Some Procrastinators often make their already difficult schedules even more difficult, by taking on more than they need to.  Although they are swamped by work and burdened by upcoming or recently passed deadlines, they offer to do more.  I tend to call this affliction Volunteerism.  I used to have it big time.  I still have it sometimes, but I think I’m mostly done with the problem.

For me, I know I was a ready volunteer for a bunch of reasons, which overlapped each other.  They included:

• wanting to distract myself from what I really was supposed to be doing
• keeping my mind off what was important for me
• helping others to make myself look good
• being afraid to be seen as unhelpful
• being afraid to be excluded
• being afraid of missing out on a learning opportunity
• impulsively opening my mouth to say “yes” before thinking things through

As you can see, this list can cover a lot of scenarios.  And did you notice I was “afraid” a lot?  So, I was pretty much vulnerable to saying “yes” to things I had no business saying “yes” to all the time.  In fact, the whole reason I am an expert on Procrastination is because I volunteered one day.  I was at a group meeting where a college dean mentioned his department could benefit from some sort of group workshop on the topic of Procrastination.  I gamely stepped right in.  Didn’t hesitate.  In hindsight, I often think to myself, “What was I doing?”  One of the world’s greatest Procrastinators offering to teach on the topic.  Fortunately for me, this volunteer moment worked out.  I ended up learning a lot of material to teach and ended up applying most of it to yours truly.  Win-win.

But I digress.  Even though that situation worked out for me, I still want to emphasize how Volunteerism for Procrastinators is a dicey game.  I think the most important protection we have against not-good-Volunteerism is having self-awareness about our reasons for stepping in.  Do a self-check before you volunteer your time by asking yourself these questions:

• Do you feel desperate?
• Do you feel pressured?
• Do you feel obligated?
• Do you feel you have no power?
• Do you feel you have no say?

If you answer any of these questions with a “yes,” I would recommend you step back instead of stepping in.  Typically with volunteer opportunities there is time to think things over.  Make sure the situation is right for you and your current situation before you agree to anything.  If you are not sure of your own ability to protect yourself in these types of situations, make sure you ask a friend to help you think these feelings through in private, without any pressure to make a decision.  Always work with the assumption that you look good to others.  No volunteering is needed to prove that.

Are you at risk for volunteering time you do not actually have?  How can you protect yourself and your time?