Being a procrastinator is probably not something anyone should be proud of. There are a lot of situations where things need to happen at a given time and being late is unacceptable, and that is completely understandable. The world we live in wouldn't function very well if everyone had a habit of putting things off. While it's true these times when deadlines are important exist, it's also a long way off from everything having a strict deadline, or even a deadline at all. What do we do when we're given a flexible timeline? Cue embracing doing nothing

For some people, it is their natural inclination to put things off. It can be for a variety of reasons, but ultimately comes down to the same end result of waiting until the last minute to get things done. 16personalities.com published a great article on what personality types are more likely to be late than others. To that end, there will always be people that find it easier to wait than to do things promptly, and following your flow gets my stamp of approval, even if that means procrastinating.

But others can also benefit from letting go of deadline anxiety. Students in particular struggle with balancing family time and study time among other commitments they have. It's hard to allow homework to take the backseat to family, and sometimes it's unavoidable. But that is not every time. There are plenty of deadlines that are not life or death, but they often hastily get thrown into a group with the ones that are.

Striving for deadlines is the first step in a vicious cycle of never-ending stress. It can feel like there's no escape once you're trapped in that mess, playing victim to all the time frames you're confined in. That's when procrastination is the most tempting, and it might just be worth a try. It doesn't have to become a habit, but giving yourself a little relief from meeting deadlines can be exactly what you need in order to meet the really important ones later on.

And while you're busy doing nothing, you never know what you'll discover. A laid-back afternoon with family is a lot more promising than cramming for a quiz you won't even remember when the semester is over. It may not seem like much in the moment, but given enough time, either choice can lead to something much more significant, for better or worse. Relentlessly burying yourself in work and productivity will eventually exhaust you if it hasn't already. On the flip side, giving yourself some time to breathe could lead to a much more peaceful life.

So next time you're up against something that is demanding your attention, consider giving yourself some time off first. Rest assured, it will still be there when you're ready for it. Deadlines have this way of showing their ugly faces again whether you like it or not. But how you manage your time will always be at your discretion, and doing nothing is an option worth keeping open.