoided if we simply took action.

How can we avoid the fear of failure and make decisions without procrastination?  How can we help our clients do the same?

Never judge yourself or your client for the decisions that were made. It is difficult to avoid feeling judgmental when a client tells you that they didn’t give the dispensed medication, but beating them up over something that is in the past will help no one, including you. Increasing self-confidence will lead to better results, so encourage them in their small successes. Realizing that they have done their best is all you can do to move forward to correct the situation.  Don’t dwell on the past but stay in the present and be kind, so that they will feel comfortable coming to you the next time they need help.

Beating yourself up around procrastination is also an exercise that you need to avoid.   Encourage yourself by taking baby steps.  When you feel fear around a decision start with a small step in the direction of your goal.  Small steps can help you mitigate the fear and lead to leaps in the right direction. Realize that procrastination is just your brain feeling fearful.  If you see the fear as unnecessary, you will be more likely to take positive action.

“Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.”– Michael Landon