Nikolai Talks 10: Procrastination Na Killer

My goodness…when will I stop procrastinating? You guys know I’m quite honest with my flaws. As in, na serious matter oh! Whether it is while doing something for myself, at work or assisting my family members and friends, I find myself waiting till last minute before getting things done. I think I have programmed my mind to think that such behavior is acceptable, while not realizing its negative effects. Procrastination promotes anxiety that affects our mental, physical and emotional well-being. Neither of these sound desirable.
Procrastination is not good for anyone. It takes place unconsciously a majority of the time. When you delay an activity for long periods of time, it no longer stands as a priority. It just ends up being another task you have to eventually get to. Then… what happens when you don’t finish it properly or forget? We get carried away with so many factors around us without acknowledging that what we are actually doing is killing time. When we delay activities/ tasks, it doesn’t necessarily bring out our best due to the fact that our thoughts are running all over the place. It’s one thing to let your imagination run wild and another to not know what the heck you’re trying to get at. Because we end up rushing to complete a task, it shows in the quality and orderliness of one’s work. It can result in being viewed as incompetent and plain right unreliable, especially in the workplace.
If you are fond of procrastinating, then you know it is very stressful. Sometimes I personally feel like I just want to scream at the top of my lungs to release all my anger in such situations. Since I tend to wait till the very last minute to finish things, I have to compile all my ideas and thoughts in such a short period of time. This tends to cause headaches due to worrying, body pains due to rigid body movements and double-guessing due to uncertainty. Due to being stressed out, procrastination also causes lack of sleep. With everything going through your mind, what time do you think you will have to take a chill pill? It could lead to being a serious health risk. The last thing you want is going to the doctor for a self-inflicted problem that could have been avoided from the get go.
Some may ask why I and many others choose to put ourselves in such a predicament, but I truly don’t have one correct answer to that question. Even though procrastination tends to occur unconsciously a lot of times, we can start helping ourselves by mapping out our top priorities and expectations. When we do that, we determine what requires our urgent attention and other matters that we can address later. This leads to having a more organized and efficient plan. I cannot stress how important it is to WRITE THINGS DOWN. I was a big supporter of the ‘it’s all in my head’ group until I realized that wasn’t getting me anywhere. I became sloppy and lazy with my work. When you write things down, you get a clear vision of what is at hand and figure out how exactly to tackle situations. Whether it is scheduling daily reminders on your phone, getting a planner or setting up email alerts, you need to keep your tasks visible. Some people say procrastinating brings out the best in them because they can pour out their heart and soul into an assignment/ task all at once or that there is a ‘method to the madness’. What I will say is “to each their own”, because if the method to the madness will end up getting me mad, then I must bow out.