The Merriam-Webster dictionary utters the word ‘procrastination’ is to put off intentionally and habitually the doing of something that should be done.

If we procrastinate, we keep delaying things we should do until later, often because you do not want to do them. It is the opposite of ‘punctuality’ which means doing something at the agreed or proper time. It is rightly called the ‘thief of time’ because a procrastinator never gets time again to complete his work.

No matter how disciplined and dedicated we are, chances are that we have found ourself spend hours in a slow and usually foolish way on trivial quests like watching TV, updating our Facebook status, shopping online, chatting on WhatsApp when we should have been spending that time on work or school-related projects.

Whether we are rescheduling the start of a venture for work, evading homework assignments, or overlooking household chores, delaying a visit to a doctor for compulsory regular check-up, or postponing an educational video shoot for YouTube, procrastination in each case can have a major impact on our career, our rankings, and our life.

The lost health can be regained by good food and lost wealth by hard work, but lost time, under the shadow of procrastination, is unreturnable.

CAUSES

Procrastination is caused by laziness, delayed action and the illusion of unlimited time in future. There are many men who are lazy by nature. They lack enthusiasm for work. They delay action thinking that today’s work will be done tomorrow. But their tomorrow never comes. The illusion of unlimited time in future is also one of the causes of procrastination. Many men are of the opinion that life is a long span of days, weeks, months and years. So, there is no need of being in haste. Such an opinion about the unlimited time in future encourages them to delay or postpone action.

PROCRASTINATION IS HARMFUL

Procrastination or delayed action and illusion of unlimited time in future ruin a man’s life. His success and progress become uncertain. He loses many good opportunities in life. His work remains unfinished and so the burden of work becomes unbearable. It creates tension in the mind. Postponement of work till another time more often may keep us left without its benefits, which might have accumulated had we done that on time. His life becomes a sequence of sorrow. That is why everyone should try to be punctual which alone can unveil the face of success. The necessity of cultivating punctuality is thus very important in life.

HOW TO OVERCOME

• We plan our day in advance, set a priority list on our activities.

• Break down the objects on our list into small, controllable steps so that our tasks don’t seem so threatening. We must complete the work and accumulate the confidence.

• We must ask ourselves what distracts us the most—whether WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook updates, or something else. We must shut them off quickly, only to open on necessities.

• We must be ready for action and start quickly into a workday. By doing something important as early as possible, we will work at a higher level of productivity and efficiency all day long.

• Last but not the least, in case we find ourselves procrastinating, we must start chanting,

“DO IT NOW!    DO IT NOW!     DO IT NOW!”

This ‘dynamic mantra’ will penetrate deep into your subconscious mind where it serves as an activator to get you going and keep you moving.