“A procrastinator is a person who delays or puts things off – like work, chores, or other actions – that should be done in a timely manner. Procrastinator comes from the Latin verb procrastinare, which means deferred until tomorrow.”
I have always viewed procrastination as, “eh, no big deal.” And in fact, have always associated myself as such – which is, ironically enough, the first step to overcoming procrastination. However, there seems to be this culture around procrastination, in which people are actually proud to be identified as a procrastinator, myself included.
A couple weeks ago I was sitting in a lecture when my professor began to go over the importance of teamwork. She equated teamwork to be the direct precursor of group cohesion and ultimate success. “Great,” I thought, “But I had no idea we were in elementary school still…” *insert eye roll here*
She went on to describe the go-getter (starts assignments early, and with vigor), and the controversial procrastinator (waits until the last minute to get sh*t done). Proudly associating with the latter, I sat with my arms crossed, entirely unimpressed. But then, she asked the class to list some adjectives that came to mind when thinking about each term.
Go getters were described as hard working, ambitious, high achieving keeners.
While, procrastinators were characterized as slackers and under-achievers.
I scoffed. As a self-proclaimed, proud procrastinator, I felt attacked. I still had the ability to get sh*t done, and done well – just under a tight timeline. Please. I can watch an entire series over a given weekend and still get my 3500 paper completed. Procrastinators everywhere are truly impressive specimens, who are deeply underappreciated.
Go-getters and procrastinators are just different, but different doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.
And so, I sat in my cramped desk, and silently had a very intense existential crisis. At the end of the day, I always got the job done, so what did it really matter what time table I worked from? Then, as if I got hit by a very powerful freight train, all the memories came flooding back: the late nights that turned into all-nighters, the graveyard of empty coffee cups and cracked energy drink cans that lay eschew beside crumpled pages, the river of tears, and whispered “please send help(s).”
Afterword, I would always promise to do better, to be better, and to “get my life together.” And as I would have it, it happened over and over again.
Really then, procrastination only becomes a problem when it’s not being used productively or when it becomes a mindless form of escape. If you find this is ever the case, follow these five steps to get out of your funk:
Step 1: Recognize that you’ve fallen into the “unproductive territory”
The outcome of your work is what matters, so if your procrastination has gone too far, you’ve fallen into “unproductive territory.” This leads to poor performance.
Step 2: Learn to Prioritize
Each task should be evaluated based on importance and urgency. Start with the most urgent task, and work from there…
Step 3: Forget perfection
Often, problematic procrastination stems from fear: either because the task seems overwhelming, or you’re afraid your work will never measure up. If you’ve chosen to procrastinate, forget perfection, and remember that everything evolves.
Step 4: Break it down
Breaking down the size of a project into bite-sized pieces is one of the best methods to tackle a big project. This way, you’ll be able to wrap your head around the project and celebrate small victories along the way.
Step 5: Stop fooling yourself
Procrastination has always served up a nice, little placebo on a silver platter – offering a boost in energy and creativity. While, in all probability, you could produce ever better work given the time to think about what it is you’re exactly doing, and to explore alternative solutions.
So, take some time to evaluation your procrastination practices. Are you using procrastination as an effective tool? If your performance isn’t suffering as a result of your habits, than procrastinate on collegiates! Just be smart about it. You’re future-self thanks you.