Procrastination aka Puttering Around

I am struck by the number of posts about procrastinating as I look back at previous posts on this blog -- yes, it is a repeating problem for me.
My most recent time was for the year-end audit and financial statements for a parent volunteer group. I had all the information needed, but my limited Excel skills made me keep delaying the paperwork for several months.I finally attacked it today, and found several math errrors I had made earlier in the year. But, I corrected those, and, lo and behold, got everything to balance and match the bank statement. I finished all the required reports and documents and everything is now ready for the audit.
BUT, why do I do this? I am now quite relieved, after worrying about it in the night for several weeks. I just don't know why I don't just get things done, rather than procrastinate. I even try to create artificial deadlines for myself.

The Wikipedia says:
Procrastination is the deferment or avoidance of an action or task to a later time. It is often cited by psychologists as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision.For the person procrastinating this may result in stress, a sense of guilt, the loss of productivity, the creation of crisis, and the chagrin of others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments. While it is normal for individuals to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning. Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder.

I guess it is all of the above, for some reason or another....I like to call it puttering around, which is really my term for starting several projects and repeatedly wandering away in the middle to do something else.

Safesittings.com

I was touched by a story on dLife today about a teenage girl with diabetes. She organized a group of other diabetic teens that babysit for kids with diabetes. It gives the kids a chance to talk to someone who understands what they are coping with, and gives the parents some peace of mind so they can know their child is in good hands.
One side benefit is that the teens get together and form a support group for themselves, talking about the difficulties of living with their disease. I can only imagine how hard it is to be diabetic as a self-conscious teenager. It is not easy at any age. It brought tears to our eyes to see how this benefitted both the sitter and the children.
The national group is called Safesittings.com, a diabetes babysitting service. Parents can sign up online to find a sitter; diabetic sitters can also post their availability by zip code. Parents will be able to find a sitter that knows how to treat high or low blood sugars, manage a pump or give insulin injections. What a blessing this organization is for those that need it.
This teenaged girl made a difference, by starting Safesittings in her area. I don't know where she lived, but kudos to her!