I am constantly in a battle with myself between doing things that are productive and things that are not productive. Perhaps you can call me lazy, unproductive, or a procrastinator.

I spend a lot of my time doing things when I know I should be doing something else, like going out with my friends when I know I haven’t started the paper that is due tomorrow, or taking a nap when I know I’m not saving enough time to finish my homework for my next class.

I’m constantly putting things off until the last minute.

But when there’s a last minute, you normally get it done. Once that deadline comes up, you begin to panic and you will complete the work on time.

So, what if there is no deadline?

This is when procrastination really gets tricks and hurts us. When there’s no deadline you’re no longer waiting until the last minute, but now you’re just waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

Waiting for what?

Where is the panic to get you to accomplish your task? I face this type of procrastination daily.

When am I going to the gym? Oh, I’ll just take a nap now and go later.

When should I call home and check in? Oh, I can call later.

I still haven’t completed the painting I started last week; when should I work on it again? Oh, it’ll be there when I'm ready to get started again, no need to do it now.

We hate and dread those deadlines that are given to us but, in reality, it’s those deadlines that help us focus and complete our task. Sure, we say, if given the amount of time we need, we could manage our time wisely and do our work more efficiently.

But for those who put off their missions until the last minute, what will you do when you are not forced to the last minute?

Tim Urban discusses this type of procrastination in his TED Talk, “Inside The Mind Of A Master Procrastinator”, and it can be viewed here.

We get stuck in these cycles of avoiding a situation until it can no longer be avoided. Sometimes that day never comes, so it is avoided until you finally decide it’s time.

We can all agree that the feeling of satisfaction after completing a task, especially out of leisure and not assigned, is a feeling we strive on. The feeling of accomplishments makes us feel confident and good about ourselves.

So why don’t we start what we want to do earlier rather than later, or not at all?

If you can acknowledge that procrastination is a problem, you can also recognize that it isn’t a hard problem to solve. You just have to start now.