Being both a procrastinator and a perfectionist is a lot harder than one would think. This horrible combination, which also has a few perks, can easily create stress; however, it can also create a significant amount of free time. I am saying all of this out of experience. I consider myself to be the worst/best procrastinator and perfectionist in the entire world. For example, while trying to start writing this article, I checked Facebook and Instagram at least twice, cleaned my room, did my laundry, and went to get food. It’s not that I got distracted - I just kept putting off my assignment even though I knew that later on I would have to do it.
One downside to putting off tasks only to stress about perfecting them later is the regret. Sometimes, I am a productive procrastinator. Other times, I waste my time by doing insignificant, mindless activities or, in the worst case, nothing at all. As I sit there doing anything and everything but my assignment, I mentally prepare myself for the stress and regret that is to come. Every time, I know that I will waste time stressing about my assignment, knock it out, and then look it over 1,000 times. And every time, I know that I will look back on the situation and regret how much time I wasted and how much sleep I sacrificed.
The absolute worst part about being a procrastinator and a perfectionist is knowing that I always get the job done. Therefore, I bring it upon myself every single time. I try and change my ways, but I can’t. In a way, procrastination is like a drug: after you do it once and everything ends up working out, you can’t stop. Add perfectionism into the equation, and things get worse. On top of the stress of finishing something on time, I also stress about everything being 100% perfect.
Even though it may not seem like it, I have to meticulously plan my schedule. For example, I'll try to work on a paper and think to myself, “Exactly how much longer can I put this off until I absolutely have to do it?” Although this doesn’t always seem like the best approach, it makes me substantially more productive than I would have been without a plan. Rather than sitting there doing nothing, I devise a schedule of things that need to be done (because we all know that I’m not going to start that paper for several more hours). If I follow the schedule, I’ll have enough time to finish that paper, right? In the rare event that I don’t schedule out my mindless activities, I’m left with a lot of free time which can still ultimately lead to productivity. Unfortunately, these schedules don’t always work out and can end catastrophically (i.e. a day of doing nothing followed by a night of cramming).
To all of the procrastinators and perfectionists out there, I know how you feel, and I wish you the best of luck in finishing and perfecting whatever life throws at you.
