At some point in every person’s life, they have had to procrastinate. The process of procrastination is when you wait until the last minute to get a task done. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, sometimes tasks have been completed just in the nick of time.
According to www.nytimes.com, procrastination is not a character flaw or a curse on someone’s ability to manage time. It is a coping mechanism to help with challenging emotions and negative moods that happen when you are trying to do certain tasks. Such challenges and moods include boredom, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, resentment, self-doubt, etc.
Sometimes people put off tasks until the last minute because they already know what kind of headache will happen when they are actually doing the tasks. It is best to mentally prepare yourself until you just can’t put it off any longer.
Another reason I think people procrastinate is because they have other tasks to be handled. I know for college students especially, there is a lot of work that is due around the same time. This means that one task is bound to fall through the cracks and get pushed to the back burner. Therefore, sometimes procrastination has to be done in order to get everything complete and out of the way.
Procrastination is always seen as a bad thing. However, I do not believe that all procrastination is bad. In all honesty, I believe some of my best work has happened when I had to cram it in. It just seems like when I have limited time to get something done, I think faster and I ultimately complete the task faster.
According to www.professional.dce.harvard.edu, procrastination gives people time to consider divergent ideas, think in non-linear ways, and make unexpected leaps. In certain tasks, procrastination gives you time to think and to come back to a task with a more creative mind and spirit. When you leave a task and come back to it, your way of thinking about it could be different and it can lead you to even better results.
Now I am not saying that it is good to procrastinate all of the time. There has to be some kind of self-awareness to say that some tasks just can not be put off until the final hour. However, I am saying that you don’t need to beat yourself up over having to do a task at the last minute. I have found that as long as I plan and think about when I am going to do the task, my procrastination will not be as bad.
I also believe that it is not a good thing to have a procrastination mindset. Some people truly believe that it is a good thing to be a last-minute worker. That could not be further from the truth in my opinion. The more that procrastination is in someone’s life equals more stress in someone’s life. Not every task is meant to be a last-minute obstacle to overcome. If you have time to do a task early then it should be done early.
Overall, there are many reasons as to why people procrastinate, however, it can become a problem when procrastination is all that you do. Just keep in mind that every task does not deserve to be procrastinated on.
