Deferring Things

From Justin Welsh’s Newsletter:

We tell ourselves we defer things because we’re busy. Or tired. Or waiting for the right moment.

But that’s not it.

We keep pushing things off so we don’t have to admit that we’re not going to do them.

When I say “I’m going to organize the garage this weekend” and then I don’t, I have two choices:

Do it next weekend or admit I’m not going to. That’s uncomfortable. That requires a decision.

But when I say “I’ll handle it this Winter,” I don’t have to decide anything. I get to keep thinking of myself as someone who’s going to have an organized garage without ever doing it or facing what it means if I don’t.

The deferral is the decision. I just don’t want to own it.