Procrastination as a cultural LIFESTYLE

Author: danielkilburn 2017-08-02 0 Comments

Why educated people fail to do things they know are important

Since the inception of Social Media we have been conditioned to pay attention to no more than 140 characters, maybe a paragraph or two.

Reading a two page article in an analog magazine is almost unheard of. When online we wander around like a Butterfly searching the sidebars, clicking “relevant” links, looking at Donald’s latest tweets, checking tomorrow’s weather, reviewing the attention span of a gnat.

Worse we fall victim to the bright and shiny memes that serve themselves at our detriment.

B.F. Skinner explained this destructive behavior in 1930 in his work on behavioral science. Research the rats dopamine experiment, or just watch an online gamer in his or her environment. Learning something quickly and new (no matter how irreverent) releases a dopamine hit to the brain. Quick move along there is nothing left here.

Can there be more than that.

Fear of success

Fear of failure

Fear of being misunderstood

Fear of being ostracized

Fear of the unknown

Some of these are good reasons, stepping out of your comfort zone, doing something you’ve never done before. Wait, haven’t you already done that, college, significant other, children, new job, started a business, skydiving. So what happened to that dynamic adventurous person? Complacency.

Oh, shesh. Where was I?

Often the best way to alter our cultural mindset is to recognize that it is in play. Recognizing that we are tip-toeing through the tulips is a great way to re-assess control over the memes that have infected our mind.

Put down the phone, pick up a book and read it. Speaking of books, here is a good one for those of you just starting out on your Emergency Action Planning. FEMA Are You Ready? Yes you can get the hard copy free of charge.

Call, email or fax. Order Form.

Till next time

“Be Safe”

Daniel Kilburn

Emergency Action Planning