“Procrastination doesn’t care about irony” is what my best friend said to me as I complained to her about procrastinating writing my article on procrastination. And that is true. It doesn’t. As I sit here, dutifully ignoring my laundry and not studying for my two midterms this week, I am reminded of how normal this is to me. Putting things off till the last minute, forgetting things in the process, and never being satisfied with the end result of my work.
I will feel the guilt, but I will still procrastinate. It is fully irrational to do things you know will affect you in the future, but here we are, still procrastinating. Long periods of procrastination hurt you in the future, but provide you comfort and validation in the present, a concept explained wonderfully in this Ted-Ed video.
We have the how and the why and the “stop procrastinating and start living” videos and articles all over the internet that we read and watch WHILE procrastinating. The need to feel less stressed out in the present moment, supersedes our need to feel better in the future.
I have always been able to get away with doing things last minute and disguising them as projects I worked hard on, but that sends me into a different depth of despair – how good would I be if I actually worked hard, and what if working hard proves that I’m not as good as I thought I would be.
And so we procrastinate again, temporarily sparing our brains from the misery that might be self-realization. Procrastination is so deeply ingrained in most of us, and it serves as a weird defense mechanism, protecting us from disappointment.
The internet is home to thousands and thousands of blogs and articles that tell you how to stop procrastinating and start being productive. While these tips are helpful, they also put forward this idea that productivity is only acceptable when it’s at its highest.
Procrastination doesn’t care about how important that report is. It doesn’t care about how funny it is that the one part of your brain that’s supposed to push you forward is also holding you back.
Many of you may be thinking, “girl, what’s the point of this article”, and let me tell you- there is none. There are no tips or tricks in this article that will help any of us realize the true potential that lurks behind this iron wall of putting things off.
What this article will tell you is that you’re not alone. Being at odds with your own control center is something a lot of people battle with everyday, and procrastination is just a small part of why people put off doing things. Whether those reasons may be underlying issues, or the simple fact that you’re lazy, procrastination still throws our peace of mind for a toss.
I deal with it by allowing myself to procrastinate just a teensy bit, and acknowledging that I am allowed to be lazy and lethargic. Procrastination might not care about irony, but its existence is ironic in of itself.