Time Management

Don’t Deal with Procrastination Tomorrow

A friend of mine back in high school never failed to amaze me every time we have assignments, projects, and requirements to submit. He would work on projects only a couple of days before submission when we had been given weeks to do it. It was also his habit to write papers and solve homework usually on the day of submission itself. Yes, he sometimes turned in late but I just find it somehow brilliant that he gets to still finish tasks without fully utilizing the time frame given to us. Little did I know then that my friend’s habit of cramming is already a behavioral problem called procrastination. Yes, that’s really the term for it.

We cram from time. We postpone doing the dishes to finish a movie on TV. We put off finishing our office work to be able to clock out early and attend a party. We start some tasks much later because “there’s still so much time.” And the list goes on. Heck, cramming is a part of life. But once cramming becomes your lifestyle, that’s where you got a problem.

Procrastination delays things and is counterproductive as well as unnecessary. These inevitably cause stress and a wave of guilt. Because one fails to deliver what is expected of him or her, s/he tends to magnify the perceived sense of disapproval of the people around him or her. One’s self-confidence and self-worth could also reach extremely low levels such that the person already starts sinking into depression and finds it hard to socialize even with close friends.

With stress also comes the degradation of physical health. To be able to review for an exam or finish writing a paper, students usually spend whole nights cramming. Lack of sleep and rest lowers the body’s immune system, making one more susceptible to illnesses. And it gets even worse when once your body starts to slow down, you load up on coffee and other energy-boosting, caffeine-heavy drinks. Caffeine may keep your body awake longer but it can’t keep your mind as sharp. Thus, the end result will just be a lowered body resistance.

One of the reasons of procrastination is the lack of skills. Some people who are not confident enough to do a certain task may, as a coping mechanism, procrastinate so they would have an excuse if they don’t finish their task on time properly. Procrastination lets them avoid doing something and gives them some sort of consolation. They make themselves believe that were they only given more time to work on something, they could’ve done it right.

Another reason for procrastinating is lack of interest. When they don’t have the drive to do something, some people procrastinate by doing something else or nothing at all. The thing about here is most people believe that they have to be in the mood to be able to do something when, actually, it should be the other way around. “Mood” is such a fleeting emotional and mental disposition, so it won’t really do us right to wait for it just to be able to do something. As efficient people say, the motivation is in the doing.

Now, given that procrastination is a serious behavior problem, if you think you’re a candidate for being a certified procrastinator, you should know better than to just laugh about it. Read up on how to strengthen your will power and discipline to be able to correct this habit. And, do it now.

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