Change of Mind, Change of Habit: NY Reporter Relates How Hypnosis Changed His Penchant for Postponing

Whether you call it dilly-dallying, or dawdling, lollygagging or loafing, procrastination is something we all dabble in. But some don’t just dabble in it; they immerse themselves in procrastination, embodying the antithesis of Edward Young’s old adage (i.e. “Procrastination is the thief of time”)

There are a number of psychological studies on the genesis of procrastination, why it’s a prevalent part of so many people’s lives and whether or not the Art of Putting Off is just an inconvenient habit or a legitimate disorder.

These findings have yet to be determined. What has been determined, however, is the powerful impact hypnosis has in reversing procrastination.

No matter how you slice it, procrastination—intentionally delaying or putting off an activity—has an impact on our lives. Some argue that procrastination can be a good thing. Proponents of prolonging the inevitable believe that actively putting tasks off for another day leads the said person to act and perform at a higher level of alertness because of the “rush” that he or she gets from performing under pressure or deadline. For the most part, however, procrastination is a bad thing that inevitably rears its ugly head.

For instance, Canada’s Toronto Star newspaper reports that approximately 1.7 million Canadians were late in filing their tax returns in 2003, forcing some late filers to pay double their tax bill because of interest and penalty fees.

And according to a Procrastination Research Group study in the same year, students who put off studying in favor of “cram sessions” are far more likely to catch cold, exhibit flu-like symptoms and have greater stress levels than students with healthy study habits.

Procrastination is also a problem in the work place. Business owners and human resource studies on the topic point to procrastination as the number one culprit for lackluster business development and job performance. In fact, in Wednesday’s New York Daily News, reporter Robert Dominguez decided his procrastination had gone on long enough and decided he would take a pro-active approach in reversing it.

Dominguez decided he’d attend a hypnosis luncheon he’d heard a lot about called “Hypno Lunch” at Positive Changes in Manhattan. Dominguez admitted to being a skeptic to hypnotherapists and their abilities to cure vices, but the Positive Changes director assured Dominguez that the session “would help diminish [his] tendency to procrastinate.”

The result spoke for itself:

“Stanford (the hypnotherapist) slowly pulled me out of the trance by counting to 10. I snapped out of it feeling focused, refreshed, stress-free and clear of mind—and hell bent on changing the way I approach my story assignments (New York Daily News ‘Taking a Trance’ July 5, 2006).”

Now, Dominguez says, the overdue bills that were lying unpaid on his desk are now in the mail—two weeks early, no less. Furthermore, his editors that used to nibble at their fingernails wondering if his stories would reach their desk before deadline now expect his stories to be on time due to his change of ways.

As miraculous as Dominguez’ new outlook may be, though, he accurately points out that several sessions are often required before a person’s lifestyle is changed for good. But his personal account is proof positive of the immediate impact hypnosis has for those who act on changing their procrastinating ways now rather than later.

Steve G. Jones, Clinical Hypnotherapist http://www.betterlivingwithhypnosis.com/