We all do it; put off writing a paper until the night before, delay doing laundry until the pile reaches your ceiling, avoiding that important phone call you have to make.
Procrastination is something that everyone does. People think that they will do it tomorrow, or the next day. But that day never comes. The article,8 Ways Procrastination Can Destroy Your Life, by Kirstin O’Donovan, discussed several consequences of putting things off. Procrastination is linked to a lower-self esteem and bad decision making. Another important point is that procrastination makes a person lose opportunities and basically just waste time.
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Procrastination not only causes anxiety, but it adds unnecessary stress to a person's life.
So why do we do it?The things we are procrastinating are activities that will cause us some form of uncomfortableness. Sometimes we are just comfortable doing nothing. You think it feels good to be writing a fifteen page paper? Or running on a treadmill? Sometimes the better option sounds like chilling in bed and watching Netflix.
But when we push through that uncomfortableness, magic happens.
Maggie Sedivy, a self proclaimed master of procrastination, said putting important activities or assignments off makes her feel stressed.
She did admit, however, that one time, she did not procrastinate.
“It was nice having the feeling of everything being done.”
It’s important to remember that everyone struggles with procrastination. Even multi billionaire Warren Buffet deals with it. But what makes people successful is that they ignore the voice in their head that makes excuses.
You will not suddenly become motivated overnight. It’s a process. To stop procrastination you have to become aware that you are doing it. Sometimes people don’t even know they are putting something off, like innocently scrolling through Facebook for an hour instead of writing a paper. Once a person is conscious of the decisions they are making, they can make a choice to change or continue on the path they are on.
Sophomore Sam Schmidt shared her secret for not procrastinating, which she admits to have done from time to time.
“Just organize your time,” she said. “Prioritize.”
Creating lists helps. What do you have to get done this year? This month? This day? Break it down so not to overwhelm yourself. A reason we avoid doing things is because there is too much on our plate so it’s easier to do nothing.
That thing that is the primary form of distraction, ya know, that phone of yours? It could actually help. Apps like Focus Time or 30/30 help users organize their time and be more productive. So make that demon of yours an angel by using it to your advantage.
Taking these small steps could end up changing your life. When we are productive we have clarity, focus and even happiness. We just have to take the steps to do it. Stop making excuses. Just think to yourself, if not now, when?
Journalist George Lorimer said it all, “Wake up with determination, go to bed with satisfaction.”
