The Gambler

A friend was telling me about a relative of hers who had worked himself into an uncomfortable situation and was now seeking treatment for a gambling addiction. She told me that through his rehabilitation she had learned that gamblers aren't addicted to winning. What they're addicted to is the feeling of almost loosing it all and then somehow squeaking by. The thrill they seek doesn't come from success, but from managing against all probable odds not to fail.

As she was telling me this story I immediately recognized myself. That same gasp of heart-rate altering fear is what makes me procrastinate. And in the two years since making the connection between myself and an addictive personality I've become much better at time management, although still put things off from time to time (for instance... tonight) just for the excitement of it.

I have a friend who suffers from the same malady of supreme procrastination. I told him the first paragraph of this story and he immediately recognized himself and even made the connection that it's a dysfunctional way to work--that it compromises the project and that the guys who work for him don't get anything out of it other than stress and frustration.

Barnes & Noble carries books about procrastination. I first noticed them about a decade ago but have always put off reading them. However, had I read one or two ten years back I might be that much further ahead of the game. My friend at work is a reader. It's possible he's walked by them on the shelf, too.

It's a subcategory of books that could use some clever marketing.