This is going to be the second installment in a series that I meant to finish a couple of years ago (I can't actually believe that it has been that long). The irony of this delay will soon become very evident.

The second demon that we are going to deal with is a sly one indeed. Most times this behavior becomes so habitual that we don't even notice that we partake at all. It can cause untold amounts of worry and anxiety, and can tear at the fabric of our confidence. Many of us that have this affliction usually just accept that it is simply a character flaw that we just have to learn to live with and will unfortunately never be free from. This malignant spirit goes by the name of procrastination.

As greenkeepers we deal with problems, projects, and issues of all shapes and sizes. On a daily basis we are constantly bombarded with decisions that not only affect the structural aspects of our property, but its financial well-being as well. Prioritizing these issues and pulling the trigger as to which ones to commit our resources to often times is the reason we sleep so well at nights.

These issues can start to grow horns when we begin to lose sight of dealing with them in a timely fashion. Having that long overdue chat with the problem employee, finally removing that clump of overgrown trees, or getting around to looking under the duct tape band aid can all add up over time. It's not that these problems are huge issues all on their own. Most times we can tick them off when we get the chance. It is when they add up and start to weigh us down that we begin to notice.

When we put off taking care of small problems we generally begin a small narrative about them. We create a story that can feed the problem and allow it to turn into something larger in our minds. That overgrown tree stand becomes an ancient old growth stand of giant redwood trees that is going to take a herculean effort to remove. The difficult employee can become a wrongful dismissal lawsuit just waiting to tear down our careers and wreak havoc on our crew's morale.

The funny thing is when we step back, take a breath and evaluate the problem rationally, we can finally commit to taking action. Almost one hundred percent of the time the issue turns out to be a great deal more manageable than the story we manufactured. When we get around to peeling back the duct tape on that band aid repair, it most likely will take an hour and a part or two to fix properly. Put your best guys on that overdue bunker repair project or overseeding job and it is tidied up on a day or so.

When we commit to tackling the "to do" list there is a great deal of satisfaction gleaned by checking things off. The sense of freedom and accomplishment that comes from dealing with nagging problems can set us right for a good long spell. The trick is to learn from the procrastination and listen to yourself when you say, "I am never going to let it get this bad again."

So as you can imagine, I wrote this post with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek. And I promise I will finish this series before the winter ends I promise.