Procrastination I

I have a lot going on in my life and I know that I procrastinate way too much. I know this because it's already 11:58 am (as at the time of writing), and I haven't started planning how tomorrow should be like, or even gone to sleep yet. I procrastinate because I'll just do it later, or because I guess I'm just finding excuses because I'm afraid to get started. It's a bad habit, and it really does make things worse.

Some say, Procrastination is the thief of time. Number one great killer of productivity. It is the silent killer of dreams and the main reason why most people don't achieve their full potential in life. But is this always the case? 

"Good things come to those who wait," I've heard many people say. Actually, procrastinators believe in this statement, and it's one of the reasons why they put off important tasks until the last minute. It's a vicious cycle because once procrastination strikes, it gets harder to get it done, and you end up putting everything off even more.

I can’t really say that I am a procrastinator (because I love working under pressure sometimes. An article for another day), but there are still things that I have been putting off for months now. There are clients that I really should connect with, but I keep on finding ways not to do it. I've been avoiding writing this piece for weeks. I have dreams for my life that I need to take action on, but I don't do it. Why? Because I think I can always make everything work out, no matter the time given. But there are both upsides and downsides to procrastination. 

"I procrastinate too much," is one of the most common things I hear from my friends. Some of them are programmers, some are students, some are writers and some are even entrepreneurs! (It's not like procrastination can't ever be beneficial to anyone!) Whatever the case, most of them have the same issue. Then there's another group of people who actually acknowledge their problem with procrastination but still can't find a solution to it. They know they should work on something important, but then... they don't.

Procrastination is something that is kind of part of my everyday life, which it has made it harder for me to get things done. Procrastination mainly occurs when I am doing some sort of task that I feel very confined about. This can be anything from completing an assignment or task, or even going to work. In my experience, the longer I put it off the less likely I am to do it at all. But I still end up doing it. This can really start to take a toll on me because once a task is put off it can start to pile up and pile up, and before you know it, you have five tasks due at the same time and no motivation to complete any of them.

You probably procrastinate too, it's normal. You might even like procrastinating and even think it has its benefits.

When I was a kid, it was normal for me to "play computer games" all day, or play outside with my friends, or watch cartoons until my eyes hurt so that I didn't have to do my homework.

The problem is that that's what kids do, and because of that there are a lot of people who are really bad at time management and delay the doing of work until the last minute. We all need to learn how to manage our time, but the good news is that it's not too late. The best time to start is now.

Being late for appointments, missing deadlines, or other delays in getting things done are all signs of a procrastinator. Procrastination is usually caused by internal stresses and anxiety. It didn’t matter if your parents were perfect, and you were not, if you did well in academics and everyone else around you was average. Spelling bee contests, the PTA meetings, after school activities, homework, and preparing for tests kept you busy and distracted. You had everything under control until it was time to do that thing that you were dreading to do.

Procrastination is one of the most common reasons why people give up on their goals. I like procrastinating sometimes, even if I know it’s not good for me. The problem is if you quit something, then you never get anywhere, and that makes you feel really bad about yourself.

Now sometimes you need to quit on something so that you can move on to the next thing. Like if you’ve been trying for months to lose the weight and nothing changes, then sometimes you need to stop eating like something else.

I have this theory that if you wait until you’re inspired to do something, it’s probably too late because inspiration comes when you start. If you're not working on your project every day for at least a little bit, then something is probably wrong with your project. If there's not a consistent rhythm where you're adding stuff to it and improving what you've already made then again, something is wrong.

But you see, procrastinating isn’t all bad. There are some good sides to it. I’ll talk about some good side of procrastinating in my next article. Till then…