When you are spending your time doing what may not be urgent or even valuable, and push urgent and/or important work to the last minute, you are procrastinating. We have all been there some time or the other, and we know it can seriously hamper our work efficiency and the way we are perceived. Added to that is the stress of doing things at the last minute, and trying hard to make it right.
So, why do we procrastinate? And can we stop?
Is Procrastination just about 'laziness', or is it a more complex mix of motivation, time-management, capability, and vulnerability to distraction or impulsiveness? Think of it this way: If you were excited about the task at hand, had the skills and the time to do it, really motivated by what doing it could mean, would you still procrastinate?
If your answer is No, and you still find yourself in that last minute rush, maybe you need to look at how much you are trying to get done. Maybe you need to get clarity about what's important and what's urgent, and accept that you simply may have to let go of some things just because you don't have more than 24 hours a day.
The answer, sometimes, is yes. See if these statements fit what you might be thinking when you procrastinate.
"I can do it easily. Let me have fun first."
Maybe you think the job is too easy for you and doesn't need as much time as budgeted. You'd rather have fun now and get to it just in time. Challenge is: You might not rise to your full potential - you'd get the job done, but won't be a star.
"If I avoid doing it, perhaps it will go away."
You are just hoping time will solve things for you. It happens at times - perhaps that tooth ache will heal itself. Challenge is: It most likely won't go away, and you have an even bigger monster to deal with.
"I need help, but I don't want to ask yet."
You recognize that you will need help, but asking for help isn't easy, and you put it away as you don't want to show yourself as incapable. You might even think that you can quickly study about it and come back in time. Challenge is: You are likely to look even more incapable when the task does become critical & you are forced to take help.
"I don't want to be responsible. If I stay silent, perhaps somebody else will pick it up"
You don't like to take decisions, and you don't want to be the one to be blamed if and when things go wrong. You think if you dilly-dally long enough, somebody else might do it. Challenge is: You may still be left with the task, only harder, or someone else is taking all the credit.
"This is so boring. I need more energy to do it."
You are just not interested, and you think doing something fun might give you energy to do it - perhaps cribbing to a friend. Challenge is: You waste a lot of time and you still find the task too boring to do.
"What are others doing? What am I missing out?"
The fear of missing out might be keeping you from what you really need to do. Your friends are all chatting about the music concert coming up, and you don't want to miss it, and so you postpone what you need. Challenge is: There is always tons of stuff that you are going to miss out anyway.
Bottom-line: Understand your procrastination. That can help you deal with it.
Counselling can help you at any stage, of course, but certainly seek help if your procrastination is causing adverse impact on your work appraisal, or creating rifts in your key relationships, or you feel stuck and worried if you are moving towards your life goals.
Discussing with your counselor can hep you discover what is making you procrastinate, and help you develop better tools to live and work more effectively.
Thankfully, there are many people who find procrastination a challenging and interesting subject to study it, research it and write about it, without procrastinating! The following links may help you get started on more reading on the subject.