Why We Procrastinate?

Procrastination simply means delaying or postponing tasks or commitments that must be completed. Many people postpone their work because they lack interest in the task, or because they fear failure. Procrastination can become a habit, and many people become accustomed to it. This is something that is not a good practice. Prioritize your work and stay focused. Now the question is why procrastination happens, how one can avoid doing it, and why it is a wrong practice?

“Don’t wait for extraordinary circumstance to do good; try to use ordinary situations.” — Attributed to Charles Richter

WHY?

• Fear of failure is what makes us procrastinate. We are always waiting for a good opportunity and the right time. Yet, there is no such right time. “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
• When we try to be perfect every time, it is something not be possible. Perfection is an illusion. So we have to be focusing on being perfect and start doing the things which need to be done. How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’.” — Attributed to Martin Luther
• “Not doing things today” makes me regret it tomorrow. It’s easy to fall into that procrastination trap when I have little to no motivation, and I’ve convinced myself I can’t do it. If that’s you, too, remember that perfection is impossible and that you’re capable of a lot more than you think. “Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows.” — Michael Landon
• We’re all accustomed to instant rewards, and that makes it difficult to work on long-term goals. It’s one of the biggest problems we face. What used to take years of hard work can now take only days or weeks. Remember, things that take years cannot be done in days or weeks. It takes time. Plus, quick successes don’t last very long. So now it’s up to you to decide how you want to make things last. “You may delay, but time will not.” – Benjamin Franklin
• When a task seems to be very big or quite difficult and demands a lot of our time, we sometimes start delaying it and putting it off until tomorrow. This behaviour arises because we are not as serious about the task as we could be, and sometimes we’re hoping that someone else will do our part for us, which isn’t possible. Your work can only be done by you. “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” — Theodore Roosevelt
• When we have poor time management, we tend to start thinking that we do not have time for this particular task. This behaviour is very common among people who have failed in life. They have priorities that might not give them results ever, but they still waste their time on such activities. They are not realising that something important is left behind. “Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.”— Spanish Proverb

How Procrastination is Effecting us?

1. When our tasks remain uncompleted and we see others succeeding, we may experience increased stress and anxiety This is all because of our irresponsible behaviour toward our work.
2. When we are lagging behind, it can cause self-doubt, which is an unpleasant feeling. This can also make us feel overwhelmed. One of the causes for this self-doubt is when we waste our time by delaying our work and leaving our work for tomorrow that never came. This leads to regret and self-doubt as we ask ourselves where we went wrong, and what can we do now? These questions can make us feel depressed about the situation. So, it is better to start working as soon as possible so that we do not feel depressed, stressed, anxious, and so forth tomorrow.
3. Procrastination is a bad habit, and once it starts, you can find yourself putting off everything. Doing so can make you unproductive. Do you think a person who doesn’t do any work when everyone else is working hard deserves the same position? Don’t delay your tasks; focus on the things that need to be done.

How it is Effecting Your Relationships?

Procrastination is not only affecting your work and grades, but it’s also affecting your relationships, friendships, and all kinds of formal relations. If you’re not committed to your words and your work, why would anyone try to be with you? Being reliable and consistent is important in any relationship and procrastinating hurts your reliability and consistency. Not being reliable and consistent is likely going to affect your love life as well. Who is going to want to be in a relationship with someone who constantly pushes things off?

Even in the workplace, you might lose opportunities if you keep delaying your assigned tasks. Why would someone invest resources in someone who doesn’t want to do anything today? Someone who waits for tomorrow means that person isn’t as eager to achieve today.

The same applies to friendship, why would someone be with a friend who isn’t up to their word and is always delaying plans? If you ask them for a favour, they’ll just delay it. In those kinds of cases, friendships tend to fall apart. Out in the world, we all want security, and that’s not just with words, but with actions.. 

When Elon Musk was asked how he motivated himself to get back to work every day, he simply said, “Why do you need motivation to do your work? It’s your work, and it needs to be done.” If you look at most of the things that are most important to us, we do them without needing to be motivated or encouraged. We do those things because we are obligated to do them. The things we do because we are obligated to do them are the things we must do.

So this was all about procrastination. Sometimes, I don’t feel like writing one, but then the only things which remind me to write are not disappointing the people who are reading them and are waiting for more content like this. So, just be focused on your work and show loyalty. Prioritize your things and try to manage them accordingly.