If you're anything like me, any time you have something that needs done, you wait until the very last minute to do it, and then stress because you're rushing to get it done (and hate yourself the whole time). Procrastination gets the best of a lot of us. We swear after we finally finish whatever we were procrastinating that we will never do it again, but then it happens and it’s a vicious cycle of breaking the "no procrastination" vow we made to ourselves. It’s a terrible habit that takes time and motivation to break. There are so many reasons you should quit allowing procrastination to get the best of you, but use these five reminders to help motivate you to start breaking your bad habit:
1. You won't have to stress about it.
Nothing is more stressful than rushing around to finish something right before it has to be done. Why cause yourself the unnecessary stress because of procrastination when you could just get it out of the way? You probably have enough stress in your life already; don't add more by procrastinating.
2. With all the time you spent procrastinating, you could have had it done already.
You've spent the last two weeks avoiding getting this done, and with all of the time you've spent doing nothing but procrastinating, you could have done it already. Instead of spending your time with the deadline hanging around in the back of your mind, just get it done and over with.
3. The quality of whatever you're doing will be better if you don't procrastinate.
Procrastination leads to rushing to get things done, which leads to sub-par work. Don't allow procrastination to have an effect on the quality of your work. The earlier you start, the more time you have to think about it and make revisions to whatever is necessary, whereas the later you start, the less time you have. Don't let procrastination cause you to have a half-assed project that could have turned out a lot better if you didn't wait until the last possible minute to start it.
4. You'll feel better knowing it is out of the way.
Nothing is more relieving than checking something off of your to-do list. Knowing that you got a head start on something and got it out of the way will make you feel like you're on the ball with (at least one thing) in your life. Life can be busy and staying on top of things and getting what you need to get done is relieving. Don't let procrastination drag you down.
5. If last minute plans come up, you'll be able to go.
It may be the absolute worst feeling ever when one of your friends sends you a text asking if you want to go [insert fun activity here], but you have to stay home because you procrastinated [insert boring activity here] until the very last minute, and if you go out you know there is no way possible it will get done in time. If you would have spent the time doing it earlier in the week, you could be out having fun with your friend, but instead you're sitting at home trying to bust out whatever project you were avoiding and hating yourself because of it. Don't let that happen.
Procrastination is a tough habit to break, but you will feel so much better once you stop letting it get the best of you. From half-assed work, pulling all-nighters just to finish and emotional breakdowns because of stress, procrastination does nothing good for you. It's time to kick the nasty habit for good! Good luck!
