Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
This is something that I know that everyone has dealt with at some point in their lives. Picture this, you are working on an assignment for your class, and it’s due in a week. Well, no problem since that would be plenty of time to work on it, right?
Well, not exactly. Normally, the correct thing to do is to start it immediately and get it done as soon as possible, so you don’t have to worry about it later in the future. However, what ends up happening is because it’s not due immediately, we tend to not think of it as something urgent that needs to be done right away. As a result, you end up procrastinating.
So, it’s not until later you end up realizing that the assignment that you got is now due tomorrow. What happens? You panic and start focusing on that one assignment and start winging it. As a result, it either comes out with a terrible grade, or it’s semi-decent.
So what is procrastination? The best way to put it is to delay or postpone something. A task or a certain amount of tasks. While we would think that it would only happen to certain people, the reality is that it happens to everyone. All ages, children and adults.
Why do we procrastinate? That is often asked by many who are trying to understand why we procrastinate, and the thing is, it’s a tricky one because no one answer truly defines it.
Some reasons can include:
People can find their tasks boring
Let’s be honest here, there is a chance that you were given a task, but it’s boring to you. You have no interest in it, but you know that you need to get that assignment done. Rather than do it now, you put it off until the last minute.
Perfectionism
I won’t lie, There are times when I procrastinate when it comes to posting articles due to wanting it to be perfect. Not just with making sure that it’s correct, but also want it to make sure that it’s accurate, with no errors, etc.
Research
Depending on what kind of task you are given, it may or may not require you to do some research. Let’s be honest, when it comes to doing research, its something we don’t want to do,
While procrastination can be the easy thing to do, it can lead to bad results. There are a few quotes that I am going to list here.
A perfect method for adding drama to life is to wait until the deadline looms large. - Alyce Cornyn-Selby
If you take the time to think about this, this becomes true once you realize that you are going to have problems if you procrastinate. While it may not be an issue in the present moment, the longer you wait to get it done, it will become much more difficult to complete.
Plus, if you don’t write it down on paper and forget, well let’s just say that you are not going to have a good time. Not only do you have that task to complete, but also whatever tasks you need to get done during the week.
You may delay, but time will not. - Benjamin Franklin
One thing that people need to understand is that time waits for no one. It;’s going to keep moving forward, regardless if we are falling behind or not.
While procrastination is common, it’s important to realize to not let it keep on continuing. Over time, it can affect you mentally such as
Depression
Depression can make things difficult to complete. Especially when it comes to getting important tasks done. Add procrastination to that, and not only will you procrastinate, but you will also be depressed, making it even more difficult to finish. This is a combo that you do not want to mix together.
Anxiety
We all deal with anxiety, whether it be through work, school, etc. What happens when procrastination gets added to anxiety? Let’s just say that it can make whatever fears you have worse. Think of it as adding more fuel to the fire. You know for a fact that you have an important task that is coming up, but instead of doing it, you procrastinate since you don’t want to deal with the negative emotion that you experience during the task.
Low Self Esteem
You might be thinking, what does low self-esteem have anything to do with procrastination? Here is the thing with procrastination, you procrastinate when you don’t want to do a task. As a result, you don’t get it done, and you start to feel bad.
What happens when you allow it to continue? Eventually, you end up getting low self-esteem, and as a result, end up putting off the task more so you don’t feel as bad when not completing it.
For something so easy to fix, what is it that makes it difficult for everyone to break it? The reality is that most people will talk themselves out of fixing the issue for themselves. This can range from:
Lack of motivation
Motivation alone is not enough to get out of procrastination, you need to be able to take action. It doesn’t need to be a big step either. Take small steps and then from there, gradually make them bigger.
Perfectionism
This is something that I know we all deal with. I deal with this issue myself at times. There are times when I want my blog posts to be perfect. However, this can cause you to delay getting things done. Because you want it to be perfect, you tend to hold off on it until you feel like it is ready.
The reality is that you need to get it done, regardless if it’s perfect or not. The more you do something, the better you will get at it.
Form of habit
The more you do something, it starts to become a habit. The same can be said with procrastination. The more you procrastinate, the more it will stick in your head, and you will tend to repeat it.
As I mentioned before, I used to do this a lot. Especially during my high school years. To give you an idea, I wasn’t the best when it came to getting assignments done. My grades were mostly C’s and D’s. Sometimes a B, depending on what the subject was.
I had a bunch of homework assignments that were due on a Friday, and this was before the Easter break, so me not clearly thinking, Decided to wait until the last minute to get them done. Well, here is what happened, during that week, I ended up getting more assignments that were due, and I realized that I had to get more than 20 pages of homework done.
To make this worse, I had to get this all done in one day. Knowing that I wasn’t going to get any sleep that night, I ended up pulling an all-nighter. Drank about 3 Red Bulls so I wouldn’t fall asleep.
The good news, I ended up completing all of the assignments and returned them. Bad news, Because I was racing like a bat out of hell to get them done, I half-assed the assignments. That and I was exhausted to the point where I couldn’t even focus.
I ended up crashing out for several hours once I got back home. Didn't bother with eating dinner. I was more exhausted than hungry.
So, what steps can be taken so we can reduce procrastination in the future? There are a few things that can be done.
Break down your tasks into smaller pieces
If you have a big task, the best thing to do in this situation is to break it down into smaller pieces. Once you break it down, it will become easier to deal with, and you will be able to complete your task.
Create a plan
To get anything done, you need to have a plan. When you write down your plan and go into detail on how you are going to do it, figure out what setbacks you may have, and what steps you are going to take, it makes it easier for you to get those tasks done.
Write down what your goals are
By writing down your goals, the chances of you getting them done are much higher compared to not writing them down. This gives you an idea of what to set your sights on and work towards those goals.
Set a deadline
The one thing that I have noticed is that when you set a deadline, the more you will get a task done, compared to not having a deadline set. This is going to suck at first since it feels like you are being forced to get something done. However, when you set a deadline, it helps keep us on track. Not only that, but it makes it clear what is due, and when.
If you are one of the few that procrastinate, don’t give up hope. Over time, as you learn different strategies on how to deal with it, the easier it gets to manage, and you will be able to complete your tasks.